Maryland Basketball: 5 Biggest Threats to Terps’ Title Hopes
2. Kentucky Wildcats
Sep 24, 2015; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Tyler Ulis (3), guard Jamal Murray (23) and guard Isaiah Briscoe (13) dribble the ball during Kentucky photo day at Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
It’s almost impossible to fathom us entering late March without the Kentucky Wildcats still playing. John Calipari has put a juggernaut on the court, year after year since he became head coach. This year will be no different.
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No team has been able to recruit top-tier talent, lose it to the NBA, and gain it back as quickly as Kentucky. Coach Cal has brought in another stellar recruiting class, which includes the No. 1 point guard Isaiah Briscoe, the No. 1 center Skal Labissiere and 5-star guard Jamal Murray, whose stock has risen since his performance for Team Canada in the Pan Am Games.
The Wildcats return a trio of players, who will be absolutely vital to the team’s success this season. Tyler Ulis saw plenty of time as a freshman, but he’ll be running the show this go-around. Marcus Lee is a really good player, but has been overshadowed by the frontcourt stars over the past two seasons. Alex Poythress is looking to bounce back from a season-ending ACL injury that prevented him from making the jump to the NBA.
This team is not quite as deep as the one from last year, but it will still be pretty damn good. Kentucky won’t be unbeatable, but they’ll still be very hard to take down.