Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Towns Powers Kentucky to Perfect 31-0 Regular Season
By CHRIS RUSSELLLEXINGTON, Ky.— Having gone through their first 30 games of the regular season without a loss, Kentucky entered Saturday just one victory away from its first unbeaten regular season.
The No. 1 Wildcats completed their final regular-season assignment, running away to a 67-50 victory over the Florida Gators in Rupp Arena to improve to 31-0.
“It’s a great story for college athletics. Their [draft] stock personally has risen,” said Kentucky head man John Calipari. “Everybody benefits from this. I’m really proud of them.”
While Kentucky has many stars, it has been the play of freshman Karl-Anthony Towns that has NBA scouts drooling as of late. The big man from Piscataway, N.J., scored 13 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, blocked 6 shots, one shy of his career-high, and dished 3 assists.
Towns, who is projected as the No. 2 pick by DraftExpress.com, has averaged 14 points per game in the last six contests. The big man does have an advantage defensively and shoots a higher free-throw percentage than Jahlil Okafor, who is currently projected No. 1.
“We all know how good [Towns] is, but I’m on him because I want him to be the best,” Calipari said. “I don’t want him to be just a good big guy, I want him to be the best.”
Knicks scout Mark Warkentien has attended “nearly a dozen” Kentucky practices this year, according to a report from Frank Isola of the Daily News, while ESPNNewYork.com reported the Knicks have attended 20 of the last 30 Kentucky practices and games.
The Knicks currently have the NBA’s worst record and will likely land a top-3 pick in the June NBA Draft.
Meantime, the young Wildcats entered Saturday’s contest thirsty for history. Not only is Calipari’s squad looking to add another banner to its rich-tradition history, they have their sights on a perfect 40-0 season, a feat that hasn’t been done since Bob Knight’s Indiana squad went 32-0 in 1976.
“Now is where we win championships,” said Towns. “Now is where we have to go out and win. The regular season has been awesome to us, we were able to do many magical things. But it’s not done, we have a lot do. “
When asked if he would would be dissapointed if Kentucky doesn’t win the title, Calipari replied “It’s on the 28th of June [NBA draft]. That’s my last day. I’ll be able to tell you after that.”
Although Kentucky does not feature a senior on scholarship, there could be as many as seven players who could decide to enter this year’s NBA draft, meaning that they could have played their final game in Rupp Arena.
“We really wanted to come out and play a great game,” said Towns. “It was going to be the last time we play in Rupp.”
If anybody in the SEC knows what it’s like to run the table in conference play, it’s Florida head coach BillyDonovan. The Gators finished the 2013-14 SEC undefeated and won the conference tournament championship, defeating Kentucky.
“Congratulations to John and his team,” said Donovan. “What they have done might not happen again for a long, long time. For people that have covered their team, it’s important for them to reflect in a positive way for what they have accomplished.”
The Gators (15-16, 8-10) were led by Kasey Hill, who scored 15 points on 7-for-13 shooting. Dorian Finney–Smith scored 12 points and grabbed 4 rebounds.
Kentucky freshman Trey Lyles led the Cats in scoring, posting 14 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Junior Willie Cauley-Stein finished with 8 points and tallied 7 rebounds.
With the victory, Kentucky (31-0, 18-0) joins the exclusive club as the fourth team that has finished the regular season undefeated since 1976: 2013-14 Wichita State, 2003-04 Saint Joseph’s, 1990-91 UNLV and 1978-79 Indiana State.
Kentucky entered Saturday’s contest having already clinched the outright SEC regular-season title (46th in its history). The Wildcats have been defeating their opponents by an average of 22 points per game, largely thanks to their suffocating defense which ranks second nationally in points allowed (53.5). What is scary for Kentucky’s opponents is that the offense has started to catch-up to the defense. The Wildcats have been averaging 80 points per game in their last six contests. Kentucky’s balanced attack has featured at least eight different players who have led the team in scoring on the season, all without Alex Poythress, who was lost due to a season-ending knee injury back in December.
Next up for Kentucky is the SEC Tournament in Nashville, which begins Wednesday. Kentucky does hold the top seed but that does not mean that it will come easy for the Wildcats. In the Calipari Era, Kentucky has only won the conference tournament twice and has not done so since 2011.
“I’m not a big fan of [SEC] Tournaments, three games in three days, what does that do for you?” said Calipari. “We can’t promise that we are going to win every game, but we’re going to play our best for our fans.”
Win or lose, the Wildcats are expected to be the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and their expected road to the Final Four will include stops in Louisville for the first two rounds, Cleveland for the regional semifinals and finals and Indianapolis for the Final Four.
“Bet you they [NCAA Committee] will slide the Lakers in there,” Calipari said jokingly.
****
Teams that finished the regular season undefeated since 1976.
