It’s silly to ask if they can be beaten. They’ve lost twice, so, yes, it’s possible.
But at times, like in the first two games of this NCAA tournament, the Kentucky Wildcats have looked like men playing against boys. And entering into Sweet 16 weekend, John Calipari’s talented group appears to have the clearest path to the Final Four, not because Indiana, Xavier and Baylor are weak, but because the Wildcats are demonstrably better than everyone at almost every level.
The Wildcats have Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and one could rotate in three serviceable teammates and still win. But Kentucky is not a two-stars-and-three-nobodies team. Far from it.
Sophomore Terrence Jones averages 12.6 points and seven rebounds a game and is a beast in the paint. Doron Lamb is a 47 percent shooter from both inside and outside the three point line and averages 13.2 points a game. Freshman point guard Marquis Teague has been up and down but still averages 9.9 points per game. Senior leader Darius Miller has averaged 9.8 points coming off the bench, his 6-foot-8 225-pound presence lifting his teammates' play every time he hits the floor. And Kyle Wiltjer is a 41.6 percent three-point shooter.
They are the best defensive team in the land, with the best player (Davis), and two freshmen who will be NBA lottery picks (Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist). They lost to Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament after blowing an eight-point lead and playing more than six minutes without a field goal. The other loss, way back in early December, was by one point to Indiana on a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
Other than that, Kentucky's looked unstoppable.
The Wildcats won their first tournament games by 15 and 16 points, respectively, and pulled away from Iowa State with a 20-2 run to advance to the Sweet 16. Every game has had these “here we go again” moments when Kentucky looks like the Dallas Mavericks, lighting up the scoreboard and making highlight-worthy defensive plays on seemingly every trip down the floor.
They intimidate, and then they dominate.
Opposing coaches shake their heads. Indiana won in December because Kidd-Gilchrist was still getting his college sea legs under him and Davis got into foul trouble early. Since then, those two have been the best tandem in the college game. Vandy won because Kentucky got complacent.
Calipari sensed it ahead of time and said as much.
“We can’t let confidence become arrogance,” he said. “We can’t think we can win just by showing up.”
The Wildcats know that now.
But the biggest reason that Kentucky has cruised to this point and has a good shot making it to another championship game is because they don’t play like five superstars: they play like one team. There are no Kobe-Shaq moments in the locker room; no outsized egos that have to be stroked. If Calipari sees something he doesn’t like, that player takes a seat and listens to Cal’s effervescent corrections. They all understand the dynamic, and they have all bought in to the dream.
Florida coach Billy Donovan voiced what every coach has felt about the Wildcats.
“Whatever they've got to do to win, they do it, regardless of who scores, or who plays the minutes,” Donovan said. “Because of their chemistry or disposition or personalities, they are going after something that's bigger than their own individual stats.”
Kentucky will go after it again this weekend in Atlanta. And expect more victories to follow.
