Kentucky Wildcats
SEC (27-6, 15-3)
After Kentucky lost on opening day by a score of 118-84 to Duke, they had to take a backseat to a few other teams when it came to the elite teams in the nation. But since that loss, the Wildcats have slowly clawed their way up the rankings and turned into one of the best teams in the country and Coach John Calipari will have them ready to push for a trip to the Final Four.
Big Wins: 12/22 vs North Carolina (80-72), 1/26 Kansas (71-63), 2/16 Tennessee (86-69)
Bad Losses: 12/8 vs Seton Hall (83-84), 1/5 at Alabama (75-77), 2/12 LSU (71-73)
Coach: John Calipari
Why They Can Surprise:
As usual, Kentucky has an impressive frontcourt. PJ Washington, a 6-8 sophomore, leads the team with 14.8 points and 7.5 rebounds. After a solid freshman campaign, Washington has emerged as an effective leader on the floor. The addition of Stanford transfer Reid Travis gives the Wildcats another strong interior scorer who can hit the glass effectively. EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards provide most of the frontcourt depth. Those two are not strong scorers, but both have been very productive on the defensive end and are a huge part of Kentucky’s solid shot blocking.
Why They Can Disappoint:
This team has some shooters. PJ Washington, Keldon Johnson, Tyler Herro and Immanuel Quickley are all occasionally decent shooters. None are particularly prolific though. Herro takes the most three-pointers, but has not been consistent. Johnson has been more consistent, but the Wildcats have their games where they can turn into a one-dimensional offense that cannot stretch the defense with their outside shooting. That does not matter against most squads, but once Kentucky runs into a team that can defend their big men effectively, they have to knock down some long balls.
Probable Starters:
Tyler Herro, Freshman, Guard, 14.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.3 apg
Ashton Hagans, Freshman, Guard, 7.7 ppg, 4.5 apg
Keldon Johnson, Freshman, Guard, 13.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg
Reid Travis, Senior, Forward, 11.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg
PJ Washington, Sophomore, Forward, 14.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Key Role Players:
Nick Richards, Sophomore, Forward, 4.1 ppf, 3.5 rpg, 1.4 bpg
EJ Montgomery, Freshman, Forward, 3.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.1 bpg
Immanuel Quickley, Freshman, Guard, 5.5 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 76.8 (73rd in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 65.2 (37, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.7 (33, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.4 (26, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.0 (318, 14)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.9 (104, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.3 (55, 4)
Rebound Margin: 9.1 (3, 1)
Assists Per Game: 13.7 (154, 6)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.7 (153, 4)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
| 2018 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Davidson |
| 2018 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Buffalo |
| 2018 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to Kansas State |
| 2017 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Northern Kentucky |
| 2017 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Wichita State |
| 2017 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over UCLA |
| 2017 | NCAA | Regional Final loss to North Carolina |
| 2016 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Stony Brook |
| 2016 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Indiana |
| 2015 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Hampton |
| 2015 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Cincinnati |
| 2015 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over West Virginia |
| 2015 | NCAA | Regional Final win over Notre Dame |
| 2015 | NCAA | National Semifinal win loss to Wisconsin |
| 2014 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Kansas State |
| 2014 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Wichita State |
| 2014 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over Louisville |
| 2014 | NCAA | Regional Final win over Michigan |
| 2014 | NCAA | National Semifinal win over Wisconsin |
| 2014 | NCAA | National Final loss to Connecticut |
| 2013 | NIT | First Round loss to Robert Morris |
| 2012 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Western Kentucky |
| 2012 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Iowa State |
| 2012 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over Indiana |
| 2012 | NCAA | Regional Final win over Baylor |
| 2012 | NCAA | National Semifinal win over Louisville |
| 2012 | NCAA | National Final win over Kansas |
| 2011 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Princeton |
| 2011 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over West Virginia |
| 2011 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over Ohio State |
| 2011 | NCAA | Regional Final win over North Carolina |
| 2011 | NCAA | National Semifinal loss to Connecticut |
| 2010 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over East Tennessee State |
| 2010 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Wake Forest |
| 2010 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over Cornell |
| 2010 | NCAA | Regional Final loss to West Virginia |
| 2009 | NIT | First Round win over UNLV |
| 2009 | NIT | Second Round win over Creighton |
| 2009 | NIT | Quarterfinal loss to Notre Dame |
| 2008 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Marquette |
| 2007 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Villanova |
| 2007 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Kansas |
*all team stats through 3/10
