By Kyle Arensdorf

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Of the four freshmen who made their UK debut at the Big Blue Bahamas Tour in August, point guard Tyler Ulis earned the most praise for his play.

His stingy defense and  ability to stretch the floor with his outside shooting even had some calling for him to replace sophomore guard Andrew Harrison as the point guard for UK’s starting platoon.

In the Cats’ six-game run in the Bahamas, Ulis went 9-for-15 (60 percent) from beyond the 3-point line with 22 assists and eight steals, compared to Harrison’s 0-for-3 output from the three point line, 31 assists and four steals.

Ulis gained supporters because of his capacity to start his freshman season running and his ability to immediately pick up the offense and command it.

Infamously, Harrison, as well as the Cats as a team, had a rough start to the 2013-14 season that continued for most of the season, and his visibly negative body language routinely came under scrutiny.

But Harrison’s performance improved throughout the SEC and NCAA Tournaments a season ago, and that cannot be swept under the rug.

His ability to finally grasp head coach John Calipari’s offensive system was a part of why the Cats were able to make their unlikely run to the national championship in March.

Calipari spoke to the improvements Andrew Harrison has made from last season to this season after the Cats’ 121-52 victory against Georgetown Sunday.

“Everything about them is better. Their attitudes (are) better,” he said of the twin guards. “And I say attitudes, it’s more their (negative) body language, and you’re not seeing any of that.”

Calipari also said he spoke to “NBA people” at UK’s combine on Oct. 10 who said their opinions of the guards have “really changed.”

When asked what he thought he showed the NBA scouts, Andrew Harrison keyed on his athleticism.

In UK’s two exhibition games, Andrew Harrison has shown that athleticism and has begun to assert himself as the true starter, anchoring the starting platoon in two decisive victories, tallying 15 assists, 11 points and only two turnovers.

Ulis has come down from his above-average numbers in the Bahamas to numbers much more comparable to those of a first-year point guard in Calipari’s dribble-drive offense.

The 5-foot-9 guard hung six points, four assists and two steals on Pikeville Nov. 2 before putting up zero points in the Cats’ win against Georgetown Sunday.

Fans will have to push their aspirations of seeing the undersized guard overtake Andrew Harrison in the starting role to the side for the time being.