Wildcats on edge: 'The case for ...'

By now, only the most diehard optimist or ambivalent loner feels truly confident in Kentucky's receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. With two huge regular season games remaining, there is much to play for. And the SEC tournament -- a Tubby strength in past years -- also looms large as a way for the Cats to merit a backdoor in with a run. The Wildcats are in perhaps a favorable position, as opposed to, say, the Louisville Cardinals. However, there are many mid-major and similarly mediocre high major programs competing for the final few at-large spots.

Before the Cats take the floor in Knoxville on Wednesday, Bogans' Heroes takes a two-part look at the NCAA tournament resume of the "Unpredictables":

The Tangibles

Kentucky stands at 18 wins (against 10 losses) -- 9 in 2005, 9 in 2006.

Kentucky sits at #41 in the collegerpi.com simulated rankings.

Of its 18 wins, 2 came over teams ranked in the top 15 at the time (West Virginia #7, Louisville #4).

The Wildcats are 8-6 in the SEC, assured of no worse than a .500 conference record. The SEC is the RPI #4 best, according to KenPom's RPI rankings.

Kentucky has won 3 of its last 4, and 8 of 12.

The Cats have 2 wins over top-50 RPI teams, and 8 over top-100 RPI foes.

Kentucky's strength of schedule is a strong #24.

Kentucky's strength of schedule and RPI will most likely rise after games against Florida and Tennessee.

The Intangibles

Kentucky's "bad" losses were mostly to out of conference teams on the road, and minus their (theoretically) starting center, Randolph Morris. Despite going just 8-6 with Morris, Kentucky has played better, and those 6 losses come in a total of 39 points, or roughly 6.5 points per loss. Losses, still, but not the blowouts from December and January.

The Wildcats started 0-2 in the conference as they struggled with the reinsertion of Morris into lineup. Since that start, they are 8-4.

The Wildcats bring with them a huge travelling show, capable of selling out first-round venues, no matter how much they have struggled. This fan loyalty cuts to the heart of the NCAA's mirage campaign which is predicated on (a) competitive games, (b) fair assessment of ability and (c) ticket sales, probably in reverse order. Ergo, the pull of a bubble Kentucky team could come down to money. Who would be more likely to generate revenue, Wichita State or Kentucky?

Tubby Smith's track record in the NCAA tournament, while not to many UK fans' high standards perhaps, is excellent. In eight prior NCAAs as UK coach, he has failed to reach the second weekend only twice, and has never lost a first-round game. If the committee decides to take a look at potential success in assessing two or three worthy teams, such history could help the Cats.

Kentucky has star power in Rajon Rondo and Morris, not to mention Patrick Sparks, whose memorable three in the Elite Eight last year made him a highlight reel regular.

The bottom line is that, even in a rosy scenario, Kentucky is in must-win mode. Were the Cats 23-5, Saturday's loss at LSU would have seemed a missed opportunity, but a valiant effort against the probable SEC champs. But facing a sweaty Selection Sunday, such losses tear holes in the "good" resume. The Cats' failures against teams like Vanderbilt and Alabama hurt, and were it not for some Rondo heroics (Central Florida, Arkansas), this conversation would most likely not be happening at all.

A win over Tennessee, currently an amazing fourth in the collegeRPI index, would probably cement a bid, though wins over both UT and Florida would allow for an SEC tourney flop, while a single win in these last three might not cover their ass.

Would Kentucky be in if the NCAA selection was today? I would lean towards no.

Hardly a pessimist, it seems to this writer that one only has to look at how the Cats fared against quality opponents most of the year to see that marquee wins are lacking. These next two games could determine whether Tubby Smith ekes into next season with a whimper or flames out this year with a roar, leaving a long offseason of gripes, concerns and calls for his head.

Big dog or little cat?

Let's get one thing straight: I believe in Tubby and don't kneejerk in my opinions based on wins and losses.

That the Cats had the ball with a chance to win over the probable SEC regular season outright champs in the closing seconds means these guys are at worst in the conversation for an NCAA bid. Road losses in the SEC happen, especially in this, the downest of down years in a decade. Most of my game keys from yesterday were part of the equation, and the Achilles' heels ended up being a no-show from Joe Crawford and the defense in the second half.

But like a lot of fans, I am steamed about that final play.

Don't get me wrong, it could have gone in, and Sheray Thomas played a great game and certainly bears little ill will for a tough shot in a pressure situation. He should have used the backboard or gone left, but that is hindisight, and had the shot gone in we'd be talking about how clutch he was and what a great call Tubby made in going to the unexpected choice. This game wasn't lost on Thomas' shoulders. It was, however, another one given away when the team executed poorly down the stretch. And the final call reflects much of the fans' frustration with Coach Smith this season.


There has been an undue amount of grumbling this year about recruiting failures and a lack of "UK-caliber" talent. Some of it is warranted -- the junior class is effectively three role players and a team manager (Shagari) -- and the bulk is overblown. But the reason I'm steamed isn't so much that Tubby went to Sheray. From a strategic standpoint, it's a brave and potentially lucrative decision. If the shot falls, Thomas becomes a player other teams have to scout in certain situation, and with Glen "Big baby" Davis clogging up the lane, a shot from Morris is more likely a fadeaway jumper.

The reason I'm steamed has to do with recruiting, but not in the way you probably think.

When you have game-changing talent, and the Cats have it in Morris, Rajon Rondo and Joe Crawford, with Patrick Sparks' main talent being ridiculous cojones, you have to live and die by it. If you're going to recruit gamers, and if you're going to tell a future Morris or Crawford (or Brandan Wright or Tyler Hansbrough) that you want him to be "the man," then it seems logical to me that you'd want to give him the chance to perform in the clutch.

Morris, by Tubby's admission, was the decoy. Fine. Rondo is the ballhandler. Fine. But Crawford can drive, shoot and hits his free throws at a 70% clip this season. Is there any time at which Tubby Smith told Sheray Thomas, "Come to Kentucky and you'll be 'The Man'"? I cannot believe that is true.

So Tubby again confounds his critics and supporters alike by going away from (a) the proven players, (b) the players you recruited for this very moment and (c) the future of the program.

No one can ever say Tubby Smith isn't his own man, even with the wolves nipping at his heels.

Big Game in the Bayou

The stakes go up tremendously for the Wildcats today with an SEC road game at Lousiana State. A win would put the Cats in the driver's seat for an at-large bid (something I feel they would get with two wins in the next four anyway), and keep pace with the Gators in the East Division. Even moreso, a win would give Kentucky a so-called quality win over a ranked team, something their tournament resume is direly lacking at this juncture.

A few keys to look for:

Continued strong defensive pressure -- In the three recent wins, all with Tubby Smith's new lineup rotation, the starters -- while offensively challenged -- have set the tone with excellent defense and solid ballhandling. In all three games, the Cats held the opponent in check until the first substitutions. Kentucky then brings in its "B" team of three McDonald's All-Americans, something even a talented Tigers squad can't come close to matching. If LSU breaks the starters down quickly and forces Tubby to go to Rajon Rondo, Joe Crawford and Randolph Morris early, the pattern shifts dramatically.

Which Rondo shows up? -- The birthday boy on Wednesday, Rondo looked like the 20+ assists in a game man he was at Oak Hill rather than the confused and sulking benched star he was against South Carolina. It was a welcome change, and would be a harbringer for the remainder of the season. While 12 assists would be unexpected, a 6-assist, low turnover game while pestering Tack Minor and the other Tigers guards would be much needed. Making his free throws and avoiding bad shots would be icing on the cake for the Cats.

Karate Morris? -- If Morris must play early and often, foul trouble will be key to the game. Unlike against Ole Miss or even USC, Kentucky's big man will be most likely matched up against Glen "Big Baby" Davis, as skilled a post player as there is in the conference. Morris' main concern should be rebounding and smart defensive play (go straight up with those arms, Gimel!) rather than trying to force the offense. Rondo penetrating and dishing could be huge for Morris getting on track early. Negating LSU's interior offense would be tatamount to victory for the Cats.

