DJ Wagner and Justin Edwards named preseason true freshman All-Americans by 247 Sports

Rejoice — Basketball is back in the Bluegrass!

The Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team officially kicked off the 2023-2024 season with the pageantry that is Big Blue Madness last Friday.

Expectations and reality are now on an inevitable collision course.

It feels a bit odd for Kentucky to lack the tremendous preseason hype that we’ve seen historically in the Calipari era but make no mistake, this team is loaded with young talent.

It’s not a secret that UK’s best teams over the years have been littered with young talent.

The 2023-2024 roster is certain to showcase Calipari’s slew of young talent and will be led by two dynamic scorers in DJ Wagner and Justin Edwards.

Isaac Trotter from 247 Sports was spitting facts when he named his preseason true freshman All-Americans.

Yes, Trotter did have Wagner and Edwards on his First-Team All-American list, but he also made some great points about freshman scoring being way down last season, in large part due to the transfer portal aging the sport.

After watching DJ Wagner play in Canada, I feel confident that he’s going to do whatever is necessary to put pressure on opposing defenses. Finding balance when attacking and making the right play could be a challenge for Wagner over the course of a long season but with his pedigree, I’d agree with Trotter and absolutely have DJ Wagner on my true freshman First-Team All-American list.

Justin Edwards got major praise from Trotter, being compared to former Alabama Crimson Tide star Brandon Miller. The lefty can get points in a variety of ways and is impossible to stop when he’s on his game. Calipari may have a tough job this season ensuring that Edwards is involved early and often on a team that’s deep with scorers.

It goes without saying that it feels great to see a Kentucky Wildcat team with two Diaper Dandies on a preseason First-Team All-American list.

Oh, and Aaron Bradshaw just missed the cut, obviously notating his injury being a big question mark but impact-making presence there when healthy.

Is it March yet?