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Kentucky Basketball: 3 reasons the Wildcats win the 2017-18 National Championship

By Frank Spencer

Apr 3, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari during practice for the 2015 NCAA Men's Division I Championship semi-final game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 3, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari during practice for the 2015 NCAA Men's Division I Championship semi-final game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kentucky Basketball
Dec 18, 2016; Ft. Meyers, FL, USA; Patrick School Celtics center Nick Richards (23) and Hudson Catholic Hawks forward Louis King (2) fight for a rebound during the first half at Suncoast Credit Union Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

  1. National Championship teams must have a good defense.

When it comes to the roster of young talent that will be dressing in the blue and white, length is a strength. A potential starting lineup of Quade Green, Hamidou Diallo, Nick Richards, Kevin Knox, and PJ Washington would mean that four out of the five would present wing-spans of 6-foot-11 or greater. That is some extreme length and size on the perimeter. Kentucky could possibly be putting the best defensive team in the Calipari era on the floor next season.

Having a great defense and guards that can defend the perimeter would mean more transition looks. Transition offense would seem to be a strength of this team with the athleticism that these young men possess. Nothing can put an opposing team in the books that a few run out dunks on the other end causing Rupp Arena to explode. The home court advantage will always be considered a weapon at Kentucky. When the roof is rocking at Rupp, the Cats are hard to beat. Defense leads to easy buckets on the other end, and lots of easy buckets leads to big wins. This team will do just that.

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