![]() Wisconsin was a 1 seed and only had two losses on the season when they met in the semifinal. The Badgers went on a 15-4 run in the final 4:26 to close out the game and send Kentucky home empty-handed. The Wildcats would finally lose in the Final Four by a score of 71-64 to Wisconsin who was led by Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker, and Nigel Hayes. One against LSU in February and the other against Notre Dame in the Elite Eight. The other close games included a couple 2-point victories. In early January they had consecutive overtime games against Ole Miss and Texas A&M, the latter would go into double-overtime. Kentucky was on a war path winning 38 straight games and only having four close games before losing. Revisiting the 2014-15 SEC Basketball champion Kentucky Wildcats One of those teams was the 2014-15 Kentucky Wildcats who, led by coach John Calipari, is one of the best teams in college basketball to not win it all (and may be the best outside of 1990-91 UNLV). just 1.3 turnovers.In college basketball there have been 7 teams that went undefeated and won the NCAA Tournament, with the last being the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers squad. Since then, there have been 6 teams that went undefeated in the regular season but fell short of the ultimate prize, including a team from SEC Basketball. Though he struggled shooting in the exhibition tour (31%), Dillingham dished out 3.5 assists per game vs. Still, he should have ample opportunity to contribute as a freshman. 20 prospect in the class, Dillingham just missed on five-star status in the 247Sports rankings. ![]() What, if anything, UK gets from Bradshaw in the 2023-24 season is the biggest question looming over this roster entering the year. 12 in a 2024 CBS Sports NBA Mock Draft will have the appetite to risk further injury to play a partial season of college basketball when a professional payday is looming. Then, there's the question of whether a player who landed at No. The injury presents conditioning challenges, meaning Bradshaw could face a lengthy ramp-up process even after he's cleared. Then came word in June that he is expected to miss the start of the season because of a fractured foot. Edwards averaged 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds during the GLOBL JAM.įollowing Tshiebwe's decision to turn pro, the path to a significant early role seemed clear for Bradshaw. Given the relatively lean makeup of UK's roster, it stands to reason he'll log time at power forward. His length and versatility sets him apart from the guards in the class as he's a wing with the ability to play the four. 3 prospect, Edwards edged out his teammates for the distinction of highest-ranked prospect in UK's loaded freshman class. He's the only veteran in the back court and will be depended on for leadership and efficient production. Reeves started just 14 of 34 games in his first season with the program but seems like a lock to start full-time and play 30 or more minutes per game this season. 7 and March 10, he averaged 16.9 points per game on 41% 3-point shooting. Antonio ReevesĪfter transferring in from Illinois State last season, Reeves evolved into Kentucky's offensive engine as the season progressed. His physicality and versatility differentiate him from the other guards and give him the chance to shine as a defender and rebounder. He was a starter during the GLOBL JAM but must fight to keep that distinction as the freshmen acclimate to Calipari's system. ![]() He didn't commit until May of last year but found the floor in 20 games as a true freshman, logging 9.5 minutes per contest. ![]() Outside of Reeves, Thiero is the only scholarship returner on Kentucky's roster. Thus, Reeves' decision to return following an offseason of flirting with leaving stands out as the most positive roster development of UK's 2023 offseason. Even by the standards of 15th-year coach John Calipari, who has built a program around freshman talent, that's a hefty number.Īnd it's coming in an era when college basketball is more veteran-oriented and less-reliant on freshmen than at any point in recent memory. 1 commitment of Croatian center Zvonimir Ivisic, UK is set to have eight scholarship freshmen on its roster this season. He is the only returning player who has started a game for the Wildcats, and his presence is critical for UK given the roster's youth. Reeves showed why he is so critical to Kentucky's 2023-24 outlook as he earned MVP honors while averaging 23 points per game and spearheading UK's series of victories over under-23 squads representing Africa, Canada and Germany. At least that must have been what UK fans were thinking as Reeves hit an absurd 56.3% of his 3-pointers while leading the Wildcats to a 4-0 record during the exhibition tour. One takeaway stood out above the rest after watching Kentucky's four-game romp through the GLOBL JAM in Toronto last month: thank goodness Antonio Reeves came back.
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