Who steps up? -- The Cats have gotten outstanding individual performances -- sometimes from unlikely sources -- in most of their big wins this season. Despite the hopes of Kentucky fans, I don't expect to see similar results from walk-on Preston LeMaster against the more athletic and talented Tigers today, however stranger things have happened. More likely would be a standout offensive performance from Crawford or one of the two junior utilitymen Bobby Perry or Sheray Thomas. A double-digit -- and, more importantly, solid shooting -- game from either could be the difference.

Trust in Tubby -- The single biggest factor down ther stretch for the Wildcats is their newfound trust in the head man. Once Smith exerted his might and reshuffled the lineup two things have happened: (1) renewed focus on defense, Tubby's signature at UK, and (2) better play from the star sophomores as they accepted their coaches' doctrine. If these Cats are to walk away victorious in this one, and in upcoming grudge matches with Tennessee and Florida, they will do so with defensive pressure and continued unselfish offensive play, not with individual skill. This is not because they are lacking that skill, but because that's the formula that works for Tubby.

I think the Cats can win, but wouldn't be disheartened beyond hope if they do not. The worst case scenario is Morris foul trouble, Rondo reverting to the one-on-one offense and three-point shots and an off night for Patrick Sparks and Crawford shooting the ball. That would most likely mean a double-digit loss, something the bubble-riffic Cats cannot afford at this stage.

But I suspect there is a surprise in store for Cats fans, either from deep on the bench or from one of the stars, that could make this another step on the road to recovery for the Cats.

LeMasters of their domain

Throwback week is sitting well with the Kentucky Wildcats, who looked like the Cats of old in demolishing a gimpy Ole Miss Rebels on Wednesday. I like the old school uniforms a lot. I like the 40-point feel-good (for UK fans) 80-40 drubbing of an SEC opponent even more.

Nevermind that Ole Miss was playing with a heavy heart, missing its leading scorer and rebounder from a 4-9 conference team. Nevermind that the Cats had everything to play for (NCAA hopes) while its opponent had next to nothing (pride, or coaches' jobs). Focus only on the issues at hand: bench performance, defense, scoring prowess, chemistry, Preston LeMaster's shooting form.


Excuse me?

As my partner, Rance, noted, LeMaster's breakout four three-pointer game was the sort of Kentucky moment this team has lacked pretty much all year. A home win over Louisville was probably the closest thing, but that was another "must win" game against a big time opponent. The senior walk-on's spotlight moment was far more organic, and it was the kind of team-oriented occasion that helps bring a group of players closer together.

Several more of those questions were also addressed, most notably how the "disgruntled" Rajon Rondo would play after his career-low 2-point outing in Columbia on Saturday and whether the practice-graded starting five situation would continue to pay dividends. Against the hapless Rebels, the answers to both were dramatic and emphatic.

Rondo -- on his 20th birthday, no less -- entered the game and immediately ran the floor like a champ, dishing out 5 first-half assists and playing his trademark pesky defense. His backcourt mate, Patrick Sparks, even lobbed up a softball for Rondo to flush down. For the game, the supposedly cancerous teammate Rondo doled out a career-best 12 assists to no turnovers and even sank his only two free throws for good measure. Maybe even more importantly, the sophomore reveled in his passing, turning down a couple of fairly open looks to dish the ball off, and assisting on all of the walk-on LeMaster's four treys.

"And the one he missed was from me, too," Rondo said after the game, grinning.


Wins like this one are infectious, and while it's great to see LeMaster shine, and to witness fellow senior Brandon Stockton tally a career-high 9 points as well, this team will still only go as far as Sparks and the trio of talented sophomores takes it. While the contributions of role players such as Bobby Perry (team-high 7 boards) and Lukasz Obrzut (2 of team's 10 blocks) are critical, the continued development of center Randolph Morris (10 points, 5 boards in limited time) and Joe Crawford (team-leading 17 points on 7-11 shooting) is fun to watch, and a great omen for the rest of the year.

Crawford, in particular, has impressed with his willingness to be a team scoring leader. The role is there for the taking, and it benefits both UK and Crawford for him to continue to push the envelope. Crawford is a gifted scorer and should not shy from taking shots. Obviously, if they aren't falling, the situation changes, but this team needs him to approach 15 points a game, and his outside shooting is a great compliment to Sparks outside and Morris inside.


Morris looked great again, scoring on a creative variety of moves and rebounding in similar fashion to Saturday's double-double game. The Cats really area on the verge of having perhaps their best pivot since Nazr and Magloire roamed the paint, and Morris may actually be more talented than any single UK center since the 80s. As the Georgia native progresses and soaks up the messages from his coach and others, he'll only get better. Let's hope he sticks around to show UK fans their faith in him and their second chance was worth it.

But despite all the personal accomplishments on Wednesday, the real winner was the defense. No, Ole Miss does not resemble an NCAA team in scoring ability by any wide stretch. But echoing Coach Smith, any time you hold a team to 22% shooting, especially an SEC team, you're doing your job very well.

Though the Cats' offensive woes this year were glaring, Tubby instituted the new grading system not to get better offense, but to get better defensive pressure. Thus far, the difference from the Florida and Tennessee losses has been dramatic. Better perimeter pressure, better help defense and much improved interior defense from Morris and Co.

If this team is, in fact, righting its ship at the right time, only a return to Tubby-style defense will carry the day. That, and maybe a few more 12-point outings from Preston LeMaster.

Excuse me?

Well done, sir.

What a treat to find in a season such as this a performance so moving as LeMaster's. Reduces you to the little kid who dreams of playing in Rupp. For the Cats. And to score?

Rule #1: Kentucky fans LOVE the three-point shot. Like the pope loves praying, Kentucky fans love the three.

So it only reckons to figure their version of "Rudy" involves a native Kentuckian riding pine for four years until emerging in a time of need...only to drain a three from the wing. That Preston got the ovation with his two in the second half, wow.

In other news: Billy D coaching another team right into mediocrity. Sorry, but it's true.

"Parting is such sweet sorrow ... "

The Cats return to action tonight looking to continue the positive vibes from the last two games -- the first two of the "graded practice" era. I'm curious to know whether Tubby Smith is actually still grading practice and whether he'll shuffle the lineup accordingly, or whether, his point now made, he'll run with some consistency. Truthfully, the pattern of shuffling Rajon Rondo, Randolph Morris and Joe Crawford in at the first sign of fumbling from the Woo-Stockton-Moss triumverate seems to be effective.

The loss to injury of sophomore guard Ramel Bradley is troubling in that it decreases depth. If there is a silver lining to it, though, it's that Bradley played a total of 12 minutes in the two recent wins, and losing a guard for the Cats -- a position of strength -- is much less costly than losing a "big" man. Bradley's freewheeling ways have put him solidly in the doghouse, which is a shame. I haven't really talked much about Smoov this season, and that's partly his own fault. For every 12-point first half outing, there are countless rushed shots clanging off the rim early in the shot clock. In true Brooklyn style -- and you'll have to trust me on this one since I spent 8 years living and playing pickup ball there -- he seems unabashed about being a creative and gifted scorer who regards defense as rest time until it's time for offense again. And it doesn't have to be this way. I just hope he'll stick around and see what being a beloved Wildcat can do for an already healthy ego -- just ask Cameron Mills.

There have been a slew of rumors and a healthy dose of innuendo that as many as 7 players are out the door after this year (not including the Tubster himself). For the sake of nothing, here's a quick look at some potential "departures" and how they might grade out. [Ed. note - this is satirical and, like Jared Prickett's college haze, has no basis in reality. ... All photos courtesy of UK Athletics.]


