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College Basketball: 5-On-5 With Maxwell Ogden And Nathan Giese

By Nathan Giese

Feb 26, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Gophers fans storm the court after the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Williams Arena. Minnesota won 77-73. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 26, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Gophers fans storm the court after the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Williams Arena. Minnesota won 77-73. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports /
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1. Can Kentucky logically be a National Championship contender?

college basketball
Feb 22, 2014; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Dakari Johnson (44) celebrates after his team defeated the LSU Tigers in over time at Rupp Arena. Kentucky defeated LSU 77-76. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /

Nathan Giese: Before the season Kentucky was the main favorite to win make it to the 2014 Final Four and win it all. T-shirts and websites were made by Wildcats fans dedicated to having a 40-0 season. That lasted all of three games before those dreams died. After that, aside from Julius Randle’s play, Kentucky has been a bit of a letdown this year to most.

Considering Kentucky is coming off of an NIT first round loss, I’d say the Wildcats are having a great year. Being 21-6 and ranked in the Top 20 in the country is nothing to scoff at. Sure it’s not the year their fans and media members expected, but can you really expect a group of five freshmen to be undefeated? Even Kentucky’s 2012 championship team lost twice.

As for being a National Championship contender I definitely think they can though they have a difficult hill to climb. In their conference alone they have to deal with the Florida Gators, a team full of veterans with supreme experience. Along with the plethora of other experienced, talented teams, the Wildcats may not be a favorite but they have as good a shot as anybody to win it all. Their team is learning to play together as the season goes on with James Young and Randle leading the way and John Calipari has done it before. I wouldn’t call them a favorite but they are definitely a contender if the bright lights of the NCAA Tournament aren’t too much for them.

college basketball
Feb 15, 2014; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Julius Randle (30) passes the ball against the Florida Gators at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /

Maxwell Ogden:  No.

The Kentucky Wildcats are a good team, but they’re also one of the biggest disappointments in college basketball. For the second consecutive season, the Wildcats have used a deep recruiting class to earn national  championship hype, only to remind the nation of one very important truth.

There’s a reason why the 2012 Wildcats were such a special group: teams flush with freshmen usually don’t win titles. That won’t change in 2014.

Kentucky is still a solid threat with a star scorer, Julius Randle, and a rim protector in Willie Cauley-Stein. What the Wildcats lack, however, is a consistent source of perimeter scoring and the depth that could be found in 2012.

Most importantly, Kentucky shoots 68.5 percent from the line. Enough said.