Kentucky basketball has had several players enter the NBA in recent years, and a new stat is proving how dominant they have been in the league. Former Kentucky players lead the way in points scored by college in the 2024 NBA playoffs, per data guru Andrew Weatherman. Former Wildcats have scored a total of 1,831 points, as of Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
While Kentucky basketball is no. 1, Duke comes in not too far behind at no. 2. Duke basketball alums have poured in 1,251 points this postseason. Rounding out the top five are former players at Villanova, Gonzaga and Georgia. Kentucky and Duke are the only two schools to have more than 1,000 points on the list.
The stat is simply eye-popping. Not only does Kentucky have the no. 1 spot, they are pouring in points from several different players. Former Wildcats Anthony Davis, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Karl-Anthony Towns are just three of the names on the list. Towns, Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray scored the most points of all Kentucky players, per the stats.
All of the players on the list played for former Kentucky coach John Calipari, who left the school following the 2023-24 college basketball season. The stats are truly a testament to how successful a recruiter Calipari was at Kentucky. Calipari is now at Arkansas, after winning a national championship in Lexington. His teams had faded early in the early NCAA tournament in the last few years, which many believe prompted him to leave the school.
Changing of the guard at Kentucky
Kentucky basketball now has a new coach in Mark Pope, who has big shoes to fill. Pope is tasked with not only winning national championships, but recruiting top talent to Lexington. Big Blue Nation expects immediate success, especially since the team has failed to make the NCAA Final Four since 2015. The good news for Pope is that he has a large NIL budget to work with, with millions raised from donors to help the school get top notch recruits.
This offseason, Pope has been able to land several top transfers. Kentucky now has the services of point guard Kerr Kriisa, forward Jaxson Robinson, and center Brandon Garrison, among others. Robinson played for Pope at BYU, and several of his other transfers are also high-major players. The Wildcats have the fifth best transfer class in the country, per 247 Sports.
Arkansas and Coach Cal
The top team on that list, however, is Arkansas. Calipari is up to his usual tricks at his new school, attracting the top talent in the country. Calipari was able to entice several of his former Kentucky basketball players to join him in Fayetteville. This includes former blue chip prospects DJ Wagner and Zvonimir Ivisic, who played for the coach in Lexington.
Calipari is also bringing several of his high school five star recruits with him to his new stop. This includes Boogie Fland and Karter Knox, who were going to play at Kentucky. Calipari most likely has several more future NBA players on his roster this season, so do not be surprised to see even more points scored in the future from his previous stars.
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