Preview: Kentucky plays Kansas in Madison Square Garden

After a blowout win over Marist, The U-K Men’s basketball team will be looking for a statement.
Tonight, the Cats will play against the Kansas Jayhawks in Madison Square Garden, in New York. The game is part of the Inaugural State Farm Champions Classic. Tip-off is at 9:00 on ESPN.
Two years ago, Kentucky Head Basketball Coach John Calipari put together one of the most talented Kentucky squads of all time. In his first year in the Commonwealth, he led that team to a statement game at the Garden beating UConn 64-61. That game, college basketball witnessed the extraordinary talent that was John Wall. Kentucky won 19 games in a row that season, and vaulted up to #1 in the polls.
The Jayhawks come in to the game ranked #10 in the AP poll. They’re lead by senior Tyshawn Taylor. Taylor, a speedy guard from Hoboken New Jersey, who can play both the point and the two guard, will garner most of the attention from Calipari and the U-K defense.
After last Friday’s victory over Marist 108-58, Coach Calipari said that he didn’t think his team was ready for a game against a team like Kansas.
It’s easy for fans to look at a box score, see that a team like Kentucky won their previous game by 50, and think they’re ready for anything. But can Kentucky pull off what they did in 09? Can they introduce their new freshmen phenoms? Kidd-Gilchrist, Davis Jr., Teague, Wiltjer are the new freshmen faces of the program for this year, and there’s no denying their talent. But can their talent along with the rest of the UK Basketball team, withstand the first test of their young season?
To a season full of lofty expectations, U-K has a chance to make an early statement, again, tonight on the biggest stage in basketball.