Kentucky Wildcat Basketball: 10 Reasons They'll Return to the Final Four in 2012
Coming off of the school's first Final Four since 1998, Kentucky Wildcat fans in the Bluegrass State and across the nation are already salivating over next season.
With an exciting mix of returning players, another top rated recruiting class and Coach John Calipari coming back for his third year, the Big Blue Nation is expecting no less than another return trip to college basketball's last weekend.
And the truth is, Kentucky is about as much of a lock to get there as any team could hope to be. Here are 10 reasons why Kentucky will make it back to the Final Four in 2012.
Billy Gillispie Was Right About Kentucky All Along
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No Wildcat fans, that's not a ghost...and it's not a joke either. Billy Clyde may have been a complete flame out in his brief two-year stint as the coach of the Wildcats, but when it came to explaining how to win at Kentucky, he hit the nail on the head.
As Gillispie frequently said on his radio program with the great Tom Leach, it wasn't about the x's and o's, but the Jimmies and Joes. And many Wildcat fans agreed with the sentiment. The problem with Gillispie was that there weren't enough of either to win like you must at Kentucky.
That's simply not the case anymore. Enter John Calipari and his recruiting prowess to the phenomenon that is Kentucky Basketball and look at what has transpired in Lexington.
John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones are just a few of the NBA level talents that have come to Kentucky in the past few years, and there is no sign that the trend is going to stop anytime soon.
Kentucky has plenty of Jimmies, Joes and any other name that has McDonald's All-American attached to it coming to play for the program. There isn't one team, save for maybe North Carolina, that will be able to match the talent on the floor for Kentucky next year.
Anthony Davis and Kentucky Wildcats Freshmen Will Be Outstanding Again
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Speaking of talent, see that young man there? That's Anthony Davis. He's one of the top recruits in the entire country for next year and he will be suiting up for the Kentucky Wildcats. And he's not coming alone.
In fact, he's only one of the whopping four McDonald's All-Americans the signed to come and play for the Wildcats next year. Along with Davis are point guard Marquis Teague, forward Michael Gilchrist and forward Kyle Wiltjer.
Different ranking services have these guys in different positions on their top 50 lists, but everyone agrees that all four are outstanding prospects and led Kentucky to easily have the top rated freshman class for next season.
Ask any Wildcat fan, however, and Davis is the clear prize of the group. With guard-like skills and a pterodactyl wingspan, Davis is a mismatch problem on offense and an absolute shot-blocking terror on defense.
And the group as a whole, well they may just very well be even better than the freshman from last year. And all that group did was lead Kentucky to the the Final Four.
Kentucky Wildcats Have Defense, and Defense Wins Championships
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If you can't score, you can't win. It's that simple. And if you can keep the other team from scoring, you probably will win. I know, great insight there. But it really will be that simple for Kentucky next year on the defensive end of the floor.
Assuming that DeAndre Liggins returns to school, and my guess is that he will, Kentucky will already be blessed with one of the premier defensive players in college basketball. When you factor in Darius Miller, Kentucky has two wings that can get all over players bigger or smaller than they are and create havoc all over the half-court.
When you throw in Anthony Davis and Michael Gilchrist, you add even more length and shot blocking in case anyone can get by Liggins and Miller in the first place. And when you add Marquis Teague and the pressure he can provide all over the court, well, it just starts to get a little unfair.
Truth be told, this will be the deepest and most versatile defensive team that Kentucky will have since the 1996 title team. And if Terrence Jones decides to come back for one more year with Liggins, then you just add one more dominant rebounder and shot blocker to the mix. Without Jones, Kentucky will have the nation's best defense. With him, they might be the scariest defensive team in a generation.
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My Name Is Doron Lamb and I Get Buckets
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Like I said in the last slide though, you do have to be able to score to win too. And Kentucky should be just fine in that department next season as well.
Yet to be mentioned as a key for next year is Doron Lamb, for my money the one guy I would want to have take the big shot for Kentucky if needed.
While often being the third or fourth option for Kentucky last season, Lamb still had an incredible year. He averaged just shy of 13 points a game and shot nearly 49 percent from beyond the arc. And in the Final Four last year, Lamb was Kentucky's only reliable scoring option in their loss to UConn in the national semifinals.
Fortunately for Kentucky, Lamb will be far from the only threat that they have with the ball next year. As already mentioned, next year's freshman class is outstanding and will bring a wide ranging attack with them to campus.
Anthony Davis has an inside-out game to die for. Marquis Teague is almost unstoppable off of the dribble. Michael Gilchrist is the prototypical Calipari style slasher with an amazing knack to finish at the rim. And Kyle Wiltjer is my pick to finish second behind Lamb in three point shooting next year as a big man coming off of pick and roll situations.
With DeAndre Liggins and Darius Miller contributing with their three point shooting and slashing as well, Kentucky will have almost limitless options off either the dribble drive offense or the more traditional look that Coach Calipari has often employed thus far at Kentucky.
And again, if Terrence Jones comes back for another year of seasoning and has improved on his low post game, he could play well enough to be the player of the year.
Kentucky May Have Lost Brandon Knight, but They Gained a Point Guard
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I don't want to get run out of the Commonwealth, so I will keep this as brief as possible so as not to be seen as criticizing Brandon Knight. Brandon Knight, who I don't see coming back to Kentucky at all, is not a point guard.
Yes, he was fantastic last season, especially in the NCAA Tournament. Yes, Kentucky would not have made the Final Four without him. And yes, he will likely have to play the point guard position in the NBA.
But no, he is not a point guard. And while he was just what the team needed last year, next year's team has so much talent that a true point guard is needed to set up the other stars on the team.
Next year Kentucky will have anywhere from four-to-seven future NBA players on the roster and they don't need a shooting guard playing point guard like Knight was last year.
