Kentucky Wildcats: 27-6, 15-3 in the SEC
Head coach: John Calipari (10th season)
Players to watch: PJ Washington (14.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG, .419 3P%); Keldon Johnson (13.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG); Tyler Herro (14.2 PPG, .940 FT%)
Season recap: Kentucky's start to the season wasn't pretty by any means. After suffering a 34-point drubbing at the hands of Duke in their season opener, the worst loss in head coach John Calipari's career, the Wildcats all but lost their excitement and hopes of winning the national championship.
Luckily for Kentucky, a string of weak non-conference opponents allowed the team to regroup, bounce back and find a way to win games. Its first quadrant one team after its defeat to the Blue Devils was against North Carolina, and its 80-72 win showed the world why the team was ranked No. 2 in the preseason polls in the first place. After point guard Quade Green transferred out of Lexington, the Wildcats were able to give more touches to star scorers sophomore PJ Washington and freshmen Tyler Herro and Keldon Johnson, all who have propelled this Kentucky team to have the second-best record in the SEC.
After bulldozing its way through its conference, suffering just three losses, two to powerhouses LSU and Tennessee, Kentucky hopes to rely on its rebounding and defense to hold its offense down, as it has struggled at times this season. Washington, as a leader of the team, must use his experience to help get Johnson and Herro situated during the long and arduous journey that is the NCAA tournament.
How they make a run: Kentucky runs and guns opposing teams off the floor, and one of the Johnson, Washington and Herro trio finds his stroke and shoots Kentucky’s way into the Final Four.
How they falter: Kentucky’s offense stagnates as nobody can get it going from deep, and the Wildcats lose to a more experienced and disciplined team.
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