The Kentucky Wildcats enter the 2017-18 season as one of the top teams in college basketball and will open their season against Utah Valley. Do the Wolverines even stand a chance?
The Kentucky Wildcats are the No. 5 team in the country heading into the 2017-18 campaign and are expected to be a legitimate National Championship contender.
With a healthy mix of elite, young talent who want to show off their skills and talented veterans who want to prove they can hang with the future NBA players on the roster, this team, at least on paper, could win it all.
John Calipari and Co. will open the 2017-18 season against the Utah Valley Wolverines, who are not as much of a “cupcake” opponent as many might assume.
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In 2016-17, the Wolverines made it to the CBI semi-finals, losing to Wyoming 74-68. During the regular season, they defeated the BYU Cougars on the road and played two Pac-12 teams extremely close on the road. This team is tough and physical and could cause some lower-tier Power 5 schools problems just like they did last season.
That being said, the talent gap between this team and Kentucky is tremendous. This one shouldn’t even be close. Expect a comfortable Kentucky win, and we might even get to see some of the fringe players get some late-game minutes.
What is more difficult than a trial by fire? A trial by volcano? Trial by nuke? Whatever it is, Utah Valley is opening the season by facing two top five college basketball teams and two of the best programs in the history of college basketball on the road in just two days as they face the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils the day after they face the Wildcats.
I don’t expect Utah Valley to upset either Kentucky or their Nov. 11 opponents Duke, but this team has quite possibly the most difficult opening season schedule of all time.
Prediction: Kentucky 95, Utah State 70