Anthony Edwards Going off vs MSU Proves He's One of John Calipari's Greatest Recruiting Failures

Anthony Edwards is being wasted on a Georgia team that, while intriguing, is likely lacking the firepower to make a Final Four run despite his services. On Tuesday, the freshman single-handedly almost led a 20-point comeback vs the No. 3 team in the country thanks to 33 second-half points.

It's far too early in the college basketball season to make grand premonitions, but one we feel quite comfortable with is that Kentucky missed a huge opportunity in Edwards. The Atlanta native is the go-to scorer the Wildcats lack, and one Tom Crean and the Bulldogs somehow stole away from Lexington.

The Cats' 2019 recruiting class was still second-ranked nationally, and included the likes of 5-stars Tyrese Maxey, Kahlil Whitney and Keion Brooks. Yet, the best overall talent of that group was Maxey, who ranked 10th nationally per 247sports. That's not the Kentucky standard.

Edwards was the second-ranked player nationally and was down to Georgia and Kentucky as his final two choices, despite his desire to stay home. The fact John Calipari couldn't persuade him away from joining a school which lacks the college basketball history or pedigree of UK is stunning, to say the least. We don't know what went into the final push for Edwards, but Coach Cal clearly misplayed his hand.

The fact is, had Calipari made the necessary adjustment, Edwards should be playing alongside another loaded freshman class in Lexington, to go along with returning players Ashton Hagans and EJ Montgomery. Instead, he's spending what will likely be his only collegiate season trying to dethrone them.

What a waste.