Just How Crazy Has This Run Been?

picture via sju.edu

UK is on a remarkable run. I know this, you know this, even my grandmother knows this. A month ago this team looked dead in the water and now they are the talk of the nation, and rightfully so.

But, as the title suggests, just how crazy has the run been? Well, here are some facts/figures and I’ll let y’all decide.

Kentucky’s last three games have all been against top-10 KenPom teams, as Louisville ranks 3rd, Wichita State ranks 5th and Michigan ranks 10th (the Cats are 8th). That’s more than any other Final Four team has faced. In fact, that’s more than any other Final Four team has faced… combined. Wisconsin took down 2nd-ranked Arizona, while UConn beat 9th-ranked Michigan State.

So this begs the question: when was the last time a team took down three top-10 KenPom teams to make the Final Four? Well, since the rankings came out in 2003, it has never been done. Wichita State was reaallly close to doing it last year, but Pittsburgh ended up being ranked 11th in the ratings. Poor Shockers.

If the Cats can get it done vs. Wisconsin on Saturday, and finish it off with a championship over Florida, that would be five straight victories over top-10 KenPom teams in five games. Now that’s something that’s never been done before whether it’s the postseason or the regular season (in fact, I’m not sure if any team has ever played five straight games against top-10 teams).

So what’s been the biggest difference maker so far this postseason? Perimeter shooting (I think we all knew this, though). During the regular season, the Cats made just 32.6% of their three-point attempts, good for 258th in the country. Since the regular season ended, the Cats are shooting 39.7% from beyond the arc, which would have slotted them at 9th in the country during the regular season.

Can the Cats keep their hot shooting up vs. Wisconsin and extend this ridiculous run? We’ll have to wait and see.

@BWardKSR