Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Details
Led by head coach John Calipari, the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team will look for another great season like it had in 2016-17. With one of the youngest teams in college basketball, the Wildcats have a deep roster that includes 6’9” Jarred Vanderbilt, 6’8” P.J. Washington and 6’8” Kevin Knox. Knox shocked the basketball world by choosing UK over Duke and the hype is real on the incoming freshman. Sophomore Wenyen Gabriel returns after a somewhat disappointing rookie season where he averaged just 4.6 points and 4.8 rebounds. He’ll see a much-increased role, one that should breed much success for the big man. Kentucky fans almost missed out on seeing freshman Hamidou Diallo in the blue uniform, as he tested the waters of the NBA Draft, but opted to return to the Wildcats to make a run at a National Championship.
This will certainly be a new-look team when it suits up in Lexington’s Rupp Arena this fall, as star players Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox, and Bam Adebayo left for the NBA Draft after last season’s NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats have eight freshmen, including Diallo, and the veteran leadership comes down to three juniors and not a single senior. Kentucky is used to star players leaving early and the team’s fantastic recruiting class should ensure another great season like 2016-17’s 32-6 finish. The Wildcats will look to win its fourth straight regular season SEC title, while also making a run at the NCAA National Championship.