Nate Oats says new Kentucky roster was built correctly, among best in CBB

John Calipari constructed a roster this past offseason unlike any other during his time at Kentucky. It was one that favored skill and shooting over length and athleticism, experience over high-profile freshmen.

It was a necessary change, one made at the conclusion of arguably the worst season in Kentucky basketball history. Coming off an abysmal 9-16 record in 2020-21, Calipari had to get it right. And he did.

Challenging moves were made, bringing in the likes of Orlando Antigua and Chin Coleman to revamp the coaching staff. Calipari also trusted his gut in the transfer portal, adding four high-profile transfers in Oscar Tshiebwe, Kellan Grady, Sahvir Wheeler and CJ Fredrick. He also brought back crucial complementary pieces in Keion Brooks Jr., Davion Mintz and Jacob Toppin. In a three-man freshman class, Calipari also hit a home run in TyTy Washington.

It was a series of moves that put Kentucky back at the top of college basketball, with the Wildcats ranked No. 5 overall with just nine regular-season games to go.

Alabama head coach Nate Oats, who led the Crimson Tide to SEC regular season and conference titles in 2020-21, is admittedly impressed with Calipari’s ability to “correct” the roster in such short order.

“Last year, Kentucky wasn’t the Kentucky everybody is used to seeing,” Oats said Friday. “They did an unbelievable job getting the roster correct, if you will. They needed shooting, shooting was an issue with them, so they went out and got the best shooter in the transfer portal in Kellan Grady. Needed some toughness, so they went out and got the toughest guy in college basketball arguably in Tshiebwe. Now he’s leading the country in rebounding. They needed a breakdown guy, so they went and got one of the best breakdown guys in the transfer portal in (Sahvir) Wheeler.

“So they add that to the guys they already had that they retained in (Keion) Brooks and (Davion) Mintz, he’s shooting it really well off the bench. They’ve got a lot of really talented players and they kind of did it through the transfer portal, kept the guys they wanted to keep.”

It hasn’t been flawless, with injuries and inconsistent play hurting the Wildcats at times throughout the season. Sitting at 18-4 overall and 7-2 in conference play, though, Kentucky has emerged as a trendy Final Four pick in recent weeks. Confidence in the team’s long-term potential spiked after it blew out Kansas on the road last weekend.

Average teams don’t go into Phog Allen Fieldhouse and dominate against the Jayhawks. Even good teams lose more often than not at Kansas.

This Kentucky team is clearly different.

“There’s a reason they went into Kansas — most people don’t go into The Phog and beat Kansas like beat them,” Oats said. “They beat them soundly, clearly the better team. You don’t do that without a roster that’s one of the best in the country. We understand that. We’re going to have to play really well (Saturday).”