With a frustrating loss to Florida on Saturday night it left Big Blue Nation scratching their collective heads in an attempt to figure out what this team can be. Some have come to the conclusion that they just aren’t very good, while others remain hopeful. The normally optimistic group of fans are growing worried that their optimism will go unrewarded. Then there is the more negative group of fans sitting back in their seats saying “I told you so” after that loss. When the season ends will it be the optimistic fans or the negative fans that will feel vindicated? What will the ending to this seasons Wildcat tale be?
So far it has been a story filled with twists and turns that has kept readers on the edge of their seats. When the book began it looked as if the cast of characters would surely march into battle and slew every opponent that dared step into their path. It quickly became clear that the war would not be as easily won as some had thought. As the pages turned the struggle became mixed with victory and the readers were left wondering what the fate of their band of Wildcats would be.
The Cats fought valiantly against the Gators but in the end Florida made big plays down the stretch and came away with the win. Kentucky played extremely well for the first 30 minutes of the game before seeing things unravel over the final minutes. When it came to winning time the youth of the Wildcats reared its head with several miscues that led to defeat. Scottie Wilbekin was virtually unstoppable as he took a big step towards becoming the SEC player of the year. Add in the outstanding play of his senior counterparts Casey Prather and Patric Young and you had the recipe for a win. It was the first time in their careers that the senior trio beat the Cats in Rupp Arena. This group of Gators is a legitimate title contender and a favorite to get a 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. This was not a team of Matt Walsh and Anthony Roberson that strolled in to Rupp and got decapitated. It is a team that at this point may be the favorite to win it all. There is no shame in losing to this team even on your home floor.
Kentucky played its best defensive game of the season and showed that they are capable of being an above average team on that end of the floor. The overall energy and intensity that they played with was good throughout the contest. James Young, Julius Randle and Andrew Harrison scored 52 of the Cats 59 total points. The Cats have to get more production than 7 points from the rest of the team if they hope to knock off a good team.
The Cats showed that they can play with an elite team but they still must develop the discipline that it takes to get a win in that situation. The question is if they can learn it and develop it in the six remaining games of the season. The positive for Kentucky is that there are only a handful of elite teams this year. It should be an NCAA tournament that is as wide open as ever but the issue of seeding grows ever more important for the Cats. Currently Kentucky would likely get a 4 or 5 seed depending on how things play out down the stretch. This Tuesday the Cats travel to Ole Miss for what will be a crucial game in terms of seeding. After Tuesday the Cats will have 3 home games and a road game at South Carolina in which they should win all four. They will close the season at Florida in which they will presumably lose. If the Cats can beat Ole Miss it would be a 5-1 finish and 14-4 record in SEC play plus a 24-7 record overall. That would give them a chance to play well in the SEC tournament and possibly have a chance to move up to a 3 seed. To get up to a 3 seed Kentucky would likely need to win the SEC tournament by beating Florida. Winning the tournament against a team other than the Gators would most likely not be enough. A loss to Ole Miss Tuesday night and all of that is moot as the Cats would be playing for something between a 4 to 6 seed.
Returning to the original question of how this will end it may come as a shock to realize that it is yet to be written. The Wildcats are not only the stars of the story they are also the authors of it. Despite the desire of the fans and media to finish the story it is up to the Cats to pen the finale. The truth is that no one knows exactly how this season will end. Instead of wringing your hands in desperation as you frantically try to skip ahead to the final page perhaps you should just read the book. Let the story unfold and see where it takes you. Who knows the finish may surprise you.
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