2014: Wichita State (31-0)
2004: Saint Joseph’s (27-0)
1991: UNLV (27-0)
1979: Indiana State (29-0)
1976: Alcorn State (27-0)
1976: Rutgers (28-0)
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
By CHRIS RUSSELL
LEXINGTON, Ky.— Having gone through their first 30 games of the regular season without a loss, Kentucky entered Saturday just one victory away from its first unbeaten regular season.
The No. 1 Wildcats completed their final regular-season assignment, running away to a 67-50 victory over the Florida Gators in Rupp Arena to improve to 31-0.
“It’s a great story for college athletics. Their [draft] stock personally has risen,” said Kentucky head man John Calipari. “Everybody benefits from this. I’m really proud of them.”
While Kentucky has many stars, it has been the play of freshman Karl-Anthony Towns that has NBA scouts drooling as of late. The big man from Piscataway, N.J., scored 13 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, blocked 6 shots, one shy of his career-high, and dished 3 assists.
Towns, who is projected as the No. 2 pick by DraftExpress.com, has averaged 14 points per game in the last six contests. The big man does have an advantage defensively and shoots a higher free-throw percentage than Jahlil Okafor, who is currently projected No. 1.
“We all know how good [Towns] is, but I’m on him because I want him to be the best,” Calipari said. “I don’t want him to be just a good big guy, I want him to be the best.”
Knicks scout Mark Warkentien has attended “nearly a dozen” Kentucky practices this year, according to a report from Frank Isola of the Daily News, while ESPNNewYork.com reported the Knicks have attended 20 of the last 30 Kentucky practices and games.
The Knicks currently have the NBA’s worst record and will likely land a top-3 pick in the June NBA Draft.
Meantime, the young Wildcats entered Saturday’s contest thirsty for history. Not only is Calipari’s squad looking to add another banner to its rich-tradition history, they have their sights on a perfect 40-0 season, a feat that hasn’t been done since Bob Knight’s Indiana squad went 32-0 in 1976.
“Now is where we win championships,” said Towns. “Now is where we have to go out and win. The regular season has been awesome to us, we were able to do many magical things. But it’s not done, we have a lot do. “
When asked if he would would be dissapointed if Kentucky doesn’t win the title, Calipari replied “It’s on the 28th of June [NBA draft]. That’s my last day. I’ll be able to tell you after that.”
Although Kentucky does not feature a senior on scholarship, there could be as many as seven players who could decide to enter this year’s NBA draft, meaning that they could have played their final game in Rupp Arena.
“We really wanted to come out and play a great game,” said Towns. “It was going to be the last time we play in Rupp.”
If anybody in the SEC knows what it’s like to run the table in conference play, it’s Florida head coach Billy Donovan. The Gators finished the 2013-14 SEC undefeated and won the conference tournament championship, defeating Kentucky.
“Congratulations to John and his team,” said Donovan. “What they have done might not happen again for a long, long time. For people that have covered their team, it’s important for them to reflect in a positive way for what they have accomplished.”
The Gators (15-16, 8-10) were led by Kasey Hill, who scored 15 points on 7-for-13 shooting. Dorian Finney–Smith scored 12 points and grabbed 4 rebounds.
Kentucky freshman Trey Lyles led the Cats in scoring, posting 14 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Junior Willie Cauley-Stein finished with 8 points and tallied 7 rebounds.
With the victory, Kentucky (31-0, 18-0) joins the exclusive club as the fourth team that has finished the regular season undefeated since 1976: 2013-14 Wichita State, 2003-04 Saint Joseph’s, 1990-91 UNLV and 1978-79 Indiana State.
Kentucky entered Saturday’s contest having already clinched the outright SEC regular-season title (46th in its history). The Wildcats have been defeating their opponents by an average of 22 points per game, largely thanks to their suffocating defense which ranks second nationally in points allowed (53.5). What is scary for Kentucky’s opponents is that the offense has started to catch-up to the defense. The Wildcats have been averaging 80 points per game in their last six contests. Kentucky’s balanced attack has featured at least eight different players who have led the team in scoring on the season, all without Alex Poythress, who was lost due to a season-ending knee injury back in December.
Next up for Kentucky is the SEC Tournament in Nashville, which begins Wednesday. Kentucky does hold the top seed but that does not mean that it will come easy for the Wildcats. In the Calipari Era, Kentucky has only won the conference tournament twice and has not done so since 2011.
“I’m not a big fan of [SEC] Tournaments, three games in three days, what does that do for you?” said Calipari. “We can’t promise that we are going to win every game, but we’re going to play our best for our fans.”
Win or lose, the Wildcats are expected to be the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and their expected road to the Final Four will include stops in Louisville for the first two rounds, Cleveland for the regional semifinals and finals and Indianapolis for the Final Four.
“Bet you they [NCAA Committee] will slide the Lakers in there,” Calipari said jokingly.
****
Teams that finished the regular season undefeated since 1976.
2014: Wichita State (31-0)
2004: Saint Joseph’s (27-0)
1991: UNLV (27-0)
1979: Indiana State (29-0)
1976: Alcorn State (27-0)
1976: Rutgers (28-0)
