Monday Quickies: Ashton Hagans Struggling Edition

Can the sophomore guard break out of his slump?

By John Morgan Francis@MonJorgan Feb 10, 2020, 6:40am EST

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While Kentucky has won several thrilling games over the last two months, the play of their starting point guard hasn’t exactly been a thrill to watch. Sophomore Ashton Hagans, the team’s facilitator and arguably the country’s best defender, has hit a wall and is currently experiencing what appears to be a minor slump.

Averaging more than four turnovers per game over his last five outings, it’s easy to say that Hagans probably doesn’t need to be the team’s primary ball handler. While the defensive stopper does force the team’s opponent into committing their own turnovers, sloppy offense can be disastrous for a low-ceiling offense.

This could of course be just a few games of which Hagans has simply be off his game, but his recent slippage is certainly worth monitoring as the team moves forward and closer to the end of the regular season. Hagans is a significant piece to the championship puzzle Kentucky is trying to solve. In a year of which no team looks even a bit unbeatable, his defense and ability to make plays will be needed come March.