Kentucky Basketball: Why Wildcats Won't Lose a Game Until 2012

Two games stand in the way of an undefeated 2011 for the latest edition of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Aside from a date with No. 1 North Carolina on Dec. 3 and a Dec. 31 matchup against No. 7 Louisville, the Wildcats are going to steamroll their non-conference schedule.

They already dispatched of No. 11 Kansas by double-digits, and have an impressive 38-point win over Penn State. Radford, Portland, Chattanooga, Samford and Lamar are all still on the ’11 slate as well.

This team is the whole package. The vast majority of the players already have Final Four experience and they have one of the best coaches in the history of the game in John Calipari.

The offensive efficiency is what is really exciting for the still relatively young ‘Cats. They are connecting on over 53 percent of their field goals, good enough for eighth in the nation. Even when the Wildcats are off the mark, they are among the best teams in rebounding.

Couple that with a razor-sharp defense that is playing spectacularly well early in the season, and you have a team poised for big things this year.

I believe the combination of point guard Darius Miller’s unselfishness (4.5 APG), Terrence Jones’ rebounding (8 RPG) and scoring efficiency of Doron Lamb (16.5 PPG, 50 percent field goal percentage) is enough to beat the top-ranked Tar Heels.

Kentucky is deeper, more talented top to bottom and will be playing at home. The Rupp Arena crowd is a huge benefit here. Louisville is another big rivalry game, but once again the Wildcats have the home-court advantage and a sizable advantage in the talent department.

The Wildcats aren’t going to finish the entire season undefeated. The SEC is too talented top to bottom for that, but I believe that come Jan. 1, Kentucky is going to be ranked No. 1 in the country with a sparkling 14-0 record.