(1.) Shagari Alleyne, C, Jr. -- The former Rice high school standout has solidified his stranglehold on the end of the pine, playing only when fellow Junior Lukasz Obrzut runs out of two-handed layups or trips over the end line. Tubby's accolades of invisible freshman Jared Carter's progress bode ill for the onetime Gregg Doyel pet project Alleyne, and his brief stint on the NBADraft.net mock draft board have to seem to the big guy like the internet boom to a broken DotCommer working night shift at Arby's at this point. I never really want a kid to leave, feeling that (a) the UK experience is worth it and (b) not every kid becomes a star. That said, Alleyne once showed promise, and I have written here before that his career is wasting into nothingness before our eyes. At 7'3", the dude could help someone at a smaller school, and might even get a chance to hit a draft camp if he could manage to see more than 2 mopup minutes on the floor. But that's his doing, not Tubby's. If anything, UK fans cannot argue that Smith doesn't give guys many chances to prove themselves. Shagari has clearly proven something, all right. Just not in a good way.

Transfer likelihood: Aminu Timberlake's size 18s
Possible destination: Fordham


(2.) Adam Williams, G/F, Fr. -- A much-debated recruit to begin with, the high-hopping, rim-breakin' Williams hasn't really shown anything to the Big Blue Faithful as of yet. Kind of hard to do in 2 minutes against Iona, etc. A-Will, who committed to the Cats in 1987, was one of those kids who choked up at the chance to put on the uniform, something that melts most fans' hearts. Lacking a perimeter game and a Fast Food prospect pedigree, the coach's son is firmly 8th on the guard depth chart if you count incoming freshmen and likely early contributors Jodie Meeks and Derrick Jasper. Adam's father, West Virginia coaching legend Tex, seems miffed about his son's role and PT -- of which there isn't much -- and has hinted at various times a possible return to WVU and theoretical floor time. No one wants to see a kid who bleeds blue take off, but it's hard to imagine that Williams, who faced marginal competition in his prep days, is going to get another chance at a second chance, if that's his desire. For what it's worth, I think that he could be a contributor. Heck, none of us have seen him play enough to know for sure. But at Kentucky, you get recruited over sometimes within your own class (Bradley, ahem), much less year-to-year. Williams is already a prep year behind, and a transfer year adds another year to his age. Still, Tubby has been Marlee Matlin silent about Adam to the press. A change of scenery could be win-win or lose-win, depending.

Transfer likelihood: Oliver Simmons' surprisingly hot girlfriend
Possible destination: West Virginia


(3.) Ramel Bradley, G, So. -- Having already talked about Bradley's shortcomings, it should be noted that the kid is dynamite at times, and has a performer's mentality that UK fans love. There's such a fine line between a Fitch and a Carruth in terms of attitude, however, that it's hard to know which Smoov will become. That he possesses pro-caliber offense is undeniable. He's possibly ther best and clutchest long range bomber the Cats have. But in addition to lacking a conscience, Bradley hasn't grasped the defense yet, and his penchant for emotional outbursts clearly cost him (broken hand) as much as they help (Bogut confrontation, '05). Count me as among those who think an upperclass Bradley is an All-SEC lock, provided he lets Tubby do the jabbering and harnesses his talent on both ends. Some have said that the rumor mill posits a Rondo return could mean a Bradley departure, especially with three more guards entering the fold in the fall. I can't speak to that, but much like a major college football QB situation, if you wait your chance and study hard, sometimes that one year can make your career. Whether Smoov realizes this before his heart gets in the way, we may not know.

Transfer likelihood: Tony Delk's jumper
Possible destination: Cincinnati, St. Johns


(4.) Scott Rigot, Asst. coach -- Not unlike Keyser Soze, Rigot's reputation as a cancer and useless assistant are more prominent than any public displays of such things (or of actual life from the guy). Despite a host of message board "insiders" posting how Rigot bungled a recruiting trip here or there, there is no actual proof other than the fact that UK whiffed on a names last fall. That said, Rigot was supposedly brought on board for his skills with getting Juco and Euro players. Apparently, those skills were either oversold or underdeveloped. What Rigot does bring to the table, the average fan cannot truly know, despite the volume of Cats Pause readers who claim to. At some schools, this season's struggles would be cause for a staff shakeup, and of the prominent assistants, Rigot is the easiest target and the least known. His sunshine demeanor doesn't help much.

Leaving likelihood: Nate Knight's playing time
Possible destination: Indian Hills CC


(5.) Rajon Rondo, PG, So. -- All jokes aside, the possibility of Rondo heading to the next level is legit. Despite a clear lack of shooting prowess, Rondo's all-around game and ridiculous athleticism show the sort of potential that the NBA covets, figuring that shooting will come with dedicated instruction and a lack of Com 101 final exams to worry about. Rondo has been tight-lipped about his future thus far (as has his high school coach), and a recent slump may have his stock dropping a little. But scouts have seen him in action enough to have a pretty good idea what it is he excels at. A few nutjobs still think he could transfer to Louisville, and maybe he will for all I know. It seems an unlikely sccenario, given that he'd have to postpone the NBA for another two years (transfer + jr.). I happen to be one of those blind optimists who see a kid who understands he has limitations and wants to correct them, not a stuck up jerk who won't pass the ball. My best guess? Rondo returns for another year, and spends the summer shooting more jumpers and free throws in preparation for his final college season. A flirt with the draft process wouldn't be a surprise either.

Leaving likelihood: Keith Bogans' jump-stop
Possible destination: Boston Celtics


(6.) Joe Crawford, G, So. -- Given the prior dalliances with leaving that Joe C had, an exit isn't beyond conception. Having lost his starting job doesn't help, and Crawford's driving, penetrating game seems handicapped sometimes in the stand-around UK offense. But the Detroit native also has played 24 minutes a game and is averaging 10 points and 4.5 rebounds on the year. In other words, he's getting his shots. Another McDonald's All-American, Crawford would also have to put any pro ambitions on hold for at least two years with a transfer, and having worked his way back into Tubby's good graces, would seem hard pressed to see a move as anything but bad press. Crawdaddy's defense has also improved immensely, and a healthy season could mean major accolades at a high profile school like UK. A few rumors floated around that he might be on the way out, but I don't put much stock in that, especially as he is the clear starter when he returns, with Patrick Sparks and Ravi Moss graduating.

Transfer likelihood: Gerald Fitch's fake ID
Possible destination: Nike summer camp (counselor)


(7.) Tubby Smith, head coach -- On his weekly radio show, Smith put to rest rumors of his leaving. However, saying and doing are different animals, of course. Smith can say he has no intention of leaving, and a Bobcats or Mizzou could give him $4 million reasons to change his mind, who knows. This has been Tubby's most trying season. Even during his Team Turmoil year there was never the possibility of missing the tournament. In fact, that team was ranked the whole year. This year's team hasn't been ranked since January, and would have to sweep Florida, LSU and Tennessee as well as Ole Miss to have any realistic shot of grabbing a top 5 seed. His troops have struggled under his normally strong hand, and a few high profile recruiting misses (Brandan Wright, Thad Young) have Tubby still searching under rocks for a standout power forward. If nothing else, the pressure of the UK job has never been more evident, as talk shows, the internet and real life have coalesced into a mess of bad vibes. Tubby has won back a few fans with his new "my way" attitude, eschewing the talent for the passion among the starting five, and a late season run would quiet the storm somewhat, though not completely. A big recruiting haul comes in next year, but the senior class is still marginal, not to mention the possibility of a few departures forcing Smith to rely on freshmen again. Some believe a Tubby exit on his own terms would be win-win. I do not. As I've noted before, given the media climate (Glory Road) and the subpar season his team is having, Tubby would do better to leave on a high note. But money talks, as they say, and were a more comfortable situation to emerge, and the payday/opportunity intrigue him, he'd be silly not to listen. Besides, how many questions about Richie Farmer can you truthfully answer from "Earl in Lancaster" before your head explodes?

