Can UK Do Unthinkable and Reach Final Four After Losing 5 Underclassmen?
July 4th, 2012 - 10:20
Each Final Four since 1995 had at least one school lose a minimum of one player early to the NBA, including all four participants in 2007 (Florida, Georgetown, Ohio State and UCLA). But what happened to those national semifinal schools that had multiple players declare early for the NBA? The first 15 "star light" schools with multiple defectors failed to reach an NCAA regional final the next season until Kentucky reversed the trend with a championship this year after losing Brandon Knight and DeAndre Liggins in 2011.
It will be one of the greatest achievements in college basketball history if UK returned to the Final Four in 2013 after losing five undergraduates. Following is a chronological look at how Final Four schools fared the year after having multiple players renounce their college eligibility:
| Year | Final Four Team | Undergraduates Lost to NBA Draft | Record | Postseason Outcome Next Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Arkansas (2) | Scotty Thurman, Corliss Williamson | 20-13 | Lost regional semifinal |
| 1995 | North Carolina (2) | Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace | 21-11 | Lost in second round |
| 1996 | Mississippi State (2) | Erick Dampier, Dontae' Jones | 12-18 | Did not qualify |
| 1998 | North Carolina (2) | Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison | 24-10 | Lost in first round |
| 1999 | Duke (3) | William Avery, Elton Brand, Corey Maggette | 29-5 | Lost regional semifinal |
| 2000 | Florida (2) | Donnell Harvey, Mike Miller | 24-7 | Lost in second round |
| 2001 | Arizona (3) | Gilbert Arenas, Richard Jefferson, Michael Wright | 24-10 | Lost regional semifinal |
| 2001 | Michigan State (2) | Zach Randolph, Jason Richardson | 19-12 | Lost in first round |
| 2004 | Connecticut (2) | Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor | 23-8 | Lost in second round |
| 2005 | Illinois (2) | Dee Brown, Deron Williams | 26-7 | Lost in second round |
| 2005 | North Carolina (4) | Raymond Felton, Sean May, Rashad McCants, Marvin Williams | 23-8 | Lost in second round |
| 2007 | Florida (4) | Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, Al Horford, Joakim Noah | 24-12 | Reached NIT semifinals |
| 2007 | Ohio State (3) | Mike Conley Jr., Daequan Cook, Greg Oden | 24-13 | Won NIT |
| 2008 | Kansas (3) | Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush | 27-8 | Lost regional semifinal |
| 2008 | UCLA (3) | Kevin Love, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Russell Westbrook | 26-9 | Lost in second round |
| 2011 | Kentucky (2) | Brandon Knight, DeAndre Liggins | 38-2 | Won national title |
| 2012 | Kentucky (5) | Anthony Davis, Terrence Jones, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Doron Lamb, Marquis Teague | TBD | Lost in NIT first round |
NOTE: Arkansas' Scotty Thurman went undrafted in 1995.