The expectations for Kentucky are the same every year: win a national championship. Failing to do so is considered a disappointment for a program that has won 8 titles and made 17 Final Four appearances.

While we won’t know how John Calipari’s team would have progressed in last year’s NCAA Tournament, there’s no doubt that it will be looking to book the first trip to the Final Four for the program since 2015 and win its first championship since 2012.

“Nobody handles young and talented better than John Calipari and they are under the radar at the moment, so the heat on this young team won’t be as intense early,” wrote CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jerry Palm, who has the Wildcats in his Final Four along with Baylor, Gonzaga and Illinois.

One of those young players, Palm notes, is BJ Boston, who he calls a “potential All-American”. Included in that group are fellow 5-star shooting guard Terrence Clarke and a host of others that helped Calipari land the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class last year.

“This will be a very talented team and maybe more than most years, reliant on freshmen,” Palm wrote.

All told, the Wildcats have 7 first-year players, along with a redshirt freshman in Dontaie Allen. They open the season in Lexington on Nov. 25 against Morehead State as part of the Bluegrass Showcase.