Larry Vaught wonders if yesterday’s loss in the SEC Tournament could actually turn into a blessing for Kentucky.
Vaught makes some excellent points:
— The Cats will now have an extra day of rest going into the NCAA Tournament. Winning the SEC Tournament on a Sunday — why the SEC keeps doing that for the sake of a few TV dollars continues to befuddle me — means that Kentucky has had to turn around and sometimes start NCAA play on Thursday. Sure, UK travels first class and can get to and from sites easily, but it is still a grind and now UK has an extra day off.
— Reid Travis won’t have to play three straight days after coming back from a sprained right knee that sidelined him for over three weeks and five games. Travis was playing with no fear or hesitation in the two SEC tourney games but now he can regroup and hopefully be even fresher and bouncier for NCAA play.
— Kentucky can enter NCAA play with a chip on its shoulder. The Cats may not have got a No. 1 seed if they had beat the Vols but they certainly won’t now. Calipari can now rally the troops with his “us against the world” and use whatever the seeding turns out to be to motivate his team.
