Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: 2011-2012 Team Chasing History

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Breaking stereotypes has been the forte of John Calipari's 2011-12 squad. The Kentucky Wildcats are led by underclassmen and have proven they can win at home and on the road. This team can hit late-game free throws to go along with its unrelenting athleticism.

That combination has been hard to come by for coach Calipari in recent years. In 2009-2010, Kentucky was one of the most talented teams in the nation but had a sub-70 percent shot from the free throw line and only made 33 percent of its three point shots.

The very next year, Kentucky shot well (71 percent from the line, 40 percent from beyond the arc) but struggled to win games away from Rupp Arena (lost seven games on the road).

This year, Kentucky has the athleticism and dominance of John Wall and company, plus the shooting prowess of last year's team.

All that means is that this year, Kentucky has one of the best teams in history, not just this year. Granted, the season is far from over, but the dominance displayed by this team is second to none. A margin of victory of 19 points per game reflects that this team is great both on offense and defense.

Let's take a look at the historical significance of the 2011-12 Kentucky Wildcats.

Undefeated in the SEC

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The last team to go undefeated in SEC play was the 2002-03 Kentucky Wildcats. That team lost four games all year, with the last loss coming by way of a team led by Dwyane Wade.

The last team not named Kentucky to go undefeated in SEC play? Alabama in 1956.

Kentucky has the chance to go undefeated again this year: only two regular season games stand in their way. The Wildcats will play Georgia at home on March 1 and travel to Florida on March 4.

Two more wins are entirely obtainable, although the showdown in Gainesville will be a great one to watch.

Blocks by a Team

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The record for blocks by a team for an entire season is currently held by the 2004 Connecticut Huskies (315 blocks). The Huskies won the 2004 National Championship, so they had a full 39-game season.  

Kentucky is currently at 262 blocks on the year, averaging an even nine blocks per contest. That leaves a discrepancy of 53 blocks. At their current rate, Kentucky would have to play six games to surpass the Huskies' mark. 

Kentucky has four more games guaranteed to them this year (two in the regular season, one in SEC tournament, one in NCAA tournament). Chances are they'll play at least six more games.

At nine blocks per game, if Kentucky played all 11 games possibly remaining on their schedule (two regular season, three in the SEC tournament, six in the NCAA tournament), they would block 361 shots on the year.

That mark would be both historic and borderline untouchable, considering that only two teams in history have blocked over 300 shots in a year.

Anthony Davis

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Chances are Anthony Davis won't break David Robinson's record of 207 blocks in a single season (35 games, 1986). Davis is currently at 139 blocks, 68 behind The Admiral. If Kentucky were to play all 11 possible games remaining on their schedule, Davis would have to average 6.18 blocks per game to reach 207 on the year.

The SEC block record for a season is held by Jarvis Varnado of Mississippi State, who blocked 170 shots in both 2009 and 2010 in 36 games each year. 

Davis is 31 blocks behind Varnado's mark. At his current rate of 4.8 blocks per game, it would take seven games to surpass Varnado. If Kentucky plays all 11 games left, Davis could average 2.81 blocks per game to pass Varnado. 

If Kentucky plays to the National Championship, Davis (at his current rate) would record 192 (191.8) blocks for the year, crushing Varnado's mark and finishing third all-time behind Robinson and Shawn James (196) of Northeastern. 

Miscellaneous Records

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The current record for wins in a single season is 37. Duke, UNLV, Illinois, and Kansas own that record. If Kentucky wins out, they would have 39 wins on the year. 

The record for blocked shots in a Final Four/ Championship game is six. Anthony Davis has blocked over six shots in a game seven times this year.

Kentucky has 14 Final Four appearances, good for fourth all-time. Duke is third with 15. 

Kentucky leads all Division I teams with 103 tournament wins, North Carolina is second with 102. 

 

All of these records can be broken or expanded upon in the conclusion of this season.

Summary

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None of this is a given. Kentucky could lose in Florida on March 4, Anthony Davis could struggle to block shots with increased competition in the NCAA tournament, and Kentucky could fall quickly in both the SEC and NCAA tournament.

Nevertheless, it is an interesting challenge for these Wildcats. They have already claimed their 45th SEC championship and are hungry for more.  

This team has the chance to break records like they have broken the stereotypes of Calipari-led teams, but in the end, there is only one goal: an NCAA championship.