#2 Kentucky

#2 Kentucky

by Peter Bard

National Championships: 8

Head Coach: Adolph Rupp

Nickname: Wildcats

Kentucky fans are sure to complain about this seeding, but given the structure of this exercise, I couldn’t justify putting them higher. It’s certainly a quality group, but they fit better here than on the top line.

I feel weird putting “one-and-done” guys in here, but in Davis’ only college season, he won a championship and was the best player in the country. It’s tough to argue with that. Issel and Mashburn are stars, and Hagan and Dampier provide ample scoring in the backcourt. The bench has a lot of versatility in Walker and Prince, while Chapman and Rondo provide shooting and quickness, respectively. Bowie fits better as a backup since he’s unlikely to make it through the whole tournament healthy if he has to play starters minutes. I never watched Adolph Rupp coach a game, and I was tempted to go with Pitino, but Rupp is definitely the icon of Kentucky basketball. I’m picturing a lot of midrange jumpers and diving for loose balls in the most boring fashion possible.