Leaving likelihood: Tom Izzo's 10-loss seasons
Possible destination: Atlanta Hawks ... or the Hall of Fame?

About face? Rondo would help

The Big Blue Nation is widely respected for its basketball acumen. Blessed with a consistent winner, beginning early in Adolph Rupp's tenure fans turned to grading style as well as substance, becoming self-proclaimed experts on everything from offensive execution to uniforms to a player's body language. Given the Cats fans' hoops smarts, little frustrates me more about them than their penchant for kneejerk reactions, with struggling Rajon Rondo (and his perceived poor attitude) being the most recent example.

Let's be clear about one thing: a player of Rondo's caliber hates losing, and he hates sitting on the bench, as any talented player would. His coach's new emphasis on basics and grading each practice has left not only Rondo -- the team's leading scorer, rebounder, assist man and one-on-one defender -- but fellow hot shot sophomores Joe Crawford and Randolph Morris watching the tip-off from the bench as well. Smith's premise is that the defensive intensity that is created by the new starters sets a better tone for the game and lessens the pressure on the talented second-year players as well. Judging from the experiment's first two games, he may well be right.


On Wednesday, the Cats played inspired defense and hung on for a win over a then-surging Georgia team. As Victoria Sun's recap of the Georgia game tells it, the outsider's view of the program is that the suddenly sitting sophs took not starting about as well as you could expect them to, given that for some of them it was the first time in their entire basketball careers that they had come off of the bench.

Senior Patrick Sparks, who has started every game of his collegiate career dating back to his Western Kentucky days, noted Wednesday after the game that his teammates didn't throw any hissy fits, and that the team was sharper for the changes.

"I thought we responded well to it, the veteran guys stepped up, started the first half, started the second half, played well," Sparks said. "People got some opportunities tonight and I think they took advantage of it."

Rondo's replacement, senior Brandon Stockton (pictured at right, below), said of his mate, "I never thought he was down. It didn't show when he was on the bench cheering or when he was on the court because he was always talking and communicating. He was involved in the game. I thought he handled it very well."

Despite not starting, Rondo was still second to Sparks in minutes against Georgia, and claimed that he didn't mind the change either.

"It was different, but I don't think it was a big deal to me," Rondo said. "I just tried to still come out and play as hard as I could to support my teammates."

In addition, despite not starting against the Bulldogs, Crawford and Morris tied for the team lead in rebounds with 6 each, and both logged nearly as many minutes as "graded" starters Bobby Perry and Ravi Moss. My point being that they all three benched starters played plenty. Only fourth sophomore Ramel Bradley has struggled to find PT since the change. And maybe there are reasons for that, eh?

But despite Rondo's and his teammates' protestations to the contrary, many fans harped after Wednesday's game -- and even moreso after Saturday's satisfying pounding of a previously hot South Carolina team -- that Rondo looked sluggish and disinterested, and focused heavily on the guard's body language and demeanor as proof that he was either (a) miserable, (b) a team cancer or (c) both.

In fact, the criticism of the season's first-half savior has reached ridiculous proportions, even by Kentucky standards. There is no denying that Rondo has struggled mightily lately, especially in the last three games (9, then a season-low 4, then a new season-low 2 points). Maybe it's the emergence of Morris in the paint as option No. 1 or the pressures of trying to keep the team afloat or nothing at all, but no one can -- or would -- deny that the Cats' most athletically gifted player is badly out of sync. And that's not a good thing.

On Saturday, Rondo looked tough on defense, but lost on the other end, and the team seemed to run markedly smoother when Stockton or Sparks was running the offense. Whether this is because Rondo is frustrated or because of other reasons, none of us can know. But that hasn't stopped the cascade of criticism of Rondo -- without whom, this team might be facing a .500 season at this stage, by the way.


Fans on the message boards have been merciless, and the calls for Rondo to go pro have reached a depressing level. Beyond the classlessness of calling out a 20-year-old who is struggling to regain his once-golden game, the notion that he (or the Cats) would somehow be better off with him gone is absurd. I thought being a Wildcat was supposed to be a cherished memory, not an invitation to a mudslinging contest.

Yes, Rondo's play of late has been less than stellar, and on a few occasions his decision-making may have cost the Cats the game, but that's no reason to act like a child whose favorite toy's batteries are failing, thereby rendering it useless. Are we really, as a fan base, so spoiled as to wish our players ill? That sort of shadenfreude is why UK fans often get pilloried in the press.

Rondo's talents are not in shooting the ball, that much is clear. His free throw shooting is a liability late in games, even as his drives to the basket can (and were for most of the year) a critical success. But the implication that sending him packing would somehow help the program is dangerously short-sighted. Rondo is Kentucky's highest profile player, its only Wooden finalist and a recruiting magnet. I've seen no less than three recruits note Rondo as a reason they like the Cats, and ridiculing him is certainly not the way to get him to play better.

I'm not saying that coddling him or excusing poor play is the same as supporting him. That said, the offending would-be fans would be wise to keep their pop psychological profiles based on a one-minute Alan Cutler interview and a few camera shots of a frustrated kid to a minimum. Everyone reacts differently to struggles, and nearly everyone has tough-to-read demeanors at times.

How many times did we hear how lazy or lackadaisackal Tayshaun Prince was because he was quiet and intense? Not everyone has to be slapping the floor and screaming after dunks to be into the game, and from all evidence, Rondo is a quiet, shy kid whose response to failure is to turn against himself.

Despite a stellar 54-point second half against the Gamecocks, this Kentucky team will not reach its zenith without a contributing and consistent Rondo playing a major role. Every team being the sum of its best parts, this year's Cats are just starting to understand what is expected of them. Rondo's brilliance in games against Louisville, Iowa, Central Florida and Mississippi State, to name just a few, helped the Cats to even get to this point. Without him, they would be doomed.

Fans should set aside their petty angers over a botched play, swallow their prideful ways, forget the name-calling and root for Rondo's return. Marquee Wildcats have struggled before, and more will in the future. Rooting for them to do so as if that's appropriate or a sign of knowing the game is just plain sad. The worse case scenario is that those calling for the enigmatic McDonald's All-American's ouster may get their wish -- and God help next year's Cats if they do.

High times

Love the pulled-up socks. Not quite the shaved-head sign of team unity we've seen in years past, but any little bit will help with this squad.

-- edit: sorry. The socks are up because of the throwback unis. Oh well.

Eddie Sutton...king among men?

Or rather a man among kings?

I ask this not in any attempt to contribute to any piling on...Coach Sutton deserves the respect of any human being faced with a medical problem, despite the questionable behavior that led up to his car accident and subsequent DUI charge (he was on his way to board the team's flight to Stillwater for the Cowboys' Saturday game against Texas A&M).

However, the media rush to beatify Sutton after the announcement of his leave of absence is amazing, if not irresponsible. There is little doubt that Sutton is a good college basketball coach. For Dick Vitale and others to say he is anything more is a gross overstatement. Let's recap: He should be commended for advancing Arkansas to the '78 Final Four (where they were defeated by Joe B. Hall's eventual-champion Wildcats in the semifinal game) before leading the Oklahoma St. Cowboys to a pair of Final Four appearances ('95 and '04).

But what is getting lost in the lauding is Sutton's troubled past. His departure from Kentucky in '89 is well-documented, which makes the recent celebration of his career all the more startling. This man destroyed lives (Manual, Eric) and careers (Casey, Dwayne) in the process of saddling UK with probation and enough ill-will to choke even the most ardent of supporters. In fact, during the '88-89 season, it got so bad even Dick Vitale called for his resignation on ESPN.

To be sure, his career featured several high-points. However, the glossing over of the low-low points is an injustice to those injured along the way. And I most certainly include the UK program in there.

A win is a win is a win is a....

