The Top 5 Reasons Why Kentucky Will Not Win The NCAA Basketball Championship

By Ben - Oberlin March 31, 2012 6:19 pm Posted in basketball, Basketball - NCAA, Sports Ben - Oberlin g+ page

As the NCAA men’s basketball tournament shifts to New Orleans for the Final Four, the odds on favorite to win are the University of Kentucky who claimed the overall number one seed in the tournament. While most of America believes that the Wildcats will probably win this tournament, here are the top five reasons why Kentucky will not win the grandest prize in college hoops.

John Calipari

While there is no doubt that Kentucky head coach John Calipari is one of the greatest of all-time, he’s never won an NCAA title. The closest coach Cal got to winning it all was back in 2007 with the University of Memphis and star guard Derrick Rose. This team might be his best chance to win it all but winning a title in the past might have helped coach Cal now.

Anthony Davis Injury

Kentucky’s best player Anthony Davis is a question mark heading into the Final Four after injuring his left knee during Kentucky’s Elite Eight match-up with the Baylor Bears. It is unclear how healthy Davis will be and if he isn’t 100% in might change Kentucky’s game plan or help the opposition get into the paint.

The Curse Of Rick Pitino

Back in the year of 1996, Pitino led Kentucky to a National Championship and his Louisville team will be Kentucky’s first opponent in the Final Four. Pitino’s team can cause match-up problems for Kentucky and Louisville’s pressure could cause issues for the Wildcats. To note, Pitino has a winning record against Kentucky coach John Calipari and it has been noted in the media that Calipari idolized Pitino. This might be another case of the teacher beating the student.

The Field

This might be one of the tougher years to win the National Championship with four quality teams heading into the Final Four. Kentucky will have to first go through Louisville to even get to the winner of the Ohio State/Kansas. Any of the remaining teams can beat Kentucky and it will not be a cake walk for the Wildcats to win the national championship.

Balanced Team Doesn’t Guarantee A Title

Kentucky might be one of the most balanced team’s left in the field but having a balanced team doesn’t guarantee you a championship. Teams like 1991 UNLV and 1999 Duke had numerous players go to the NBA but failed to win the ultimate prize. If Kentucky falls into the same trap that the above teams did, they might get to join them.