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It has been seven years since the Kentucky Wildcats reached the Final Four in men’s basketball, an eternity for a program with the legacy of the one located in Lexington. The 2021-22 version of the Wildcats has a fighting chance to end the drought and might not be stopping at an 18th trip to the national semifinals — the program’s ninth national championship is beginning to look like an increasing reality.
John Calipari’s talented team has a long way to go, of course. Tuesday night’s trip to Knoxville to face a high-quality Tennessee Volunteers team (9 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN App) could have much to say about whether Big Blue Nation should hold off on making those reservations for New Orleans in April. A worrying injury to star guard TyTy Washington Jr. is among the elements that could affect UK’s efforts on Tuesday night and beyond.
With that in mind, ESPN’s college basketball team of Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway and Joe Lunardi made their predictions for Tuesday’s Sonic Blockbuster matchup, and they also offered their assessment of UK’s ceiling in 2021-22:
What has surprised you most about this Kentucky team? Where would you rank the Wildcats on your current short list of national title contenders?
Medcalf: I’ve been surprised this has worked so well for Calipari, who hasn’t coached a Kentucky team constructed quite like this one. Calipari built his tenure at Kentucky on freshman talent, but this season he has done it with experienced transfers Oscar Tshiebwe, Kellan Grady and Sahvir Wheeler. It’s difficult to bring all of those players, who were stars at the former schools, and blend them with five-star freshman TyTy Washington Jr. and a collection of talented role players.
The Wildcats are legit and are fourth on my short list of national title contenders behind only Gonzaga, Auburn and Duke. Another national title in…
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Source : espn