OK, first things first: UK didn't shoot itself (or it's hunting partner, snap!) in last night's win over Georgia. That's not to be overlooked as tempting as it might be (hello, Gregg Doyel...didn't see your NASCAR-fan-wannabe goatee hanging out over there). It was a much-needed win in the pressure-cooker that is (has become?) Rupp Arena with a new starting lineup and an opposing coach that seems to have a knack for downing the Cats. We won. Finally. Now it's on to South Carolina and a must-have win over the Gamecocks. Lose and UK's bubble gets thinner. Win and you can add a layer of shellac to that baby as these Cats prepare for contests against LSU, Tennessee and Florida. (For the record, I'll start mentioning Ole Miss when they start pretending to be an SEC squad.)

Speaking of bubbles: I watch a lot of college hoops. Often up to three games a night and I'm often struck by the fans of the Southern Illinois Salukis and other such teams who turn their focus this time of year to the Big Dance and the possibility of inclusion. UK fans are spoiled. For the first time since -- OK, I honestly can't remember -- we're on the bubble. In the 16 years since the dark days of probation, we've worried less about bubbles and more about seeding. But here we are, 25 games into the slate and contemplating whether or not we should be making alternate plans for the third and fourth weekends in March.

I'll admit, I'm not used to this. But, to truly appreciate the Madness that is March, one must understand the uncertainty of it all. And since this UK-on-the-bubble thing is but a one-time thing (better be!), I can dig it. Or I can at least try to learn to dig it. I mean, the Saluki fans seem to revel in the last three weeks leading up to Championship Week (for my money, the most entertaining week in sports when the conference tourneys are settled). Perhaps we can, too.

Granted, I don't want to go making a habit of this -- and perhaps I'm a bit more accomodating given the euphoria of breaking up the three-game skid -- but UK fans should "cowboy up" and deal with the situation. Tubby isn't going to go all Quinn Snyder on this program and up and quit. He's not going to pull a Mike Davis of Eddie Sutton* and that's a good thing. What he is going to do is pull out every stop, including starting Brandon "The Boss" Stockton over such McD AA's as Rajon Rondo and Joe Crawford. Will it be pretty? Heck no! Might it work? Who knows? But I figure nitpicking these desparate wins are akin to complaining about a firefighter's technique in saving the kitty from the burning house. Who cares how you do, just get it done, man!

*OK, a little fact about myself: I work in sports media. I only mention this because it gives me a brief glimpse into the world of fact-checkers and the results of said fact-checkers not meeting standards such as (gasp!) facts. Anyway, I'm sitting here, staring at ESPNews on it's third, oops, fourth cycle through, and apparently Eddie Sutton coached UK to a final four. Huh. I didn't know that and I bet you didn't either, but there it is, right there on the big ole graphic accompanying the Sutton leave-of-absence story. I can't believe nobody has corrected the goof. I've emailed them, but I'm certain my email is more likely to end up in some dude's email box who wears the Berenstein Bears outfit than anyone who actually works at ESPN. Curious why they'd make stuff up to further stilt a fellow who CHEATED his way out of UK. More on this later.

Assume the position, and other notes ...

Defensive posturing

Much has been written here and elsewhere about the 2006 Wildcats' offensive woes. A near equal number of words have been spent trying to legitimize a failed chemistry. But the reason for the most recent slide into obscurity is quite clear: crappy defense.

In last 6 halves of play (three crucial losses), five have featured something that was once a Tubby Smith anomaly, the 50% opponent field goal percentage. If memory serves me, Tubby UK teams had allowed roughly 3 teams to shoot over 50% against them in eight years. This year, in so many ways, has been a different story. Two of those 6 halves have seen the other team (the winning team, mind you) collect over 60% shooting.

You simply cannot win allowing the other team to run roughshod over your defense, no matter how well you score ... and this team does not score well, as we have seen.

Starting Over

Since we last wrote, Tubby has adopted yet another measure in the hopes of righting the ship with what remains of the season, this one more drastic if as yet unknown how much more effective.

"Sometimes desperate times call for desperate means," Smith said. "We need to re-emphasize playing sounder, better defense. ... Be a little more (defensive) position conscious."

Thus, Tubby and his staff shot extensive video of all the practices and attached grades for things such as boxing out (+1), allowing someone inside position (-1), etc. We'll see tonight who graded the highest (starters) and who apparently did not take the opportunity for a fresh start (the pine-riders). Some fans may face a rude awakening, especially if the starters are of the Woo, Sheray Thomas and Brandon Stockton variety.

But no one can say Tubby isn't working hard to fix things, if nothing else. And the lineups and rotations he was using clearly weren't working, no matter how much McDonald's All-American resume it had. My prediction?

C - Randolph Morris
PF - Sheray Thomas
SF - Bobby Perry
SG - Joe Crawford
PG - Ramel Bradley

I have ZERO reason to believe any of this, just nonsensical speculation. But for all of Rajon Rondo's talent -- and there is plenty of it, despite the whining of a few ridiculous fans -- he has not executed to Tubby's liking of late. And Patrick Sparks? I'm afraid that his lax defensive play will hurt him.

Hopefully, I'm wrong and the regular starters just get a little more focused. Who knows. All I can say is that what was going on wasn't working, so kudos to Tubby for not giving up and riding out the season.

Piling On, and Rumors Upon Rumors

Leave it to CBS Sportsline troublemaker Gregg Doyel to take the rumor mill big time with his latest hack job.

I don't fault Doyel for writing about the troubles at Kentucky, or for calling out what he sees as poor recruiting and shoddy player development. We and others have said as much. But with his platform comes some journalistic responsiblity to avoid referring to things such as "word on the street" or "everyone knows." With blind quotes and unsubstantiated comments, he's basically writing an Op-Ed under the guise of "news."

Nothing we're not used to from Doyel, whose job as advertised on CBS telecasts is "outspoken columnist." That's a little like advertising "massage therapy" ... everyone knows what you're really getting, even if it's under the facade of legitimacy.

Doyel's piece, which you should read, is basically a crib's notes of message board posts and on-air radio call-in shows. Hardly a definitive cross-section of the UK fan base (which he's none too kind on, by the by).

That said, he's not so much wrong as he is typically one-sided. Here's to hoping that Tubby's changes, and maybe some strong defensive upgrades, can have him writing a much different story in three weeks, one about the Cats' revival.

Validation in the horror show?

Welcome guest blogger Rance Piatt, who will contribute his own thoughts and words on Wildcats hoops ...

Rick Pitino's stint in Lexington was highlighted by a dominant four-year run that was punctuated by a national championship in 1996 and was a Nazr Mohammed free throw away from a repeat the following season. But that success did little more than feed the national reputation of Pitino as "the next Larry Brown" with the annual spring NBA offers. As such, Kentucky fans found themselves in the awkward predicament of alternating delight and consternation that their head coach would win his way right out of town en route to a bigger and better place.

Maybe it's the low self esteem of a state often the butt of negative stereotypes, but in the summer of 1997 the Kentucky fanbase realized their worst fears when Pitino took the head job in Boston.

We fans cussed and kicked the trash cans. We were equally angry (for having been discarded) and confused (there's a bigger, better job?). Regardless, we trudged on ... some more willing than others to accept our new head coach, Tubby Smith.

There were all kinds of reasons to like the hire. In one gesture, AD C.M. Newton had (one would hope) wiped clean the slate of debate regarding race within the UK program and install at its head a man respected for his coaching and loved for his character.

But deep down, the fanbase harbored some fear. It was painted by the media -- and in some cases rightfully so -- as a deep resentment borne of an unwillingness to buy into the "black man's" system. But that is a small segment of the fanbase. Really, it is.

As distance grew from Smith's inaugural season and the school's 7th national title, the majority feared a backslide. They saw 10-loss seasons eating into the progress Pitino had made since the program emerged from the dark days of NCAA probation in the late 80s.

