March Is Here; Where Are The Wildcats?

Usually by the time February turns into March, Kentucky basketball fans are amped up and ready for the impending post-season action. However, March 2009 looks a little bit cloudy at the outset.

UK dropped a heartbreaker to LSU over the weekend, and despite some help from other conference teams (Vandy over SC?) it's hard to pin down whether or not Kentucky will make the big dance. The good news is they have a Senior Night game on Wednesday vs. Georgia that most would consider winnable. Wisdom says to take nothing for granted, but that would leave the Florida game on March 7th as a possible play-in.

Personally, I would feel much more comfortable as a UK alum/fan with those two wins PLUS a couple of conference tourney games. (Don't ask for much, do I?) Put it this way: I just don't need another Selection Sunday that turns into a Maalox moment. Heck, I could do without a couple of these GAMES turning into Maalox moments....although I normally enjoy a tight, competitive contest.

Problem is, it's awfully difficult to determine this team's attitude and mindset. They played absolutely terrific basketball for a good stretch of the second half against the Bayou Bengals. The fivesome that Coach G started that frame with is receiving raves from Big Blue Nation (no Porter being the main reason, IMO.) You could argue that if Jodie plays his normal game-- or basically just shoots a little better-- then UK takes it handily.

The defensive switch/non-switch that resulted in LSU's game-winning trey is a collective mistake, despite what Coach G or anyone else says....the players also have to recognize and communicate which picks require a "switch" in that situation. Just because a guy wanders out to the top of the key doesn't necessarily mean that you have to switch off of your man. (The way the blame game was played through the media in that situation was disappointing to say the least.)

It truly does take some better basketball judgment than what the Wildcats have displayed this season to win a nail-biter against a quality opponent. I believe this is the most significant reason why the collective UK fandom's exasperation level is so high right now, not the squad's overall talent level. Same old stuff: players confused about their roles, lacking confidence, not making the easy/smart play at times.

But you know what? Kentucky judges its teams by how they perform in March. If I'm Billy Gillispie, I tell this team, "Look, it's a new month and a whole new season. We've got two games that we know we can win this week, and then...it really gets fun." Get these young men to loosen up a little bit, if possible.

It's overstated in sports, but the Cats need to focus on controlling what they can-- forget about the RPI's and strength of schedules and all the rest of it, and truly forge their destiny. March is finally here. Pass the Maalox.