By: JJ Lanier

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

When a team makes it to their first Final Four in school history, defeating the 2,3, and 4 seeds to get there, it seems pretty obvious that’s what you should write about.

South Carolina will have plenty of stories documenting their improbable run that will be much more succinct than anything I could say, so I’m going in a little different route today.

With both Duke and Kentucky missing the Final Four, the talk concerning them ultimately turns to one and done players. More specifically, is it working?

Since 2010, the end of Calipari’s first season at Kentucky, the Wildcats have had 20 one and done players (not including anyone off this year’s team) come through their program. Over that 8 year span they have made 6 Elite Eight appearances, 4 Final Fours, played in the championship game twice, and won a NCAA Title.

Those are more Elite Eight and Final Four appearances than any other program over that time. The only teams that equals Kentucky in title games (UNC could if they make it this year) happen to be the only teams that have more titles during that span: Duke and Connecticut.

I know the expectations are “Championship or bust” every year for Kentucky, but to say Calipari’s philosophy with one and done players isn’t working, is a complete lack of respect for how difficult it is to win a championship. You may not like Calipari’s or what he’s doing, but it’s working.

Duke however, is a different story, but not exactly for the reasons you may think.

For starters, while Krzyzewski has recently embraced the one and done culture a little more, it’s not like he wasn’t recruiting those type of players before.

The Blue Devils recruited plenty of players who made a one year college pit stop before Kyrie Irving in 2011, it’s just that none of them signed with Duke. It wasn’t from a lack of trying. (UNC is going through a similar situation now. Roy is recruiting a lot of top level talent, they’re just choosing to go elsewhere. What, did you think Luke Maye was high on the priority list?)

Since 2010, Duke has only had 8 players leave after one season, and that includes Jayson Tatum. The only year they had more than a single one and done player was 2015, when they won the whole tournament.

Even then Jahlil Okafor was the only recruit who Duke actually recruited to be one and done. Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow were both recruited to be two year players. That’s why Duke was late to recruit Brandon Ingram and had to have Derryck Thornton enroll a year earlier than expected.

As for the teams that lost to Lehigh and Mercer in ‘12 and ‘14, respectively- both of them only had 1 one and done player.

I’m not saying Duke hasn’t been inconsistent over the past 8 years, but it’s not because of the players that are leaving early. I’d argue it has more to do with the players that are staying, or the ones that are transferring, which is a whole different column.

I understand why people want to lump Kentucky and Duke together when it comes to the players they recruit and the success/failures both programs have. I just don’t necessarily think it’s a fair comparison.

Regardless of whether you believe my points are valid, I’ve always found the criticism towards both programs funny. I mean, if Jayson Tatum, De’Aaron Fox, and Malik Monk wanted to come play for your school, what do you want your coach to say, “No”?