For the national media, it was fuel for the fire. Kentucky fans are relentless and irrational. There is no "good enough" for the hillbillies of Kentuck'. There is nothing that will quiet these people unless you win it all. EVERY YEAR! Especially for the racists of Kentucky.

To be fair, that just wan't the case. Consider it another example of the media oversimplifying something they neither cared enough to look into or saw as genuine enough to take note. And it wasn't just the media. A healthy portion of the fans fought against this.

I was one.

We saw brighter days ahead and were duped into accepting lesser-talent recruits because of Smith's success with less-heralded recruits Erik Daniels, Gerald Fitch and Cliff Hawkins. What we discounted was the presence of experienced talent (Bogans, Keith) and a tough-minded physical leader (Hayes, Chuck).

As Kentucky slip-slides its way off the bubble, most unfamiliar territory indeed, are Kentucky fans to find any validation in their concerns of the stewardship of their program now that we have neither the experienced talent nor the tough-minded leadership (let alone anything resembling physical play) on the court? Or are they to be further ridiculed for questioning a respected man?

I'm betting the latter, unfortunately. Even good guys can screw up.

A schism, and its unknown fate

There is a civil war afoot in the bluegrass. It's pitting brother against brother, mother against son and well-mannered fan against well-intentioned fan. It's often described as a battle over "truth" or devotion. And it has no discernable end in sight.

With every struggle, and especially every loss this troubled season, the din of discontent grows louder among the Big Blue faithful. It would be easy to say that it is simply a vocal minority -- and there is an extremely vocal minority -- but there is more to it than that. That all is not well in the House of Tubby is painfully clear, and it's only a matter of time before the media latches onto what is sure to be a juicy story.

Coach Tubby Smith is in his ninth year at the University of Kentucky, and in that time has amassed a record that speaks for itself: 234 wins, only 66 losses (.780 win %), 1 NCAA title, 4 Elite Eights, 6 Sweet 16s, a share or win of the SEC East 8 years running and the most oft-mentioned stat, 1 Final Four. His numbers as head man are among the best in the nation, surpassed only by a who's who of coaching elite. Additionally, the University has reportedly raised more money for its athletic department during Tubby's tenure than at any time in school history, enabling tangible results in women's basketball, golf and soccer, among other non-hoops ventures. He is uniformly respected by peer and foe alike, and is still mentioned as a potential NBA hire for his basketball acumen and status.


But for plenty of fans that doesn't tell the whole story.

During Tubby's tenure, 12 players have transferred or departed, many of them for disciplinary reasons. Most were ancillary to the team's plans -- the Bernard Cotes, Nate Knights and Corey Searses of the world -- but a few were genuinely talented, if difficult, players. Rashaad Carruth, Jason Parker, Desmond Allison and Marvin Stone were all highly recruited and contributing performers, and all greased their way out of Lexington with questionable decision-making and/or outright insubordination. However, the turnover has left Kentucky with holes to fill nearly every season of Tubby's tenure, and with a reputation among fans and a few pundits of a program consistent only in its inconsistency.

Three ten-loss seasons (with a fourth potentially looming) have offset the more recent successes (a nation's best 87 wins the past three seasons), and Smith's troubles with recruiting some of the more high-profile and highly regarded players the past two seasons have only added kindling to the fire of those who would depose Kentucky's hoops king.

Neither Smith's vast sucesses nor his visible failures are reason alone to merit the pressures on him. Both combined, however, probably are. Breeding a reputation as a winner has its legacies, namely keeping up with yourself. And a taste of the sweet nectar of ultimate victory is enough to keep fans eternally thirsty, and impatient for another swig. Thus, Smith has found himself in an impossible situation: you create expectations that you cannot possibly live up to.

It is often said -- including by me -- that at Kentucky the expectations are part of the job. Just as a huge salary, perks, respect, recruiting advantages (See also Meeks, Jodie), television exposure and many other things are. Kentucky fans demand excellence, and for eight years Tubby has mostly delivered; if not to the level of some, then to the general delight of most.

Now, with what may be his most disapointing season at UK, Smith finds himself at a crossroads. The once vocal minority has grown, and while the Cats miss Chuck Hayes and Kelenna Azubuike's leadership, they have a team they could have more or less expected back, replete with three McDonald's All-American starters, including two with professional scout attention (Rajon Rondo, Randolph Morris ... Joe Crawford may be likewise soon enough). And yet, the struggles have been many this year.

Now come rumors and rumblings -- and at this point, that is all that they are -- of dissention, infighting, frustration and more potential player turnover. Yoked together, Tubby's recruiting misses and his on-court struggles this year have become a weight to bear, and one wonders what the man Tubby Smith is thinking about the coach Tubby Smith. Are the pressures of the job, and they are as widely acknowledged as they are weighty, worth the perks for a man whose credentials and pedigree would land him 98% of the NCAA jobs and some potential NBA jobs available? And what does it mean exactly to win?


Were this April 5 and there was no more basketball to play, we might see quickly what it meant. But it's February 10, and there is a season to salvage. A 15-8 season, to be precise, one with remaining potential and untapped glories to boot. There was no Villanova 1985 until there was one ... likewise for Wisconsin and North Carolina 2000 or Kansas 1988. This isn't to imply that any of these miracle runs are forthcoming. This team has struggled with consistency and focus mightily of late. However, there is also no way of knowing what awaits this team, and, by proxy, its embattled coach.

I'll leave it to the rumor mongers to posit what will happen, and will suffice to leave it at what might happen. Tubby Smith has earned the right to clear his name and his legacy at Kentucky. In many ways, without burnishing Rick Pitino's ego any more than it already has been, he had a tough job in following one of the more successful collegiate coaching tenures of recent times. And Tubby has performed ably in doing that, coming up just short on three occasions in which a bounce, some health or a little luck might have altered the course of Kentucky hoops history. That being said, I and many others believe in the oft-repeated adage that "winning begets luck."

I would be very surprised, and frankly just fine with it, if Tubby was the Kentucky coach for ten more years. But that doesn't mean I want to see what has transpired this season for ten more years. Not by a long shot. However, Final Four appearances aside, this is clearly the anomaly. Tubby's "down" years were the 2000 team that lost two potential starters to transfer (M. Bradley, R. Hogan), a Sweet 16 Team Turmoil season (2002) and this one, which remains unfinished. He has yet to win fewer than 20 games in a season at UK, and has a strong recruiting class -- potentially even stronger with a few unsigned players still considering the Cats -- coming in this fall. To declare in the middle of a tough trip that the whole adventure had not been worth it is the sort of negativity and short-sightedness that warrants all the jokes and bad coverage that it understandably gets. In other words, Tubby Smith is not going to be fired one year removed from a 29-win, Elite Eight season, three years removed from a National Coach of the Year award and with a team still within reach of 20 wins.


However, whether Smith feels the end game is worth the weight it carries with it, and whether an option that previously seemed less desirable presents itself this time around and strikes him differently, one cannot say with much certainty. Our coach is a commodity, and it would take his leaving for many fans to realize what it is they had in Orlando Smith.

Smith is not perfect, and I'll go on record as saying his and his staff's performance this year has been miserable. It would be a shame if this year's struggles were the legacy by which a national title-winning coach ultimately became judged. And that possibility, more than any, is what leads me to believe that Tubby would rather go out on top than suffer the ignominity of leaving when things got tough. That doesn't strike me as the sort of thing an uber-successful African-American coach, one of 15 children, a man of grace and loyalty would accept.

Much like an empassioned and basketball-savvy Big Blue Nation would be unlikely to accept continued mediocrity.

That there is trouble in the House of Tubby is undeniable. That is is solved by the ousting of Smith is equally unrealistic. The schism between the good and the bad, between the desire for fulfilled expectations -- however lofty -- and the unreasonable beliefs of the few, between the pressures of winning big at the NCAA's all-time winningest program and the Hall of Fame legacy that such winning would bring is not so vast, but growing.

