The Kentucky Wildcats set off to defend their national championship as they face the Maryland Terrapins at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Even before the start of the season, the question was how could Kentucky's Coach John Calipari turn the Wildcats into competitors in 2013 after they saw six of their start players get drafted by NBA teams in the 2012 draft.
Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marquis Teague, Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb and Darius Miller were all drafted and now form part to a professional NBA team.
Despite their lack of proven players, the Wildcats are ranked third in the preseason. Calipari went out and recruited some of the top talent available. His 2013 line up will feature Nerlens Noel, Alex Poythress, Archie Goodwin and Willie Cauley-Stein.
Calipari is confident, "I like our talent. I like our size. I like our length. We have some guys with pretty good speed. We're just not a good basketball team right now. Too many young guys that we're trying to bring along."
The Kentucky Wildcats will be facing a Terrapins team that had a tough campaign in 2012 as they went 17-15 with a new head coach Mark Turgeon. Now in his second season in the ACC, Turgeon is look at 2013 in a positive manner.
"When I took over the job at Maryland, I didn't know much about the ACC. But now I have a feel for the league and the coaches and what it takes to be successful at this level. Our coaches are much more comfortable together. We also have some returning players, and that helps teach the new players how to do it."
Are they intimidated about facing the defending NCAA champions?
Absolutely not. "It's a no-brainer for me," said Coach Turgeon. "This game will be a great help to prepare us for our season and hopefully for postseason play."
Click here for the Kentucky vs. Maryland live stream as the anticipated 2013 season launches Friday night.
