As the NCAA Tournament comes to a close, GMS likes to review some of the power conference or power program teams that made it to the Big Dance and ask whether or not they’ve got a shot to return to the show next season. We continue on with teams eliminated in the second round.
Recruit and Reload: Kentucky Wildcats
Key Losses: Jamal Murray, Tyler Ulis, Alex Poythress, Skal Labissiere, Isaiah Briscoe
Key Returners: N/A
Key Newcomers: De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Bam Adebayo, Wenyen Gabriel, Sacha Killeya-Jones
Breakdown: No one, and I mean no one, reloads like John Calipari reloads. Everyone who played significant minutes is leaving Lexington, as is expected of talented Wildcats since Calipari came to town. But those who come in next season, as is also expected, will have their time to shine on college basketball’s biggest stage.
Calipari’s five man recruiting class is made up of all five-star prospects, headlined by perhaps the most explosive backcourt tandem signed by a college program…ever. Fox and Monk should light up scoreboards next year, while Adebayo and Killeya-Jones give UK length and talent underneath. The x-factor is Gabriel, who had one of the best summers we’ve ever witnessed last year, en route to becoming an elite recruit.
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