Seth Davis dawns his swami hat and gazes into his crystal ball (however cloudy) for Sports Illustrated, to make some predictions about college basketball in 2012. What he says about Kentucky is pretty much laughable (though technically, possibly true)
[LEFT][COLOR=#000000][I][B]Kentucky is headed for a comedown.[/B] Coach John Calipari has had extraordinary success during his first three years in Lexington, primarily because of his ability to recruit so many top-flight players. He will have another really good class next year, but it won’t of the same caliber of his first three. Plus, Calipari will once again lose a bunch of underclassmen to the NBA draft. Kentucky will still be good, but it will be the worst team Calipari has had since he came there from Memphis.[/I][/COLOR][/LEFT]
The first thing I’d like to point out is how Davis, like every other national writer, throws out the obligatory ‘[B]primarily[/B] because of his ability to recruit’. Get off it already. Cal can coach, has to be able to coach, or a team of predominantly freshman superstars would just stand around waiting for someone to toss them an alley-oop.
Next, Davis is certain that the ’12 class will be weaker than his first three. We are already number 2 in most national rankings, and are the favorite to land the overall #1 highschool prospect in the class. I wish these guys would back up or explain the ridiculous claims the make in an effort to get clicks.
Davis then says this will be the worst of Cal’s Kentucky teams. He must not have watched much of the first two. Because as great as Wall and Cousins were, that was an underachieving team. And last year’s team STRUGGLED all the way through conference play and weren’t all that great save for the SEC tourney and the Sweet16-Elite 8 games. I would argue that Cal’s teams are all great because of Cal as much as who is on them and Cal just gets better and better.
The CATS may or may not have the #1 recruiting class next year. That remains to be seen. but with Poythress, Cauley, and Goodwin added to what ever mix of returners we see. Cal has the tools to get it done…not once, not twice, not three times, but over and over again.
So there you have it, Seth Davis should stick to reporting what has happened and quit trying to say ridiculous stuff about what hasn’t to get clicks…at least about Kentucky.
[URL=”http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/seth_davis/12/21/2012.predictions/index.html?sct=cb_t11_a0″]Source[/URL]
