Tubby Smith looked to newcomers Lukasz Orbzut and Shagari Alleyne to bring size and immediate help this year. Summer reports had "Woo" dominating pickup games. Orbzut has not shown what those who saw him this summer witnessed. Woo is averaging more fouls per game than points, with 45 fouls and only 32 points through 26 games. Shagari Alleyne has barely left the bench this year with only 14 total points and 54 minutes of playing time.

However, senior forward Erik Daniels and junior forward Chuck Hayes have taken up the slack for the two freshmen. Daniels, playing at center, is averaging just under 15 points and six rebounds per game. Hayes is averaging 11 points and eight rebounds per game. The hard work that Daniels and Hayes have put in this season has more than made up for the lack of a true center or power player. My adjective for these two forwards, is tough.

Daniels has been the post presense, offensively, that Tubby Smith needed this season. On most occasions he has been smaller than his opponent, but he uses quickness and his array of shots to score down low. Daniels sets up teammates who cut to the basket and averages two and a half assists per game from the power-forward/center positions this season. He and Chuck Hayes work very well together in the low and high post.

Hayes is a hard-nosed worker in the post. He is leading the Wildcats in rebounding for the second consecutive year and he's also the team's leading shot blocker at 6-foot-6. His 2.6 assists per game are second on the team only to Cliff Hawkins, the senior point guard. Hayes is also known across the SEC as one of the best post defenders in the league.

The bench for the Cats is getting better game by game. Freshmen Sheray Thomas and Bobby Perry have been much improved. Guards Ravi Moss and Josh Carrier have been serviceable. Since Gerald Fitch, the teams leading scorer, is coming off the bench, the bench strength has improved greatly. My adjective for the bench is growing.

At times it was painful to watch the Wildcats' bench players on the floor. There have been players who dribble off of their foot in no traffic. Rebounds bounced off players' heads. One of the seven footers attempted to draw a charge from a 6-foot guard, and fell before the guard touched him. There have been airballs, too numerous to count. The bench seemed to lack confidence.

Now with Gerald Fitch coming off the bench, the injury seems to have been a blessing in disguise. The bench players have more confidence when they are able to play with a proven senior, and they have gained more experience in practice and in a few game situations. Including Antwain Barbour, who replaced Fitch in the lineup, the bench is averaging 12.7 points per game. Sheray Thomas and Bobby Perry have become the teams seventh and eighth men in recent weeks. Ravi Moss is instant energy off the bench as a possible 9th man. Moss is averaging only 1.7 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. Those numbers are small, but per forty minutes, Moss averages 9.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game. His intensity can't be measured statistically.

Looking back four years, the Wildcats had three McDonald's All American's on the roster, when the five seniors were freshmen. Besides Antwain Barbour, who played junior college ball for two years, Gerald Fitch, Jason Parker, Erik Daniels, Cliff Hawkins, Corey Sears and Matt Heissenbuttel were incoming freshmen with those all american players. Jason Parker and Corey Sears have since moved on. The thought was that Tubby would recruit over this group, and only Cliff Hawkins and Jason Parker would become strong contributors in this class. My adjective for the talent level is under-appreciated.

Gerald Fitch has now scored 1270 points, including 179 three point field goals. The 179 three point field goals ranks him number six all time in UK history. Cliff Hawkins' defensive intensity, and his floor leadership are strong points for this senior. Hawkins is now number seven all time in assists in UK history with 441. In addition to his assists, his 185 steals put him at fifth all time. Cliff should finish in the third spot. Erik Daniels ranks 12th all time in field goal percentage at 55%. He has 971 points in his career.

Other players on this team who help the argument against lack of talent include Kelenna Azubuike and Chuck Hayes. Azubuike was rated among the top 50 players in the country in his class. Kelenna led the state of Oklahoma in scoring his senior year, with 39 points per game. This season as a sophomore for the Wildcats, he's averaging ten points and five rebounds per game. His thunderous dunks, and long range bombs help the future look bright for the UK Wildcats.

Chuck Hayes was a parade all American out of high school in 2002. He was also the second leading scorer in the Pan-Am games in the summer of 2003. Chuck has a career average of 8.2 points per game. If Hayes keeps that pace, and UK plays at least 32 games this year and next, he'll score 1082 points for his career. Keeping pace with his 6.3 career rebounds per game, he will grab 831 rebounds in his career. That will place him 9th all time in rebounding at UK.

This group of players has proven the critics wrong to this point. They picked up their 100th win as a group against South Carolina on Wednesday of this week. Tubby Smith has them poised to further show their worth in next week's SEC tournament, and in two weeks in the NCAA tournament. They seem to be peaking at the right time. In the last five games, the Cats have averaged 77.4 points per game and they have been executing the offense better than any time since last season. With the experience and tough-mindedness that this team possesses, they will be a tough team to tackle in the NCAA tournament.

Written by Brian C. Eldridge