Kentucky Wildcats
SEC (32-2, 16-0)
Kentucky has been one of the most dominate teams in the nation during the 2011-2012 campaign. Coach John Calipari always has a slew of talent at his disposal, but this young group has come together and played some great basketball from day one. Early in the year they knocked off the likes of Kansas, North Carolina and Louisville. After that they cruised through the SEC with little trouble to bring home the regular season conference title.
Big Wins: 11/15 vs Kansas (75-65), 12/3 North Carolina (73-72), 12/31 Louisville (69-62)
Bad Losses: 12/10 at Indiana (72-73), 3/11 vs Vanderbilt (64-71)
Coach: John Calipari (3 seasons at Kentucky)
Why They Can Surprise:
The frontcourt is loaded with talent. Sophomore Terrence Jones is the elder statesman of the bunch. The 6-9, 252 pounder has taken a backseat to a couple freshmen, but he can stretch out the defense with his outside shooting ability. Anthony Davis is the newest superstar in Lexington. The 6-10 freshman is a great and efficient scorer around the basket and an even better rebounder and shot blocker. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is a big, hardworking wing who will do a lot of rebounding and scoring and a little bit of everything else. The Wildcats have another freshman, Kyle Wiltjer, who can stretch out the defense with his jump shot or fill in under the basket when the big guys need a break. The Kentucky defense is one of the best in the nation because of all of the athletic big men they have on the floor. Davis is one of the best shot blockers in the nation, but Jones and Kidd-Gilchrist are no slouches in that department either. The opposition better be able to hit some long balls and stretch out the Kentucky defense if they hope to win, because nobody has an easy time scoring in the paint against this group.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The one upperclassman who sees any playing time is in the backcourt, but this is still a really young team and senior Darius Miller usually comes in off of the bench. The youth may be a problem sooner or later during the NCAA Tournament. The lack of depth may be a concern as well at some point. Coach Calipari does a great job keeping his players fresh as much as he can, but Kentucky only goes seven deep most of the time. Miller has seen his numbers dip a little bit this season, but he is still the leader for Kentucky when he is on the floor. Doron Lamb is easily the most dangerous outside shooter. With all those quality big men and slashers, the guards get a ton of open looks. Lamb is the one player who takes advantage of those opportunities. If his shot is not falling, Kentucky’s offense will be a little less dynamic than usual. Freshman point guard Marquis Teague is not a shooter, but he is an explosive athlete who can get to the basket. He has led this team to some big wins already, but he has not seen anything like the NCAA Tournament.
Probable Starters:
Marquis Teague, Freshman, Guard, 9.4 ppg, 4.8 apg
Doron Lamb, Sophomore, Guard, 13.2 ppg, 1.6 apg
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Freshman, Forward, 11.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg
Terrence Jones, Sophomore, Forward, 12.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.8 bpg
Anthony Davis, Freshman, Forward, 14.3 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 4.6 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Darius Miller, Senior, Guard, 9.6 ppg, 2.1 apg
Kyle Wiltjer, Freshman, Forward, 5.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 77.7 (18th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 58.5 (10, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 49.0 (7, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 36.5 (1, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.9 (192, 8)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.8 (22, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.3 (67, 1)
Rebound Margin: 7.4 (9, 1)
Assists Per Game: 13.4 (123, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.4 (26, 3)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Kentucky 2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Princeton
Kentucky 2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over West Virginia
Kentucky 2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Ohio State
Kentucky 2011 NCAA Regional Final win over North Carolina
Kentucky 2011 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Connecticut
Kentucky 2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over East Tennessee State
Kentucky 2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Wake Forest
Kentucky 2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Cornell
Kentucky 2010 NCAA Regional Final loss to West Virginia
Kentucky 2009 NIT First Round win over UNLV
Kentucky 2009 NIT Second Round win over Creighton
Kentucky 2009 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Notre Dame
Kentucky 2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Marquette
Kentucky 2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Villanova
Kentucky 2007 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Kansas
*all team stats through 3/4
