College basketball expert explains why Kentucky is a National Championship contender

This 2023-24 Kentucky basketball team is really hard to understand because they play so inconsistently.

In some games, they can score; some nights, they can’t. In some games, the Wildcats play solid defense, than others, they can’t defend at all. You kind of just look at every game like, “Which Kentucky team will show up today.”

The inconsistent ways of this team make it hard to understand what John Calipari’s squad is going to do in the NCAA Tournament. Some don’t believe Kentucky can stretch six wins together, and it’s hard to argue against people who feel this way.

Gary Parrish of CBS Sports had this to say about Kentucky and why they are so hard to project: “Kentucky’s just a little confusing because one night they’re beating North Carolina, and the next night they’re losing to UNC Wilmington. One week, they’re losing for the third straight time inside Rupp Arena for the first time ever. Then they’re going to Auburn and winning. They’ve just been all over the place, but at their best, they’re as good or just about as good as anybody in the country. I don’t care what seed they get. They’re a National Championship contender.”

This seems to be a belief shared by many, as Kentucky could get hot shooting for six games, defend a little bit better, and take home hardware from Phoenix. They could also not get a good draw and not make it out of the first weekend.

The ceiling is through the roof, but the floor is low for this boom or bust basketball team.