Kentucky Men’s Basketball 2019 NCAA Tournament Capsule

March 10, 2019 · CSM Staff
 

Kentucky Wildcats

SEC (27-6, 15-3)

 
After Kentucky lost on opening day by a score of 118-84 to Duke, they had to take a backseat to a few other teams when it came to the elite teams in the nation. But since that loss, the Wildcats have slowly clawed their way up the rankings and turned into one of the best teams in the country and Coach John Calipari will have them ready to push for a trip to the Final Four.
 
Big Wins: 12/22 vs North Carolina (80-72), 1/26 Kansas (71-63), 2/16 Tennessee (86-69)
Bad Losses: 12/8 vs Seton Hall (83-84), 1/5 at Alabama (75-77), 2/12 LSU (71-73)
Coach: John Calipari
 
Why They Can Surprise:
As usual, Kentucky has an impressive frontcourt. PJ Washington, a 6-8 sophomore, leads the team with 14.8 points and 7.5 rebounds. After a solid freshman campaign, Washington has emerged as an effective leader on the floor. The addition of Stanford transfer Reid Travis gives the Wildcats another strong interior scorer who can hit the glass effectively. EJ Montgomery and Nick Richards provide most of the frontcourt depth. Those two are not strong scorers, but both have been very productive on the defensive end and are a huge part of Kentucky’s solid shot blocking.
 
Why They Can Disappoint:
This team has some shooters. PJ Washington, Keldon Johnson, Tyler Herro and Immanuel Quickley are all occasionally decent shooters. None are particularly prolific though. Herro takes the most three-pointers, but has not been consistent. Johnson has been more consistent, but the Wildcats have their games where they can turn into a one-dimensional offense that cannot stretch the defense with their outside shooting. That does not matter against most squads, but once Kentucky runs into a team that can defend their big men effectively, they have to knock down some long balls.
 
Probable Starters:
Tyler Herro, Freshman, Guard, 14.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.3 apg
Ashton Hagans, Freshman, Guard, 7.7 ppg, 4.5 apg
Keldon Johnson, Freshman, Guard,  13.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg
Reid Travis, Senior, Forward, 11.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg
PJ Washington, Sophomore, Forward, 14.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.2 bpg
 
Key Role Players:
Nick Richards, Sophomore, Forward, 4.1 ppf, 3.5 rpg, 1.4 bpg
EJ Montgomery, Freshman, Forward, 3.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.1 bpg
Immanuel Quickley, Freshman, Guard, 5.5 ppg
 
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 76.8 (73rd in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 65.2 (37, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.7 (33, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.4 (26, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.0 (318, 14)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.9 (104, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.3 (55, 4)
Rebound Margin: 9.1 (3, 1)
Assists Per Game: 13.7 (154, 6)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.7 (153, 4)
 
Recent Postseason Appearances:
 
2018 NCAA Round of 64 win over Davidson
2018 NCAA Round of 32 win over Buffalo
2018 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Kansas State
2017 NCAA Round of 64 win over Northern Kentucky
2017 NCAA Round of 32 win over Wichita State
2017 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over UCLA
2017 NCAA Regional Final loss to North Carolina
2016 NCAA Round of 64 win over Stony Brook
2016 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Indiana
2015 NCAA Round of 64 win over Hampton
2015 NCAA Round of 32 win over Cincinnati
2015 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over West Virginia
2015 NCAA Regional Final win over Notre Dame
2015 NCAA National Semifinal win loss to Wisconsin
2014 NCAA Round of 64 win over Kansas State
2014 NCAA Round of 32 win over Wichita State
2014 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Louisville
2014 NCAA Regional Final win over Michigan
2014 NCAA National Semifinal win over Wisconsin
2014 NCAA National Final loss to Connecticut
2013 NIT First Round loss to Robert Morris
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over Western Kentucky
2012 NCAA Round of 32 win over Iowa State
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Indiana
2012 NCAA Regional Final win over Baylor
2012 NCAA National Semifinal win over Louisville
2012 NCAA National Final win over Kansas
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Princeton
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over West Virginia
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Ohio State
2011 NCAA Regional Final win over North Carolina
2011 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Connecticut
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over East Tennessee State
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Wake Forest
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Cornell
2010 NCAA Regional Final loss to West Virginia
2009 NIT First Round win over UNLV
2009 NIT Second Round win over Creighton
2009 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Notre Dame
2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Marquette
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Villanova
2007 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Kansas
 
*all team stats through 3/10