One of the most difficult things in sports is trying to live up to expectations. Fan’s lofty goals for their athletes, particularly at UK, can be enough to make the most talented players wilt under the overbearing pressure. Luckily for Cats fans this season, freshman center Nerlens Noel has had no such trouble.
20 games into the season, Noel has 95 blocks, two ahead of the torrid pace Anthony Davis set last season when he broke the NCAA freshman record with 186.
The comparison between the two big men has been unavoidable. UK head coach John Calipari has said over and over that it isn’t fair to Noel to compare the two — he is his own player with his own set of skills.