Auburn fans chanted “N-I-T” as Kentucky walked off the court in defeat on Feb. 14. The Wildcats had just lost their fourth straight game and were suddenly below .500 in the SEC. At that point, Kentucky looked more likely to miss the NCAA tournament all together than to win the national championship.
Kentucky found its best lineup to unlock its March Madness potential. Now its Final Four road is easy
After Arizona and Virginia bit it in round one, Kentucky seems primed for a Final Four run.
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Ever since, Kentucky has been one of the hottest teams in college basketball.
The Wildcats advanced in the NCAA tournament on Thursday with a 70-59 win over Davidson in opening round play. It’s their eighth win in nine games, a streak that includes the team’s run to the championship in the SEC tournament.
The same problems that were weighing Kentucky down midway through the season are mostly still present. It remains one of the youngest teams in the field. It still doesn’t have enough shooting, as evidenced by making exactly zero three-pointers against Davidson.
But over the last month, Kentucky has found a way to overcome those problems. On their best nights, Kentucky looks downright scary. So what’s changed?
John Calipari finally found his best lineup
Calipari deserves a lot of credit for Kentucky’s turnaround. He recognized his roster’s problems and found the best possible lineup combination to combat them.
It was a one-point game when Calipari went to his closing lineup against Davidson. That means P.J. Washington at center, Wenyen Gabriel at power forward, Kevin Knox at small forward, Quade Green at shooting guard and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at point guard.
That group immediately took Kentucky out of the danger zone and gave the Wildcats a comfortable victory. It’s the lineup Kentucky has been riding ever since it snapped its losing streak.
Cal’s new closers give Kentucky its most possible shooting with Green, Knox and Gabriel all on the floor. It puts the ball in Alexander’s hands and asks him to create in the halfcourt. It gives Kentucky a more dynamic, undersized center in Washington, who has superior offensive ball skills to teammate Nick Richards.
Richards was a five-star recruit and former McDonald’s All-American, but Calipari hasn’t been scared to take him off the court. The decision to reduce Hamdiou Diallo’s role is even more notable, because he was supposed to be UK’s best player coming into the season. But Diallo is a non-shooter who isn’t strong with the ball, and Richards is mostly just a lob target and rebounder on offense.
It doesn’t feel like Kentucky is starting four power forwards anymore. Their lineup actually makes sense now.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has turned into a star
Alexander was tremendous against Davidson, scoring 19 points and adding eight rebounds and seven assists. Over the last month, it’s starting to become apparent he’s the team’s best player.
Alexander was the second lowest rated recruit in Kentucky’s freshmen class. He started to breakout in late December, and fully emerged in the SEC tournament, where he scored 29 points against Tennessee in the title game. Now he looks like one of the biggest matchup problems in the NCAA tournament and a potential NBA lottery pick.
Alexander is 6’6 with a 7-foot wingspan. He isn’t much of a shooter, though he has hit 39 percent of his threes on low volume (53 attempts) this season. Where Alexander thrives is getting to the basket and finishing when he’s there. He creates almost all of Kentucky’s offense in the halfcourt whether he’s scoring or facilitating.
One of Kentucky’s biggest problems this season was the lack of a clear-cut star. There was no De’Aaron Fox or Malik Monk, no Tyler Ulis or Jamal Murray, certainly no Karl Anthony Towns or Anthony Davis. Alexander isn’t quite at that level yet, but he’s getting there quickly. He looks every bit the part of the future NBA stud you’re used to watching in Lexington.
Kentucky’s road is suddenly so much easier
The Wildcats looked like they had one of the toughest roads to the Final Four of any team in the tournament. Kentucky was staring at a matchup with an ultra-talented Arizona team in the round of 32. If they could win that, their prize appeared to be a date with the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, Virginia.
Arizona lost to No. 13 Buffalo. Virginia become the first No. 1 seed ever to lose to a No. 16 seed against UMBC. Suddenly, Kentucky’s path through the bracket looks so much easier.
This isn’t Calipari’s most talented team by a long shot, but he’s found a lineup that works for him. Alexander’s emergence has given the team a serious boost. There’s no denying Kentucky is playing its best ball of the year at the right time.
Is it enough to get Calipari back to the Final Four? Who knows. But if nothing else, it feels like this team now at least has a chance.
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