Kentucky and Memphis playing short-handed

Kentucky and Memphis have, arguably, the two best recruiting classes in the country. (Ohio State may disagree, but for my sake, let's pretend they don't.) And based on what the two teams bring back this season, those recruiting classes are sorely needed.

Both the Wildcats and the Tigers are currently taking their once-every-four-years trip abroad, with Kentucky playing exhibitions in Canada and Memphis heading to the Bahamas. But neither team is completely intact right now.

Kentucky may be without Enes Kanter and possibly Terrence Jones, but Brandon Knight played great in their first scrimmage.
(photo credit: Louisville C-J)

Kentucky is currently playing with Enes Kanter, the Turkish big man. Kanter is still awaiting clearance from the NCAA. His amateur status is under review as a result of playing nine games with professional club Fenerbache in Turkey. In order to be cleared, Kanter must prove that he only received normal expenses while competing for them. Because Kanter's amateur status is under review, he cannot travel with the team, but since he has been cleared academically already, he has been allowed to enroll in summer school and begin practicing with the team.

Then, nine minutes into Kentucky's first game in Canada, Terrence Jones hurt his shoulder and did not return. There has been no update as of yet on his status.

Memphis is dealing with their own problems. We already know that Will Barton, a top ten recruit from Baltimore, was denied eligibility by the NCAA to participate with Memphis this season. He's not the only one, however. Hippolyte Tsafack has not yet been cleared by the NCAA either, while Chris Crawford's case is still under review. Crawford was allowed to practice for the ten days with the Tigers, but is not allowed to travel with them.

And then there is Jelan Kendrick. Kendrick is one of two McDonald's all-americans on the Memphis roster, but he is currently back home in his native Atlanta. Kendrick has been cleared by the NCAA, and according to Josh Pastner, he is dealing with a personal issue.

Despite all of that bad news, Kentucky and Memphis fans both have reason to be happy about this trip. Their star point guard recruits both look like the real deal. Brandon Knight had a cool 31 points, 7 boards, 4 assists, and 0 turnovers against Windsor in Kentucky's 95-62 win on Sunday.

Joe Jackson might have been better for Memphis. Jackson finished with 28 points, going 11-11 from the field and hitting four threes.

Keep in mind, the competition is far from big-time D1 basketball, but those are still impressive numbers.