Tubby has shown himself capable of fantastic turnarounds and colossal overhauls before. Only time will tell which it takes this time around.

Executioner's song? Long way home.

Which of the following would you expect to happen in a close game under three minutes against an SEC leader?

(a) A Brandon Stockton dribble drive against two players
(b) A Bobby Perry off-balance three-pointer
(c) A Rajon Rondo three-pointer
(d) All of the above

The answer, of course, in Tuesday's 75-67 dagger of a loss at home to Tennessee, was (d) all of the above. No wonder, then, that when the game came down to a few possessions, it was the Volunteers that executed and won the game, sending them three games up on the Cats in the SEC, and effectively ending any flickering UK hopes of challenging for the title. At this point, the focus is on not missing the NCAA tournament which, if the Cats don't beat Florida, Tennessee or LSU (much less Vandy at Vandy or even Georgia for Godssake), is a real possibility.

I mean, look back at my posts and you'll see I understood that optimism wasn't going to get the job done. And now, with the Cats at 15-8 (5-4) and unable to put together a quality half, things look about as bleak as they have in Tubby Smith's nine years. And that includes the Saul Smith era and the early Team Turmoil era. The reason being that it's so late in the year, and there is a sincere lack of quality wins to point to, especially if the Cats finish 8-8 with no wins over the SEC's top four teams (Alabama).

In other words: Yes, it's time to panic.

Some more nuggets from the game:

UK's heralded sophomore class (4 players) = 45 points (of 67), 16 rebounds (of 36), 5 turnovers and 4-of-12 from the line, 1 DNP.

UK's oft-maligned junior class (5 players) = 5 points, 11 rebounds, 0-for-0 from the line, 6 turnovers and 2 DNPs.

Patrick Sparks = 15 minutes, 2 points, 1 assist

Stockton = 13 minutes, 3 points, 0 assists

The list goes on. I won't continue.


Tubby and his crew of coaches have simply not performed well this entire season, with the exceptions of the Louisville game, the West Virginia game and the Arkansas second half. Pretty much every other game has been a slog or at least has featured a series of questionable moves. I don't blame all this on Tubby entirely, but the former National Coach of the Year -- and deservedly so -- has had what may be his worst season on the bench, taking a team with, by his own admission, enough talent to win the SEC and coached it (with the help of his staff) into bubble territory.

There have been many mitigating factors, but the bottom line is that Kentucky hasn't beaten a definite NCAA team in the calender year. Arkansas is borderline, at best. That is not going to get it done. And the vanishing junior class is due back for an encore. Whomever is in charge of this team -- whether it's the coach, the seniors or Bill Keightley -- has his work cut out for him, because they are a mess.

The one that got away

Much will be written (already has) about the Chris Lofton situation, so I won't rehash it. But I will say that Lofton is an outstanding shooter and a real Kentucky killer. Some sort of off-the-court issues keeping Ramel Bradley on the pine magnify the dramatics of Lofton not being a Cat, but you'd have been hard pressed to justify not taking Joe Crawford, Rondo, Morris or Bradley over Lofton in the spring of 2004. Retroactively, yeah, it was a mistake not to even look. But how about we focus on getting someone to guard him instead of worrying about the one that got away.

Goals, reassessment and what is good ...

For a half, it looked as if yet another Florida team would succomb to Tubby Smith's invading Wildcats. With so much at stake -- a record-setting home win streak, a top 10 ranking, keeping pace in the SEC race -- it looked to be inevitable that Kentucky would scrape out a hard-fought win. Ignoring the hype of Florida's elevated ranking and the media adulation afforded to sophomores Taurean Green and Joakim Noah, Kentucky has just owned the Gators in similar situations before (Feb 2003 - #1 Florida embarrassed, multiple SEC title clinchers, etc.), making it a shoo-in that the Cats would emerge victorious.

But if there is one motto that UK fans (and players, and coaches and...) have had to adopt this season, it's this: things just didn't go as planned.

Well, at least not in the second half. With a slim 6-point lead (45-39), no foul trouble on Randolph Morris and solid contributions from the necessary parts -- Joe Crawford, Patrick Sparks, Bobby Perry -- the Cats were in good shape. Then, at the 19:32 mark, everything fell apart.


The 50% shooting that propelled UK to the lead disappeared, replaced by a 32.4% second half of shooting that resembled the Kansas, Indiana and Vandy debacles. Normally sure-handed Rajon Rondo turned the ball over repeatedly and the one Tubby Smith constant -- staunch defense -- vanished, replaced by a PAC-10-caliber Florida layup drill for the rest of the half. By the time it was clear it was all over, the Cats faced a 24-point deficit and the roar of a crowd pumped up by years of merciless UK beatdowns and an incessantly chest-thumping Noah (more on that later). That the final score was a more reasonable 95-80 was hardly more palatable ... this was a 19 1/2-minute whippin', plain and simple.

The game dredged up all too familiar calls for Tubby's head, complaints from every nook and cranny that recruiting has been awful since Tubby arrived (revisionist) and that UK has been suffering "down years" every year since Pitino left (laughable) that had been mercifully muted during a five-game winning streak. Some days it gets so bad that one wonders if those harping fans -- and here I draw a strong demarcation between that concerned citizenry and those outright whiners -- would trade in Tubby's 1998 title, simply out of spite or some sense of martyrdom, but I digress.

The bottom line is that, as noted here and many other places, there are problems with this team that can be masked by stellar individual performances and subpar competition. Against good teams, you just can't hide the underbelly.

I, like many dead sober UK fans, am finally facing the hard truth that this season -- the one we've so valiantly tried not to give up on -- is our rebuilding year. No one saw it coming, but in retrospect, all the intangibles that veteran leadership provided last year are missing, and these young Cats relied so heavily on Kelenna, Chuck and the ghost of seniors past that we as fans didn't think -- hell, couldn't imagine -- that the transition wouldn't be as seamless for these guys as it was for all the other teams of the past decade. Had we thought more unbaisedly about what the team faced this year, expectations might have been different. But this being Kentucky, expectations are never different.

A team that effectively features four sophomores among its primary eight players (Perry, Sheray Thomas, Ravi Moss and Sparks being the others), lost its leading rebounder and scorer, lost 3/5 of its starting lineup for the first half of the season and has effectively five sub-10 minute per game scholarship players might be expected to struggle to find itself. And at any school not named Kentucky, there's a good chance that patience or hope might have been a bigger part of the equation. But for better or for worse (depending on the person you ask), those weighty expectations are one of the things that makes Kentucky Kentucky. Screaming at the fan who disagrees with you in that debate only further cements its truthfulness.

All that being said, and in light of what remains of the season, it's clearly time for even the most blue-tinted of us to gather our thoughts and hopes and reassess what can be gained from this rebuilding year. [ED. NOTE: I can only imagine what 85% of the country's other schools' fans would think about deeming a probable 18-20 win season a rebuilding year.] Here are my suggestions, beginning with the most obvious and then heading towards the purely personal.

(1) Reach the NCAA tourney and give it a run


First of all, Kentucky is going to make the NCAA tournament. If they do not, it would take a collapse of utterly dismal proportions. A win over West Virginia, currently undefeated in the best conference in America, will go a long way. And wins over solid Iona and Ohio, seemingly meaningless at the time, actually help keep a 19-11 or 20-10 UK off the bubble. But SEC wins are going to be the key. If UK loses all their games to LSU, Tennessee and Florida, then I'll eat my words. But I don't think that happens.

Any Kentucky season has to end in an NCAA tournament run, be it to the Sweet 16 or beyond. Few can imagine this team getting very far, seeing as they can't seem to muster a consistent effort for 40 minutes. However, a miserable North Carolina team made a strange Final Four in 2000, getting to face Tulsa in the Elite Eight. The point? You never know in the NCAAs.

First goal = stay focused on the end game.

