Kentucky Wildcats: 29-5, 16-2 in the SEC
Head coach: John Calipari (8th season)
Players to watch: Malik Monk (20.4 PPG, 40.3 3PT%); De’Aaron Fox (16.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 4.8 APG); Bam Adebayo (13.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.6 BPG)
Season recap: Kentucky’s star-studded freshman class did not disappoint in 2016-17, as its three top recruits—Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox and Bam Adebayo—ended the regular season as the Wildcats’ three leading scorers. The combination of highly touted freshmen and experienced veterans off the bench allowed Kentucky to thrive in both nonconference and SEC play as it tallied just five losses along the way.
The Wildcats started off the year strong, winning their first seven games by an average of 30.6 points, including a decisive win against then-No. 13 Michigan State in New York. The Wildcats maintained consistency throughout the entire season—just one of their five defeats came at the hands of an unranked opponent in Tennessee, and four of their five losses were by a combined 16 points, including defeats at the hands of Kansas, Louisville and UCLA. Kentucky has put together an impressive body of work fueled by Malik Monk's hot shooting, as it is heading into the Big Dance with wins against top seeds North Carolina and Florida.
A significant reason for the Wildcats' success has been their ability to put up points in bunches. Kentucky’s scoring average of 86.1 points per game ranks fifth in the nation and a big part of its scoring comes from the freshman guard tandem of Monk and De'Aaron Fox, who average a combined 36.5 points per game. Throw in Adebayo's rim protection and veteran leadership from sophomore guard Isaiah Briscoe, and these Wildcats have many expecting a deep postseason run.
How they make a run: The Wildcats’ success is reliant on Monk—whenever he has a bad shooting night, so does the rest of the team. Luckily for Kentucky, however, Monk’s diverse ability to score from both the perimeter and get to the rim keep these occurrences to a minimum, allowing for the Wildcats to return to the Final Four yet again.
How they falter: Outside of Monk, Kentucky is talented yet limited—Fox shoots less than 25 percent from behind the arc and Adebayo's scoring is inconsistent. The Wildcats’ supporting cast cannot give enough help to Monk, meaning the freshman's first off-night sees Kentucky fall.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.