Kentucky Wildcats
SEC (25-6, 15-3)
There were some bumps along the way, but Kentucky has nearly lived up to their very lofty preseason expectations. By the time SEC play rolled around, this was a Wildcats team that was playing very good basketball. What once was a young group is now a relatively experienced squad that has the talent to reach the Final Four and beyond.
Big Wins: 11/5 vs Michigan State (69-62), 12/28 Louisville (78-70), 2/29 Auburn (73-66)
Bad Losses: 11/12 Evansville (64-67), 12/18 vs Utah (66-69), 1/15 at South Carolina (78-81)
Coach: John Calipari
Why They Can Surprise:
The backcourt trio of Immanuel Quickley, Ashton Hagans and Tyrese Maxey have led the way. Quickley was a roleplayer as a freshman, but turned into a star as a sophomore, averaging 16.1 points per game. Quickley knocked down 42.8 percent of his attempts from long range and is by far the most prolific outside shooter on the team. Hagans experience as a starting point guard paid dividends this season. The sophomore dished out 6.4 assists per game on top of his 11.5 points and is a fine leader on the floor. As expected, Maxey has turned into a major scoring threat as a freshman. Those three, along with forward Nick Richards, get to the charity stripe on a regular basis and even on those rare occasions when Kentucky is struggling to shoot the ball, they will still put points on the board.
Why They Can Disappoint:
And it is very important for Kentucky to score at the charity stripe since they will not create too many buckets off turnovers and their three-point shooting is pretty much non-existent outside of Quickley. Reserve forward Nate Sestina is consistent shooting the ball, but he has not gotten the opportunity to stretch the defense on a regular basis. When, or if, Kentucky falters in the NCAA Tournament, it will likely be an off shooting night against a team that can match their size and athleticism on the perimeter.
Probable Starters:
Immanuel Quickley, Sophomore, Guard, 16.1 ppg, 1.9 apg, 4.2 rpg
Ashton Hagans, Sophomore, Guard, 11.5 ppg, 6.4 apg
Tyrese Maxey, Freshman, Guard, 14.0 ppg, 3.2 apg, 4.3 rpg
EJ Montgomery, Sophomore, Forward, 6.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.1 bpg
Nick Richards, Junior, Forward, 14.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.1 bpg
Key Role Players:
Keion Brooks, Freshman, Forward, 4.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg
Nate Sestina, Senior, Forward, 5.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 74.4 (91st in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 66.1 (81, 5)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.1 (52, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 39.4 (20, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.1 (337, 14)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.3 (124, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 79.7 (2, 1)
Rebound Margin: 4.2 (58, 4)
Assists Per Game: 13.4 (153, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.5 (111, 3)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
| 2019 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Abilene Christian |
| 2019 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Wofford |
| 2019 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over Houston |
| 2019 | NCAA | Regional Final loss to Auburn |
| 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 3/8
