SEC: The Kentucky Wildcats Are Unbeatable

According to Matt Slovin of USA TODAY Sports, he laments that the Kentucky Wildcats are a team that is undefeated, but not unbeatable.

However, other people feel that the 26-0 record and the No. 1 ranking with college basketball is all the evidence that is needed to prove that the Wildcats are unbeatable.

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This season we’ve seen three close games (Columbia, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M) that the Wildcats have played in, and all three of them Kentucky still managed to leave unscathed.

At this point it’s simply shooting fish in a barrel for Kentucky because their team is the best in college basketball.

There aren’t many programs in college basketball who will have a first-round pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

For Kentucky, they potentially could have up to six players go in the first round. That last sentence couldn’t have been said watching Kentucky in their Big Blue Bahamas Tour. The players on the team looked good then, but now in February, the players look twice better.

Jan 20, 2015; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari reacts in the huddle with guard Tyler Ulis (3) guard Andrew Harrison (5) and forward Karl-Anthony Towns (12) during the game against the Vanderbilt Commodores in the second half at Rupp Arena. The Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores 65-57. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /

One of the reasons why the players on Kentucky’s roster have gotten so much better over the course of time is because of coaching.

The fact that Kentucky coach John Calipari has gathered a group of young and talented players and made them form into arguably the best team in college basketball history should be enough merit to earn him his first Naismith College Coach of the Year award.

Calipari has done a terrific job this season (more on him later).

Someone Bring Me a Challenge

There isn’t a team in college basketball that can stand on par with Kentucky for any amount of time. No matter how much we would love to see an upset (I personally don’t want to see an upset), it’s not going to happen this year. At this point watching Kentucky rolling teams on the weekly isn’t much entertainment to watch.

Their blowout victories are starting to become a torturous confidence killer for their opponents.

We might as well watch a scrimmage between Kentucky and some of the worst teams in the NBA, because the only team in college basketball that can stand toe to toe with an NBA roster are the Kentucky Wildcats.

Think about how many people on Kentucky’s roster that you can think of from the top of your mind.

John Calipari
Willie Cauley-Stein
Karl-Anthony Towns
Devin Booker
Tyler Ulis
Trey Lyles
Aaron Harrison
Andrew Harrison
Daraki Johnson
Marcus Lee
Alex Poythress

Now think about how many people on the New York Knicks you can think about off the top of your mind.

Exactly.

Next season Calipari should look into doing something with the league to get his players more experience before the college basketball season.

Speaking about experience …

Experience

When Kentucky played against Tennessee on Tuesday night, there was a eventful moment that happened. After Kentucky was in the middle of a 10-0 run against Tennessee the head coach of the Volunteers, Donnie Tyndall, called timeout to stop the bleeding.

During the timeout though the person that looked the most intense and the most upset was Calipari. In that brief timeout on the floor Calipari gathered the attention of his players and started dispensing knowledge.

Feb 17, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari during the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

Everyone in the timeout was standing. The assistant coaches were beside the players listening actively. The players were standing and listening with their heads up, and eyes focused on Calipari’s vision.

One would think looking at the huddle that Kentucky was the team that was down 14, when in reality it was completely the opposite.

It’s during these small moments where it looks like his players seem to learn how to become better, and that’s why a lot of teams don’t have comeback runs against Kentucky. When Kentucky normally has a chance to finish the game by killing their opponent on a big run, they usually do.

It’s the experience that Calipari has this season which separates him from his previous years coaching. The undefeated talk has occurred in his career before.

Back when Calipari coached the Memphis Tigers in the 2007-08 season he had a team that featured Derrick Rose at point guard, and Memphis went 26-0 before losing to Tennessee, so he’s done this before.

Who’s the Giant Killer?

The only way that Kentucky’s going to lose a game this season is if everyone on their team simultaneously gets sick.

Because that’s not likely to happen, we should prepare for another championship season in Lexington, and get ready to see if this is the greatest college team assembled.

Hurry up and setup the exhibition against an NBA team because Kentucky is too serious for the game of college basketball.

Next: SEC: Time To Let Karl-Anthony Towns Loose

Don’t Hold Your Breath–The Kentucky Wildcats Are Unbeatable

By DJoumbarey A. Moreau | Feb 19, 2015

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