After Mark Pope assembled his first roster from scratch, the consensus among Kentucky fans was that a NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 finish would be outstanding. It’s a declaration they need to revisit after Saturday’s loss to No. 4 Alabama.
An assignment for Big Blue Nation.
Walk into your bathroom, that place with a mirror hanging over the sink reflecting your morning beauty back at you.
Next, rummage through drawers to locate a tube of lipstick. Rose Petal or Dreamy Mauve makes no difference. Bachelors can use a Sharpie, it likely goes with the ambiance.
Now write across the top of the mirror: “I would be thrilled with a Sweet16 finish.”
Finally, don’t remove it until April following the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament.
Truth be told, this game played out exactly as it should. Alabama, you see, is a Final Four team. Kentucky is a Sweet 16 team with a puncher’s chance to make the Elite Eight.
Alabama has better shot-makers and better athletes. But don’t fret, it’s a statement they can claim when paired with most every team in America. Besides, that margin is not dramatic as evidenced by the mere five-point loss.
Kentucky is a very good team, which has the offensive firepower to beat anybody if the 3-point shots are falling. But its defense is troublesome, ranking 288th in the nation, allowing 76 points per game.
“They obviously lost today, but we’re a good team,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “This is not going to be a bad loss for them when all is said and done. They’re a very good team.”
The problem is that the UK fan today, thanks to Mark Pope’s team gloriously overachieving with five victories against ranked competition, including Duke, Florida, Texas A&M and Gonzaga, exited Rupp Arena quite disappointed, believing Kentucky should have won.
Those are the fans who need to stare into the bathroom mirror and recall last spring when Pope had zero players in mid-April and was left to scramble to fill his first roster. The result was a collection of good bordering on great players. None are elite athletes, but they are outstanding basketball players.
That was plain to see, but it didn’t matter. Kentucky fans were done with allegedly elite freshmen athletes and thrilled with Pope’s incredibly likable roster. The result was a unanimous chorus ringing through the Commonwealth from the eastern mountains to the western wetlands.
“I will be thrilled with a Sweet 16 finish.”
All of BBN needs to be reminded of that sentiment this cold January day.
The proper reaction to the Alabama loss would have been to shrug your shoulders and move on to the next game in what has been the most enjoyable season in memory.
That doesn’t mean Kentucky – its coaches, players or fans – should willingly settle for the Sweet 16 ending. Just consider it the base and anything above and beyond is gravy. Biscuits and gravy.
If Kentucky plays well, the Sweet 16 is a fair expectation. If they catch a hot streak, the Elite Eight is certainly within reach. If they catch that same hot streak along with a few upsets along the way, then the Final Four is possible.
“We can be so much better. I think that’s the biggest thing,” Pope said. “Listen, Alabama is a terrific team, but we left so much on the table. There is so much room for us to grow.”
The key is to look in that mirror every day and enjoy this ride.
