Calipari’s master’s in chemistry about to pay off for Kentucky

Tune in to FOX Sports Live next week for Reids one-on-one interview with John Calipari.

LEXINGTON, Kentucky Heres an essay question for you: Use logic, statistics and common sense to explain the 2013-14 Kentucky basketball season.

Go ahead. Open that blue book. Give it a try. I dare you.

Here is the set of facts youll be working with: Around this time a year ago, we were talking about how super freshman Julius Randle and the rest of Kentuckys greatest-ever recruiting class of six McDonalds All-Americans had a shot at college basketballs holy grail, the perfect season, something that hasnt been accomplished since Bobby Knights Indiana Hoosiers did it in 1976. Head coach John Calipari wasnt the one to first bring up the possibility of 40-0, but it sure wasnt like he tossed any water on that fire.

Then the ball was tossed in the air, and Kentucky struggled. They struggled with moving the ball, they struggled with making free throws, they struggled with making threes. They struggled with everything. They came out one game and looked like world-beaters; they came out the next game and looked lost, as if theyd never played a game together. They lost three games in non-conference play to be fair, all close losses, all to ranked teams then they went through a bumpy two months of SEC play, losing six games and limping into the NCAA tournament as the most talented 8-seed in history.

For a team with as much hype as Kentucky as Dick Vitale told USA Today before the season, Anything less (than a title) would be a huge disappointment it felt like the nightmare of the 2012-13 NIT season might repeat itself.

Then the NCAA tournament happened. Aaron Harrison channeled his inner Ray Allen, a bunch of underclassmen learned to play like a team, and a Calipari whod been struggling with a painful hip problem all season seemed like a rejuvenated man. The same squad that seemed destined to become a laughingstock on March 1, when the Wildcats lost to longtime SEC cellar-dweller South Carolina was, 36 days later, playing UConn for the national championship.

So: How the hell did that happen?

How would you explain the Wildcats magical, emotional, unpredictable, inexplicable rollercoaster?

Answer that question convincingly and youll pass this master's-level college basketball course with flying colors.

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Calipari's master's in chemistry about to pay off for Kentucky