LEXINGTON, Ky. _ As every Kentucky fan seems to know by now, a highly ranked freshman class does not automatically mean a national championship the following spring. Each of John Calipari's 10 Kentucky teams included a group of incoming recruits ranked first or second nationally. One championship _ in 2012 _ ensued.
Kentucky is not alone in this B-does-not-necessarily-follow-A history. In Calipari's time as UK coach, as many teams with a freshman class ranked outside the top 50 nationally won NCAA Tournaments as teams with a No. 1-ranked freshman class. Kentucky in 2012 and Duke in 2015 were championship teams containing top-rated freshman classes. Yet Louisville in 2013 and Virginia last spring also won national titles with freshman classes ranked 58th- and 63rd-best nationally by 247 Sports.
Here's something else to ponder: Of the 40 Final Four teams since 2009, nine had freshman classes ranked outside the top 50. That's only one fewer than Final Four teams with freshman classes ranked in the top 10 in that time span.
Of course, who would argue against adding highly regarded players? The ideal team makeup is perceived to be a mix of freshman stars and experienced veterans. Going into the 2019-20 season, Kentucky seems to fit this description. The freshman class was ranked No. 2 (Rivals, Recruiting Services Consensus Index) or No. 3 (ESPN). Then there are older players the program has dubbed the "core four": junior Nick Richards and sophomores EJ Montgomery, Immanuel Quickley and Ashton Hagans.
"If you don't play those four, we're not ready," Calipari said on the SEC Network's telecast of UK's so-called Pro Day. He set January or February as the time when old and young could effectively coalesce.
The "core four" totaled a collective 50 starts last season. That's only the fifth most from the previous season by UK returnees in the Calipari era. The most were the 119 starts the season before 2014-15, which saw the Wildcats win their first 38 games. The second most _ 86 _ came the season before 2012's national championship. Graduate transfer Nate Sestina started 31 games for Bucknell last season.
At the Southeastern Conference Media Day in mid-October, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl colorfully explained the meshing he must orchestrate this season with a roster that includes five seniors and six freshmen.
"I'm coaching 40-year-olds and 10-year-olds," he said of his seniors and freshmen. "My 40-year-olds can absorb anything and everything. They've got all kinds of experience. They understand where they're supposed to be and why they're supposed to be there.
"My 10-year-olds don't even know where to be yet, and couldn't even begin to understand why. So it's a great challenge."
A question about Kentucky needing to unite freshmen with its "core four" brought a knowing expression to Pearl's face. To continue his analogy, he said that their five-star ratings made UK's 10-year-old freshmen the equivalent of 50-year-old players.
"None of us coaches in the SEC feel badly for John Calipari and the fact he has to rebuild his roster every year," Pearl said. "I'm certainly at the top of that list."
