Kentucky basketball is an enigma well into the What else should we expect

Kentucky basketball is an enigma well into the . What else should we expect.

At most programs, a two-game losing streak amid a stretch of so-so performances isn’t a cause for alarm. At Kentucky, it can prod every kind of analysis imaginable.

The Wildcats, a preseason favorite as usual with their cast of blue-chip freshmen, snapped their two-game skid Tuesday with an unremarkable 78-65 defeat of Mississippi State. John Calipari’s team is 15-5 (5-3 Southeastern Conference) entering Saturday’s trip to West Virginia, hardly the ideal place for a freshman-centric, turnover-prone team to visit.

This Kentucky bunch has on rare occasions dominated (notably against Louisville), but things have tended to be a slog. The Wildcats had an early scare against Vermont. They won their first three league games (against Georgia, Louisiana State and Texas A&M) by a combined nine points. They turn it over more than is advisable, and they miss too many free throws.

[Bracketology: Kentucky is a No. 5 seed in latest NCAA tournament projection]

Attractive support group