W.W.C.M.? (What Would Crawford Mean)

That sound you heard Sunday A.M. was a collective groan from the entire Big Blue Nation.

Fresh off a 79-53 absolute beatdown at the hands of a suddenly revived rival Indiana, Cats fans the world over are shaking their heads this morning, questioning the basic tenets they have grown so accustomed to: we win rivalry games, then we win the SEC.

Tubby Smith, for his part, has been bitten by his own success. Beat Indiana five times in a row, then drop a stinker and what have you done for me lately? Top UNC four times in a row, lose to the eventual national champs and then lose one in a stinker and what have you done for us recently? Top Florida for three straight years, then lose the SEC title game the day after an evening overtime thriller over LSU last spring and the sky is falling around us.

But as I have noted recently, despite their reputation (mostly deserved, mind you) for overreacting, Kentucky fans can stomach a loss or two, even to a rival. What really gets them (us) hot is looking miserable in the process. And that's exactly what the losses to North Carolina last week and IU yesterday were ... bloody miserable.

But I won't spend time trying to rehash a train wreck so bad that CBS mercifully cut away from it with almost double-digit minutes remaining. That can be done here, here, here, here, here and here.

I prefer to think about the future, and what steps Tubby can possibly effect in order to turn this sinking ship into a luxury liner full speed ahead. Because we've been here before, us Big Blue faithful. In 2003, we watched as a November and December turned ugly in a hurry. A team with a talented leader (Bogans), a transfer struggling with his role (Barbour), a group of much-maligned role players (Hawkins, Daniels, Estill) and their embattled head coach (still Mr. Smith) flailed, clanked and flopped their way to a 5-4 record, with a win over an overrated ranked team (#20 Gonzaga) and not much else. That team fell to #20 in the AP poll, practically uncharted territory for Tubby's crew. It took a humiliating first-half scoreboard reading "Vanderbilt 36, Kentucky 28" to wake up that bunch. And wake up they did. As it turns out, the emergence of Gerald Fitch as a potent weapon and a stifling defense were hugely responsible.

But that was a different group. They realized that defense was the only way for them to mesh a disparate group of talents and abilities. This year, it seems that an unusual softness plagues the Cats, something that is as unsettling as it is rare. Tubby has to -- and I'm confident will -- address that in a hurry. Because the SEC will feast on a weakened Kentucky, relishing any chance to make up for years of beatings from the league bully.


One player in particular strikes me as a potential savior for the season, and it's not the overly anticipated Randolph Morris. It's Joe Crawford, the hobbling shooting guard from Michigan.

Something struck me about the game against Indiana and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. In a game where Rajon Rondo posted the most useless 20-point game (he had 21 total) since last week's 20-pointer against the Tarheels, the Detroit native had something the rest of the Cats were apparently lacking: pride.

Crawford posted a rather pedestrian scoring line -- 7 points on a brutal 2-of-9 shooting (1-for-5 from deep) -- and no assists or steals. But he grabbed 7 rebounds, and led the team with three on the offensive end. There was something about his attacking the goal that showed he was unbowed, and while his shot was off -- hell, everyone's was -- more than a few of those misses were later in the game when the spectre of embarrasment was the only real motivation.

I believe that the combination of Crawford's skill level and his toughness in a difficult situation could hold a key to this season. Whether it's incrasing his minutes, or calling his number more on the offensive end, Tubby would be wise to hand Joe C a little more responsiblity. When he returned after nearly skipping town last winter, Crawford said he was in for the long haul. And, in retrospect, while his decision to leave was a poor one, you can see that it was motivated as much by his desire to contribute and as any sort of personal goals. He wanted to play and thought he could help. Maybe this year is when he gets his chance to prove himself.


There's no way to know whether Crawford, or any other current player, is the answer. While some await a possible Morris return, I turn to what you have. It remains to be seen if this year's Cats are prepared to fold or to fight through the doldrums. Tubby's history says he will attempt to get them through it by sheer will. To many observers, it looks as if it may be the head man who has to change his stripes, adapting to his personnel rather than trying to force the proverbial square peg into the round hole.

Will this year's Cats duplicate the 2002-2003 group's 26-game win streak? Highly unlikely. But they can salvage the season, and their bleeding pride, by coming together as a group and locating their strength, be it defense, full-court offense, rebounding (uh...) or three-point bombing. And to this observer at least, while Rondo may be the star, and the role players certainly need to step it up (Bobby Perry, please hit a dang layup), one player may be the pin that pools this collection of streams into a raging river.

Joe Crawford, the future is yours. Will you embrace it?