Kentucky could see exodus of players leaving school early for NBA

A surprising number of Kentucky players stayed in school after the Wildcats' run to the national title game last season, but after the disappointing loss to Wisconsin in the national semifinals this year coach John Calipari could be facing an exodus from his program.

Calipari told reporters on Monday that he met with each of his players following the Wildcats' elimination from the NCAA tournament and he came away with the impression that at least five of his players will turn pro and as many as seven might have played their last game in a Kentucky uniform.

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The Louisville Courier Journal reported that Calipari identified the players who are likely to leave as junior Willie Cauley-Stein, sophomores Andrew and Aaron Harrison and freshmen Karl-Anthony Towns and Trey Lyles. He said sophomore Dakari Johnson and freshman Devin Booker are also debating whether to turn pro or return for another season.

Towns is considered by most to be the first overall selection in this year's NBA draft. Cauley-Stein and Lyles are also projected to be first-round picks. The others face less certainty when it comes to turning pro now. 

As of now, Kentucky has three players set to join its team as members of the 2015 recruiting class, but Calipari could add to the class if he loses more players than he anticipated in the coming days and weeks.

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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo