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Kentucky Basketball: 2010’s All-Decade Team

By Luke Bennett

NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 02: The Kentucky Wildcats celebrate after defeating the Kansas Jayhawks 67-59 in the National Championship Game of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on April 2, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 02: The Kentucky Wildcats celebrate after defeating the Kansas Jayhawks 67-59 in the National Championship Game of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on April 2, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) /
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LEXINGTON, KY – DECEMBER 05: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts during the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels on December 5, 2009 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky won 68-66. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY – DECEMBER 05: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts during the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels on December 5, 2009 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky won 68-66. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

All-Decade Team by Age:

  • Freshmen: 9 (Wall, Murray, Gilchrist, Randle, Towns, Cousins, Monk, Knox, and Davis)
  • Sophomores: 1 (Ulis)
  • Juniors: 0
  • Seniors: 0

Winner: Freshmen

This should come as no surprise. Calipari invented and perfected the one-and-done era which saw some of the greatest players to play at Kentucky only stay for a single season. Despite the immense turnover, Calipari saw great freshmen play year-in, year-out at Kentucky.

All-Decade Team by Season:

  • 2009-2010: 2 (Wall & Cousins) Elite Eight /35-3
  • 2010-2011: 0
  • 2011-2012: 2 (Davis & Gilchrist) National Champions / 38-2
  • 2012-2013: 0
  • 2013-2014: 1 (Randle) National Runner-Up / 29-11
  • 2014-2015: 2 (Towns & Ulis) Final Four / 38-1
  • 2015-2016: 2 (Murray & Ulis) Round of 32 / 27-9
  • 2016-2017: 1 (Monk) Elite Eight / 32-6
  • 2017-2018: 1 (Knox) Sweet Sixteen / 26-11
  • 2018-2019: 0

Winner: 2011-2012 

Again, this breakdown should show how Kentucky Basketball’s best performers were spread throughout the decade. This is a testament to John Calipari and his coaching staff for consistently luring and developing the nation’s best talent to Kentucky. Also worth noting, outside of the 2015-2016 and 2017-2018 teams, every team with an All-Decade player made it to the Elite Eight or better. Finally, 2011-2012 marked the only national champion squad for Kentucky’s program thus they are the no-brainer choice for team of the decade.

All-Decade Team by Position Total Wins and Accolades:

  • Point Guard: Wall and Ulis (62-12 / Elite Eight & Round of 32)
  • Shooting Guard: Murray and Monk (59-15 / Round of 32 & Elite Eight)
  • Small Forward: Gilchrist and Knox (64-13 / National Championship & Sweet Sixteen)
  • Power Forward: Davis and Randle (67-13 / National Championship & National Runner-Up)
  • Center: Towns and Cousins (73-4 / Final Four & Elite Eight)

Winner: Power Forwards

The 2010s were marked by big men for Kentucky. And if you look into it, the seasons without reliable big men (a la 2015-2016 and 2017-2018) were the biggest down years for Kentucky, which is likely the reason the guards carried the sustainable burden. When breaking down the wins and accolades, it becomes apparent that the centers were the most dominant, but when it comes down to it, it’s about playing for national championships. This is why we selected Power Forwards as the position of the decade.

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