Early Returns: Kentucky

SI.com's Luke Winn is checking in on the nation's top teams in the opening weeks of the season, answering pressing questions and re-evaluating preseason prognostications. The latest report: No. 7 Kentucky, after its 80-66 win over No. 13 West Virginia on Tuesday in the Guardians Classic in Kansas City

1. Wait ... is a point guard really this team's No. 1 rebounder?

Following the game, someone asked Rajon Rondo, in jest, if he was the new Chuck Hayes -- such an absurd inquiry that it even drew a laugh out of the Wildcats' reserved sophomore. "I wouldn't say that," he replied.

While physically, the spindly, 6-foot-1, 171-pound point guard is a polar opposite of the graduated Hayes (a 6-6, 240-pound forward who was the heart of UK's team and had a 7.7 rebounding average), Rondo has done something shocking in Hayes' absence: become Kentucky's leading glass-cleaner.

Through the 'Cats' first four games, Rondo is averaging 12.0 rebounds, 9.1 higher than his 2004-05 average, recording 19 boards in Monday's loss to Iowa and 10 more in Tuesday's win over West Virginia. A number of factors have contributed to Rondo's statistical surge. After Hayes' departure, he said, "I told myself I have to help out on the boards." Coach Tubby Smith also is experimenting with a new, smaller lineup, desperately trying to get production out of an under-performing front court. And Rondo, although under-sized, has long arms, frog-like hops and a knack for anticipating the path of errant shots. "I kind of have a sense of where the ball's going to go," he said. "I turn around and see if it's short or long, and try to get there as quick as I can."

While Rondo's board-crashing barrage may be nice for him, it's more likely a point of embarrassment for the Wildcats' big men ... even if they won't admit it. "We've been struggling to rebound, so if Rajon has 19, that's fine," said forward Bobby Perry, who had two boards against the Mountaineers. "He jumps so high, and he has a running start, so he keeps grabbing them. We're kind of like, 'Why do you keep taking our rebounds away from us?'"

Soon, the novelty of the fact that Rondo has grabbed a stunning 31.2 percent of the Wildcats' total rebounds will wear off -- and the reality will set in that center Randolph Morris (who went unselected in April's draft and is petitioning the NCAA to allow him to return to UK) isn't going to be eligible anytime soon. And Kentucky's bigs who are eligible to hit the glass, well, they'll start feeling the heat Smith hinted at following the game, when he said, "We need to have more people attacking the glass."

2. Can the 'Cats settle on a lineup?

After the Wildcats posted sluggish wins over South Dakota State and Lipscomb and sloppily lost to Iowa, Smith acknowledged he's been experimenting with everything in hopes of finding a lineup that works. On Tuesday, he may have come up with an answer against West Virginia: going small. Smith opted to keep 7-footers Shagari Alleyne and Lukasz Obrzut permanently on the pine, play third 7-footer Jared Carter just 10 minutes, and start a three-guard lineup (Rondo, Patrick Sparks and Ravi Moss) along with the 6-6 Perry and 6-8 Rekalin Sims at forwards. In addition to giving them the quickness to play a 2-3 zone and limit the Mountaineers to 10-of-37 shooting from 3-point land, the smaller lineup, Rondo said, "stretches the [opposing] defenses out, and I get to penetrate more, because Rekalin and Bobby can both shoot the ball from outside." With more room to operate, UK's starting backcourt produced 51 points and 10 assists, led by 25 from Sparks, who hit seven 3s as the main beneficiary of the 'Cats' improved ball movement. "We can get up and down the court better [in the small lineup]," said Perry, who's usually a 3 but saw most of his minutes Tuesday as a 4. "Shagari, Lukasz and Jared are great players, but when they're isolated in the post, it kind of limits our offense as far as moving the ball around and getting open shots."

3. Is Sparks going to play a major role on this team?