Making the case for why Kentucky basketball will make a Final Four run

Kentucky's basketball team will make a run in the NCAA Tournament.

University of Kentucky’s new men’s basketball coach Mark Pope speaks about the future of Kentucky men’s basketball during his introductory press conference to thousands of fans in Rupp Arena on Sunday, April 14, 2024. / Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY

Times are changing in college basketball as John Calipari is no longer Kentucky's head basketball coach. Calipari left for Arkansas, and now Mark Pope is the head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats.

This change means the Kentucky basketball program is going to look a lot different. Under Calipari, Kentucky recruited highly-ranked freshmen and let them play a lot of minutes. Under Pope, Kentucky will see a lot of veteran players on the floor, and that is exactly how the 2024-25 team is made up.

Coach Pope went and recruited a ton of veteran players who have played a lot of college basketball, and they are going to be experienced, especially when the bright lights come on in March.

To make a run in the NCAA Tournament, you have to be balanced on both ends of the floor, and that is exactly how this Kentucky team is built. They have a good mix of elite scorers and elite defenders which means both of the offensive and defensive numbers on KenPom should be very high.

Some don't believe that Kentucky will be a team that makes a deep run in March because they don't have a lot of five-star talent, but this team has a lot of older players who have played in the tournament before.

While the media might not be huge, believers the way this Kentucky team is made up, they are more than capable of making a run in the NCAA Tournament. Coach Pope is a great X's and O's coach with a roster that fits perfectly into his system. Watch out for the Kentucky Wildcats during the 2024-25 season. The Wildcats have the firepower to make a Final Four run.