ESPN takes a look at every seed from 1 to 68 and the Cats, coming in at #5, is considered a favorite to most likely to win it all.
The reason?
Because they are so bleeping fast.
5. Kentucky Wildcats
In many ways, this Kentucky team is like any other John Calipari-era Kentucky team: The Wildcats are one of the youngest, least-experienced teams in the country. They’re also one of the best. Precocious star freshmen (De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Bam Adebayo) mixed with a holdover sophomore (Isaiah Briscoe), stalwart role-guy vets (Derek Willis, Dominique Hawkins), championship-level defense, and championship aspirations. The template. The works. Same as ever. Not quite. This team is unlike any of recent Calipari vintage in one critical sense: It’s so bleeping fast. From 2011 to 2016, the Wildcats ranked between 147th and 271st in adjusted tempo (per KenPom.com). This team ranks 16th. The Wildcats average 1.14 points per trip in transition (per Synergy scouting data) — and they get into transition a lot. This — not defense — is the best reason to expect these Wildcats to show up in Phoenix in three weeks’ time. Kentucky is always young and always good. Rarely is it this much fun.
Read “A full guide to every team in the 2017 NCAA tournament” by clicking here.
