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Kentucky Loses Seven Players To NBA Draft

The Wildcats won't be the same next season. The University of Kentucky loses seven of its top players to the NBA draft.

Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Devin Booker, Dakari Johnson, Trey Lyles, Aaron Harrison, and Andrew Harrison have declared themselves eligible for the NBA draft in June. "This was a decision that had to be made, and now is the time to go," Cauley-Stein told ESPN.

Kentucky basketball almost made history this season, winning the SEC championship and winning 38 straight games. The team fell short of their goal of winning a NCAA National Championship when they lost to Wisconsin in the final four. Kentucky could still make history. If all seven players are drafted, it would break their own record. The University had six picks in the draft back in 2012.

These seven players greatly affect Kentucky's basketball team. Seven underclassmen made up 85% of its scoring, 77% of its rebounding, 69.6% of its assists, and 78.3% of its steals for this past season. Head coach John Calipari stated two days after the tournament lost that he expect anywhere from five to seven of his players to declare for the draft.

The NBA draft is June 25th.

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