What these players have in common: Shot blocking ability, intimidating presence, leadership position on the team, beloved by UK fans.

What separates these players: Davis was a slightly better scorer than Noel, more of an offensive threat, and all his statistics are slightly higher than Noel’s with the exception of steals per game.

Let me start off by saying that, as a UK student and a fan of the school’s sports programs, I have nothing but love for both these players.

They both are central figures to UK’s success in the last several years, and will be remembered by the UK faithful for years to come.

I am not trying to put anyone down or degrade either player’s skill. I am simply doing a comparison to see which player brings the more complete package to the table.

It is important to note that Noel sustained a tragic injury in the Feb. 12 game vs. Florida, therefore had fewer games to rack up statistics against Davis in this breakdown.

Both players were the stars of their team the year they played, representing the face of the university’s basketball program.

These men both came into their stints at UK with incredible hype, as they were both ranked the No. 1 incoming freshman at one point or another by several publications and competed in events such as the Jordan Brand Classic.

Keeping in mind the stats above, I will put these players against each other in a head-to-head match-up in five categories: offense, defense, court presence, leadership and x-factor.