It could easily be argued that Kentucky is the biggest brand in college basketball. If not the biggest, certainly one of the biggest. And for the better part of two decades the face of the program has been John Calipari.
In a lot of ways, Cal is perfect for Kentucky. He’s loud and arrogant, he’s an awesome recruiter, a master at managing personalities, and he wins a lot. Well, he won a lot. And now he still wins a good amount, but not as much as most Kentucky fans think he should win.
From 2010 to 2019 Cal and the ‘Cats finished 17th or better in KenPom, with 7 top 10 finishes and an NCAA Tournament in every year but one in 2013 when Nerlens Noel tore his ACL when Kentucky was still in the top 20 in KenPom.