Kentucky Wildcats booted out by Oakland

For the third season in a row, the Kentucky Wildcats find themselves kicked out of the NCAA Tournament during the opening week. On Thursday night, the Kentucky Wildcats lost to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies 80-76 in the 1st round of the South Region.

Head Coach John Calipari finds himself in the spotlight once again but not as a victor. The Wildcats fought hard throughout the game against Oakland, but defensively it was hard to get consistent stops. Oakland Guard Jack Gohlke had a team high 32 points which included a monstrous 10 made threes.

Looking at the Wildcats from a national level they are always known for their season either being championship or bust due to the high level of talent they have each season. Being a number three seed, the expectation is to execute and make some noise in the tournament but that simply didn't happen for this team.

Potentially for Calipari and Kentucky a shift of focus needs to be placed on what this program is all about. Kentucky for so many years is known for the one and done process, where a highly touted recruit plays one season and is headed straight to the NBA right after in which John Calipari is recognized for helping his players have successful playing careers. Looking at the impact that the transfer portal has had on the NCAA landscape it is imperative that the Wildcats consider a shift of focus for talented veterans than the focus of young talent.

At the end of the day anything can happen in March and the Kentucky Wildcats will seek to retool for next season after an early round exit on Thursday night.