Big Blue Nation was never exactly a fan of John Calipari's one-year, Lexington to NBA pipeline. Things were different when the head coach was winning big early on, but once Final Four appearances gave way to early postseason exits, big names leaving for the next level became a lot less cool.
Yet, Cats fans will always back former Wildcats excelling on the next level. And, in the NBA Finals - beginning tonight at 8:30 - three blue and white alumni will take part in the first San Antonio Spurs vs. New York Knicks championship duel since 1999.
De'aaron Fox and Keldon Johnson fight for the former, while Karl-Anthony Towns leads the way for the latter. While none of these guys won a title with Kentucky, all three made an Elite Eight, with KAT specifically advancing to the Final Four at the bitter end of that team's 38-1 run.
Even if these NBA-level dudes didn't win it all in Lexington, their success on the next level is an indicator of the raw talent that defined Kentucky's standard for countless years. A standard that, for a significant stretch of time now, has been lost on Lexington.
A Standard Lost on Lexington
Now, while the onus to rebuild Kentucky's program falls squarely on the shoulders of Mark Pope, I'm not saying that he's run out of time to do so. Really, I think his incoming third-year roster is the strongest he's had at Kentucky yet, and that group may be what allows him to meet his own expectations.
But Kentucky hasn't had a De'aaron Fox since De'aaron Fox (save for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who just fell short of his second straight Finals appearance at the hand of the Spurs). They've had no KAT since KAT.
It isn't about guys being good enough to make it to the NBA level, at least not necessarily. It's about guys being so good on the collegiate level that, even in a sluggish, punch-out competition, Kentucky wins out because of that X factor sort of player.
Those X factor players just so happen, most often, to succeed in the NBA. Go figure.
X Factor Players
On Pope's current roster, Milan Momcilovic certainly has the best chance to take on this role. Having been on the brink of the first round of the NBA Draft already, the Cats have one of the nation's best shooters ready to turn the tides in Lexington.
Before him, it was Otega Oweh, and for two years in a row. The BBN has loved few players as much as Oweh, but something was still missing on both of his teams at Kentucky. The Sweet 16 was the high point, but on the whole, that isn't high enough.
Mark Pope, Momcilovic, and company will look to eclipse that in the 2026-27 season. As three former Cats evoke nostalgia for Kentucky fans in the Finals, fans will look forward to this fall in the hopes that Coach Pope can fully, finally revive the program's star-studded history.
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