John Calipari has tested his team during the non-conference with games against Kansas and Miami, and another one coming up against North Carolina. He’s forced his young Kentucky Wildcats to play up to good competition, but they’ve also managed to play down against lesser opponents.
At its best, this Kentucky team has gone toe-to-toe with Kansas and taken down Miami, who went to the Final Four last year, but at its worst, Kentucky can lose to UNCW 80-73 in its very next game.
The new year is fast approaching and with it comes conference play in the SEC. From what we’ve seen so far, the Wildcats are real contenders to win the SEC regular season title, something they haven’t done since 2020, and the conference tournament, which they haven’t won since 2018 with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
I’m here to present you with the three biggest reasons why this might finally be the year that the Wildcats reclaim the conference… and the three things that could hold them back.