More with Jodie Meeks from Andy Katz

CHICAGO — Jodie Meeks isn’t a lock for the first round, and unless he can get some sort of guarantee in the first 30 picks, he’ll probably return to Kentucky for his senior season.

If he does return, Meeks said, he fully expects the Wildcats to contend for the national title.

“If I do come back, with everybody back, we can compete for it,” said Meeks at Chicago’s Attack Athletics gym after Thursday’s first session of drills at the NBA draft combine.

The junior guard, who torched Tennessee for 54 points in a game last season, said he would love to play next to high-profile point guard John Wall, who signed with Kentucky last week.

“He’s an excellent talent, a one-year-and-done,” Meeks said. “Everybody is saying he’s going to be great for the program.”

Having Wall next to him would also take the pressure off Meeks to constantly create with the basketball.

“John Wall could create for himself and for others,” he said.

Meeks said he wasn’t sure why Patrick Patterson withdrew from the draft before coming to the combine, but said Patterson told him he thought he could improve his stock by playing in college. Meeks said he has nothing to lose by staying in the draft until at least the June 15 deadline.

Meeks said he has workouts scheduled with Oklahoma City, Detroit, Washington and Atlanta.

“If I’m not first round, then I’ll go back to school,” Meeks said.

Meeks said he hadn’t heard about the NCAA’s notice of allegations to Memphis until late Wednesday night. But he said he understood that it had nothing to do with Kentucky and just added that coach Calipari “is a good guy,” and didn’t seem too worried about it for him or the Wildcats.

It’s good to hear that Jodie is NOT thinking about staying the Draft if he’s not a first rounder, which is what some were saying earlier this week. I think that would have been a big mistake for a kid who is not from a dire family financial situation.

The good news for UK is that I would be really surprised if Jodie moves into the first round. I have heard that he has been solid in workouts, but not dazzling, which is what he needed to be in order to jump out of the second round. I was much less confident about Jodie returning to school earlier this week, now I feel much, much better.