Kentucky entered the season with a roster built unlike any other under John Calipari. It’s one that returned 13,385 minutes, 5,203 points, 1,917 rebounds, 1,132 assists and 543 3-pointers in total college basketball production, easily the most Calipari has had to work with during his time in Lexington.
It’s a roster that had shooting, scoring, playmaking, rebounding, defense, experience and continuity. Despite coming off a 9-16 season — arguably the worst in program history — Kentucky entered the year as a top-10 team with legitimate Final Four dreams.
In the team’s first test, the Wildcats came up short, falling to Duke on college basketball’s biggest stage.