What they need, and what they have, is Marquis Teague.
Teague, the brother of Atlanta Hawk Jeff Teague, is a lightning quick distributor that can get to the rim and score when necessary, but is just as comfortable if not more so setting up his teammates. And with all of the scoring options Kentucky will have on the roster next season, a point guard like Teague will be a huge upgrade over Knight.
OK, I'm done with this point. I can already see the pitchforks in the distance. Just trust me, Teague will be a better fit next year than Knight would have been.
This Will Also Be Kentucky's Most Experienced Team Under John Calipari
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Between Darius Miller, DeAndre Liggins and Doron Lamb, Kentucky is almost assured to return three of their top six guys from last year. And with Terrence Jones still sitting on the fence in his decision to leave or stay, there is the very real possibility of having four of those top six. Either way, this will easily be the most experienced team that John Calipari has had in his brief tenure in Lexington.
Let's be honest, being young hasn't exactly killed Kentucky these past two seasons. The John Wall edition of the Wildcats was one horrendous shooting night from making the Final Four two years ago, and obviously last year's team was able to get the job done.
But with another stellar recruiting class on the way, it can only help that three-to-four veterans will be back to help show the new kids the ropes of Calipari's offense and how to deal with the spotlight that seems to always be on the Kentucky team. As well as previous freshman classes have adapted, this year's bunch should adapt even better.
John Calipari Is One Heck of a Coach
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Yes, two of them have been vacated, but the fact of the matter is that John Calipari has led three teams through the NCAA Tournament grind to reach the Final Four. And while the man is mostly known as a recruiting wizard, he clearly knows a little bit about coaching as well.
Last season, for example, may have been one of his finest coaching jobs ever. While Kentucky was undoubtedly a talented team, they still were almost nobody's pick to make the Final Four last year.
Ohio State and North Carolina were the heavy favorites to win the region, and Calipari took both of them down. His game plans were nearly flawless and he deserves all of the credit for putting his team in position to win those games.
Whether it's his recruiting, his motivational abilities or his game plans, Calipari is one of the top five coaches in America. And with the talent and experience he will have on the roster next year, Calipari knows it is time to finally win that elusive national championship.
Road to a Great Seed
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Talent is great, and any team can catch fire regardless of their seed and make it to the Final Four. Just ask VCU. But it is undeniably easier to make the Final Four if you have one of the top seeds. And Kentucky will easily get one of the better seeds next season.
For starters, you need some good wins to have a one seed. Next season Kentucky will play North Carolina and Louisville at home. They play Kansas in New York and will then play Indiana on the road.
Typically, Kentucky will add one or two more high profile games against a Notre Dame type team to fill in the rest of the non-conference schedule along side the usual cream-puffs.
Kentucky will no doubt have four or five high profile wins heading into the conference season and will likely have either one or zero losses.
Then Kentucky gets to play in what is traditionally one of the weaker "power conferences", the SEC. Yeah, yeah, it's not that bad. Well, yeah, it is. There are usually a couple of decent teams in the SEC every year, and next year should be no exception.
Vanderbilt will be a very good team and could be a sleeper pick to upset Kentucky and win the conference from some writers and fans. Florida will be above average and and there will be some team coming out of the SEC West to make noise like there is every season. And Georgia is clearly on the rise under Mark Fox.
But at the end of the day, we will see what we almost always see in the SEC. Kentucky will go something like 14-2 or 13-3 in conference at worst, Kentucky fans will swarm New Orleans for the SEC Tournament (which Kentucky almost always wins), and Kentucky will be looking at one of the one seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
Road to the Final Four
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Not only does a good seed get you easier opponents, but it can also keep you closer to home. And there may be no better example of home cooking (Non-North Carolina and Duke Division) in an NCAA Tournament than what Kentucky will look at next year.
As a one seed, Kentucky will no doubt begin play at the home of the Louisville Cardinals, the KFC Yum! Center, located just an hour to the west of campus.
After what should be two easy wins there, Kentucky will then be lined up to play in the Atlanta region at the Georgia Dome. Yes, the same Georgia Dome that has been the second home to Kentucky for oh so many SEC Tournament Championships, including last season.
Kentucky wins in Atlanta so much that, to the annoyance of almost everyone (even some Kentucky fans), most people in Kentucky and many in Atlanta themselves refer to the city as Catlanta during tournament play.
So I really like Kentucky's chances to make it through the regional unscathed. And being a mere five hour drive from campus, the Big Blue Mist will again be everywhere.
And just for kicks, once Kentucky does get to the Final Four, they will get to play in New Orleans for the second time next season (with the first being the 2012 SEC Tournament).
So after two home sites, Kentucky will likely already be comfortable with the Final Four arena, sight lines, etc. Why not just play the 2012 NCAA Tournament in Rupp Arena and save the gas?
Repeat Contenders Are the Norm
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A couple of fun facts that have to make Kentucky fans feel good about another Final Four run next year:
The last five Final Fours have had at least one repeat participant from the year before. This past season was Butler; in 2010 it was Michigan State; in 2009 it was North Carolina; in 2008 it was UCLA; and in 2007 it was Florida and UCLA.
Going further back, 11 of the last 15 Final Fours have had a repeat participant. So chances are good that someone that was in the Final Four this year will be back.
I'm going to eliminate Butler and VCU right off of the bat, because it's just not going to happen for those two again, guaranteed.
And with UConn losing Kemba Walker, I don't think they will be a real threat to compete for a title next season.
Kentucky is going to be great next year, which I've already pointed out. So the trend will continue and it will be the Wildcats making back-to-back runs in the Final Four.
Is Kentucky going to win it all next year? I truly think so.
Will they make the Final Four? I know so.
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