I think this bit has gotten overblown over the years. Calipari averaged nearly 30 wins per season at Kentucky with a .770 winning percentage only missing the tournament twice in those 15 seasons. He took them to 4 Final Fours and 2 National Championship games, winning the whole thing in one of those seasons.
09-10 team went 35-3 with 3 freshmen leading the way (John Wall, Eric Bledsoe DeMarcus Cousins). Freshmen Daniel Orton and Jon Hood also played important roles on that team.
10-11 team went 29-9 with a Final Four trip featuring freshmen Brandon Knight, Doron Lamb, Terrence Jones as the 3 leading scorers
11-12 team went 38-2 and won the National Championship with freshman Anthony Davis as the star of that team and freshmen Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marquis Teague and Kyle Wiltjer playing full minutes/starter roles in all of their 40 games.
13-14 team went 29-11 and lost in the National Championship game. Of their 8 rotation players, only 1 of them was NOT a freshman.
14-15 team went 38-1 and went to the Final Four. Led by freshmen Devin Booker, Tyler Ulis and Karl-Anthony Towns with freshman Trey Lyles also playing full minutes (23 per game) that year.
15-16 team went 27-9 (but lost in 2nd round) with, yet again, a freshman leading the charge for them (Jamal Murray averaged 20ppg that year) and freshmen Isaac Humphries, Charles Matthews and Skal Labissiere all playing important starter/rotation roles.
16-17 team went 32-6 and went to E8. Freshmen Malik Monk, De'Aaron Fox, Bam Adebayo leading that team as well as freshman Wenyen Gabriel being an important rotation piece for them.
17-18 team went 26-11 and went to S16. Like the 13-14 team, of the 8 rotation players, only 1 of them was NOT a freshman.
18-19 team went 30-7 and went to E8. Led by freshman Tyler Herro, Keldon Johnson and freshmen Nick Richards, Ashton Hagans and Immanuel Quickley assuming important roles in the rotation.
Then covid happened the next season, which is why I think we tend to forget how amazing these teams loaded with freshmen were prior to this current era of CBB that's been dominated by 6th year players who are 25 y/o grown men.
