Marcus Lee: Kentucky will go undefeated if I return next year

Marcus Lee's potential return might be the last ingredient necessary for Kentucky to reel off a perfect 2016-17 season.

"I don't think we'd lose at all next season if I come back," Lee told reporters at the NBA draft combine Thursday.

However, Lee doesn't seem particularly eager to test his theory, as the junior forward said he's "87 percent" sure he'll sign with an agent and remain in the NBA draft. Despite projecting as a borderline second-round pick, at best, Kentucky coach John Calipari conceded Wednesday that he doesn't expect Lee to be back with the team next season.

Lee was a member of Kentucky's 2014-15 squad, which finished two wins shy of an undefeated season. The Wildcats were upset by Wisconsin in the Final Four that year, finishing the season 38-1 overall.

As for Kentucky, Calipari's squad currently holds ESPN's No. 1-ranked recruiting class and is set to return key veterans Derek Willis and Dominique Hawkins. The Wildcats, always NCAA contenders, could also get back Isaiah Briscoe, who is testing his draft stock but is widely expected to stay in school. The former five-star recruit came off the bench as a freshman, but could see a larger role as a sophomore.