John Calipari should hang Banner #9 in 2013-2014 but not as an undefeated team and his former Kentucky Wildcats will dominate the NBA in 2017

Mar 9, 2013; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari reacts to a call during the game against the Florida Gators in the second half at Rupp Arena. Kentucky defeated Florida 61-57. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Coach John Calipari has accomplished several unprecedented things since arriving in the Blue Grass 5 years ago.  He’s watched over 20 players be drafted with a record five (5) First Rounders in 2010.  While five (5) First Rounders is what really sticks out to people, many in the Big Blue Nation are more impressed at who got drafted that, had he not come to Lexington, would never have had a chance.  Think Josh Harrelson and DeAndre Liggins.  John Calipari has sent so many kids to the NBA that, SB Nation speculates that Kentucky Wildcats will represent 11% of the Top 100 players in the NBA by 2017.  That. Is. Insane.  Oh, and don’t overlook a couple players on this list whom Calipari coached at Memphis.  You might have heard of a couple of them.

Eric Lindsey of CoachCal.com had this to say:

"Kentucky and John Calipari already have more players in the NBA than any other school, so perhaps no one should be surprised when a projection of the NBA in a few years features more high-level players from UK than any other place. In an intriguing, creative prognostication of the NBA in 2017, SB Nation predicted 13 current or former Coach Cal and/or Kentucky players in the NBA will make up the 100 best players. The rankings were formed by six SB Nation NBA writers. Below are the Coach Cal and UK guys who made the top 100. Check out SB Nation’s story here."

"5. Derrick Rose (former Calipari and Memphis player) 7. Anthony Davis (former Calipari and UK player) 14. Julius Randle (current Calipari and UK player) 20. John Wall (former Calipari and UK player) 22. DeMarcus Cousins (former Calipari and UK player) 25. Nerlens Noel (former Calipari and UK player) 34. Rajon Rondo (former UK player) 46. Eric Bledsoe (former Calipari and UK player) 48. -Tyreke Evans (former Calipari and Memphis player) 49. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (former Calipari and UK player) 52. Enes Kanter (former Calipari and UK player) 56. Andrew Harrison (current UK player) 81. Terrence Jones (former Calipari and UK player)"

Inspite of Calipari’s ability to land the top recruits in the country, and make them better, Mike DeCourcy doesn’t see how the Kentucky Wildcats have an undefeated, 40-0 2013-2014 season.  And I don’t see where he is wrong.  With the amazing development of these kids coming in, the AAU circuit continuing to produce the cream of the crop and coaches like former Bulter coach Brad Stevens doing amazing things, any school is able to land big time talent.  So predicting a 40-0 team is highly suspect.

1) The Champions Classic is tougher: When UK faced Kansas in the first edition of this made-for-TV doubleheader, the Jayhawks were replacing six of the top nine players in their rotation and 71 percent of their scoring. Although Kansas turned out to be a fantastic team that extended their string of Big 12 titles, it knew so little about its potential that coach Bill Self spoke afterward of being pleased with how the team competed.

Calipari enters his fifth season at Kentucky and is in search of his second national title with the Wildcats. (AP Photo)

This year’s UK opponent in the Nov. 12 doubleheader at Chicago’s United Center, Michigan State, is Sporting News’ preseason No. 2 team and universally expected to contend for the NCAA title. The Spartans have nine of their top 10 players back from a year ago and nearly 80 percent of their point production. It’s a challenging game for a Kentucky team that will, again, rely heavily on freshmen.

2) The North Carolina game is on the road: Even if P.J. Hairston’s situation is straightened out by Dec. 14, this group of Tar Heels will not be confused with the formidable bunch who visited Rupp Arena in early December 2011 and left with a loss only when All-America-bound Anthony Davis blocked their attempt at a final shot. But Carolina at full strength will be a capable team, with Harrison and forward James Michael McAdoo both NBA first-round talents.

The Tar Heels do not lose often at the Smith Center. They almost never lose there to non-ACC opponents. They’ve won 63 consecutive non-conference games at the Smith Center — a streak that began in the 2005-06 season. Plus, that’ll be the first true road game for UK’s freshmen.

3) Louisville is a known quantity now: The Cardinals will have to visit Rupp Arena on the afternoon of Dec. 28, but they’ll arrive as reigning NCAA champions, with seven of their top nine players from the championship squad.

The team that went to Rupp in December 2011 became a Final Four squad, but only after finishing 10-8 in the Big East regular season. This Louisville team will be far more imposing.

4) Florida will be highly motivated: Presuming the Wildcats can somehow get through all of that and the SEC regular season schedule without falling, they will arrive at the Gators’ O-Dome to close the regular season on Saturday March 8. Can you imagine what the atmosphere would be like were the Gators in position to spoil an undefeated season for UK?

In 2011-12, the Wildcats were pushed hard in a final-day road game at Florida, winning by only three points. But those Gators were inconsistent and had lost three of four entering the game. UF has six of the top eight players from last season’s Elite Eight squad, plus promising point guard Kasey Hill to perhaps bring the offense a greater sense of direction.

5) The NCAA field could be stronger: It was obvious Carolina was roughly Kentucky’s equal in 2011-12, though we never got the chance to find out after Heels point guard Kendall Marshall left the tournament with a broken wrist in their second game. And however great Syracuse might have been with Fab Melo at center, he was ineligible by the time the tournament began.

We can’t know what developments might affect the quality of the field when we get to March, but this season appears to be fairly loaded with Duke featuring forwards Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood, Kansas bringing in super freshman Andrew Wiggins, Arizona loading up in the frontcourt with freshman Aaron Gordon and Michigan State and Louisville stacked as we’ve already noted.

By the time the Wildcats get to March, chasing a title might seem just as daunting as chasing history will all winter.