(2) Get the sophomores prepped for next year

This is slightly less dramatic than "playing for next year." There is too much still to play for this year. However, while most UK fans wouldn't be all that surprised to see Rondo try to go pro, or at least test the waters, he seems astute enough to see his shooting and overall game need at least another year of polish. Same for Morris, who has looked much better this season, but still doesn't rebound well for a big, agile player.

Broadly assuming that everyone returns, next year's Cats would feature a starting five of Rondo, Morris, Crawford, probably Sheray Thomas and either Ramel Bradley (SG) or Bobby Perry (SF). it would be a small team, but a quick, good shooting team. But it won't be a better team unless those young men grow up, learn how to play some 'D' and show some spine. I happen to believe they can do all of these things. But they need to start right now.

(3) Play some freaking defense

After all the talk about offensive execution, scoring droughts and poor shooting, what was embarassing about Saturday's loss wasn't the offense. The Cats scored 80 points, well over their average. And the supposedly new rough and tumble Gators didn't seem to bite all that much on defense.

What was sad was allowing the Gators a parade of easy shots. What was depressing was repeatedly uncontested Florida buckets on the way to a 56-point second frame. Maybe it's the lack of extra practice time, maybe it's the constant focus on basics, maybe it's the late start Morris got. Whatever it is, there is no way this team can win allowing 56-point halves; to anyone, much less a team with as much talent as Florida possesses.

It's time to put recent stronger offensive outings together with at least passable defensive pressure. Having a backup center who drew more than odd glances from the opposing defense would help.


(4) Recognize what (or who) is working

Tubby has always been strong at geting the most out of his teams, be they massively talented, quietly effective or simply overachieving. That's why this year's team has been such a disappointment. I think even the harshest of fans can give a pass on the occasional loss. It's the lack of effort even in the face of certain defeat that has fans flummoxed. The Kansas game was possibly the worst I can recall in nearly 20 years of following the game.

However, unlike some of my fellow zealots, I won't deny myself the chance to be proven wrong. Learning is a process. It's a process of failure and spirit and effort. And any player that suits up for Tubby Smith -- and not even the most anti-Smith folks out there will deny this -- will learn. That's why I think that greater things lie on the other side of adversity.

To wit, some of the developments in Florida's massacre still have a silver lining. Mr. Crawford, who nearly left the program for good a year ago this time, had a double double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. His rebounding numbers have surprised and impressed me, and his shooting from deep, generally, has been much better. Rondo, excepting his troubles with the ball, put together a string of good plays, albeit once the game was out of reach. Still, the skill is there, and he continues to show flashes of all-around brilliance. Morris stayed out of foul trouble and was a constant pressure on offense, opening up the game with 5 assists in the first half. These are promising signs to build on.

(5) Play the game with pride, if nothing else

The first time Florida's Noah goes up for a layup in the rematch in March, someone needs to knock his block off. I'm not talking about dirty plays or hurting him, just some good ole fashioned Bill Russell/Wes Unseld power "defense." No one should be allowed to chest thump and gesticulate to the crowd the whole game at your expense, and it was disheartening to see the Cats play the nice guy in that situation. I nominate Woo, who has shown the willingness to thug out in the past, and who can always preach a lack of understanding of the rules of the American game, even if it's hogwash.

For a plurality of Kentucky basketball faithful, fanship is ultimately about pride. It's about something undeniably good. I love my home state. I love the trees and the spirit and the history. But few would deny it is a poor state whose image is often a distorted version of the truth. But Kentucky basketball is something that cannot -- and will not -- be taken away. It is, for lack of a more original term, a birthright.

Where I, and many other fans, differ is that I don't kneejerk to say that Tubby Smith has somehow damaged that birthright. One season does not a change make, and find me a Tubby detractor who was not cheering wildly as Sparks' three-pointer bounced around the rim last March and I'll call you a liar. People take this stuff seriously because their pride -- state pride, personal pride -- is at stake. Perhaps a team viewing of the 1990 win over LSU at home would help. Or a talk from Deron Feldhaus or Cedric Jenkins. Whatever it is that helps, Kentucky hoops pride needs to be on display, even in defeat. It's the difference between stunted hopes and hell bent fury at the boys in blue.

(6) Let it all hang out

Finally, at some point Tubby Smith will have to judge when to let it all go. During the Team Turmoil season of 2001-2002, after an ugly SEC tournament loss to South Carolina, Tubby just started clapping and supporting his fragile ego'd team. Not sure that's the approach this year, but the instinct was to just let what happens happen. And that team actually put a scare into the eventual champs, Maryland, in the Sweet 16. A bounce here or there, a caught pass, a made three, and UK is an Elite Eight win away from redemption.

Some will tell you that this year's Cats lack everything: talent, skill, heart, brains, pride. I beg to differ. They have shown enough glimpses to warrant a belief that they possess these things, just not that they display them or have discovered them. And they're not alone. It took many of the best players time to find themselves. Tayshaun Prince was an underdeveloped "nice guy" before he became SEC MVP. Keith Bogans was little more than a talented piece until he learned to trust his gut and became the 4th all-time scorer in UK history. Gerald Fitch, Erik Daniels, Marquis Estill, Jamaal Magloire ... the list goes on and on. All took time to find their niche, or to realize that subjegation to the team would ultimately bring them more satisfaction.

It may take more than this season for the core of this group to find itself. But it will. And I've got a lifetime's worth of karma that says believing that it will, and trusting that Tubby will dig it out of them, will be far more interesting and worthwhile than deciding in the bad times that they cannot and will not.

Yes, this is our rebuilding year. But it doesn't have to be over, and it doesn't need to be forgotten. If grander schemes fail, then focus on the things that breed immediate results. Above are a few that struck me, and there are scores more. Perhaps we will yet be surprised by this team, perhaps not.

There is good to be had in every season. I firmly believe it. After all, who would deign to besmirch a Kentucky fan's birthright?

Patty O'Shoot: Sparks' showtime

[Ed. Note: I apologize that due to other events, my post today will be a short one.]

Watching Patrick Sparks play, for most of us 5'10"ish white Kentucky fans, hits awfully close to home. He doesn't jump very high, he uses a scoop shot and his hair is, well, disappearing. But it's also akin to a basketball fantasy, because when he's on -- and in last night's 81-66 solid win over Mississippi State, he was most definitely on -- any gym is like a rec gym.

Sparks led Kentucky with a season-high tying 25 points on an array of spin moves, deep jumpers and even an unathletic tip-in for good measure. He also tallied 4 assists and 4 rebounds, all while manning the point for much of the game. His unconscious trigger helped guide UK to a season-high 13 three-pointers as a team.

Credit both the players for approaching their coach about Sparks running the point and Rajon Rondo playing off the ball and Tubby Smith for being man enough to listen. The difference in this team with a more engaged and functional Sparks is palpable. Put bluntly, it has saved this season.

The shift opens up Rondo to use his athleticism all over the court, something that was on display last night when the sophomore from Louisville put up the kind of line that makes pro scouts drool -- 7 rebounds, 9 points, 8 assists and 4 steals. Two blocks, including a blocked dunk, kept Rondo from another 4 points and a certain Sportscenter highlight reel. But the aggressiveness is what impressed me most, and the same could be said for the whole team.


Joe Crawford returned to form, dropping 4 of 6 threes on his way to 14 points. Randolph Morris, while battling fouls (again) and a good shot blocker, had a quiet scoring night but grabbed 7 rebounds, 5 of them early in the game. All in all, the team showed up to win, and they did just that.

This was exactly the kind of follow up that the Cats needed after the great second half Sunday against the Gamecocks, and in advance of Saturday's grudge match in Gainesville. The surprising number of three-point attempts (25) scares me a bit. This team cannot afford to become beholden to the trey. But as in their win over West Virginia in November, the Cats show they have versatility, and that they can handle a zone defense begging them to shoot.

All in all, a satisfying win, especially if you like your players short, white, unathletic and victorious.