Let’s be honest, the first half was rather, well, blah.
This was Kentucky vs. Ole Miss in Oxford late night Tuesday. College basketball. Attendance at The Pavilion was light, thanks to an impending ice storm. On-court excellence was in even shorter supply. By halftime, the visiting Wildcats and host Rebels were tied at 32. You found yourself fighting to stay awake.
Luckily, yawns subsided after the break. Antonio Reeves caught fire on the way to 27 points. Sahvir Wheeler, starting in place of the injured Cason Wallace (knee bruise), returned from a late ankle-tweak in the first half to dish assists in the second without those pesky turnovers. Jacob Toppin made an impact. Oscar Tshiebwe added another double-double to the record books. In the end, Kentucky closed out January with a business-like 75-66 win.
Welcome to February, otherwise known as the stretch run. John Calipari’s Cats are now 15-7 overall and 6-3 in the SEC. They are No. 33 in the NCAA NET rankings and 34th in Ken Pomeroy’s numbers. When ESPN’s Joe Lunardi released his latest NCAA Tournament bracket projections Tuesday morning, the Cats were listed among his “last four in” as a No. 11 seed playing Oklahoma in a First Four game in Dayton. It’s a precarious spot.
To hold a spot in the probable field of 68 — and improve on it — the Cats need to do one thing and one thing only: Avoid surprises. No upsets. No slip-ups. No circumstances that would cause the NCAA Tournament selection committee to further doubt UK’s credentials.
We know that this Kentucky basketball team is not as good as Gonzaga or UCLA or Alabama or Kansas. Results say so. We also know the Cats are clearly capable of beating a top-tier team on any given day. Obvious example: UK’s 63-56 win over then-No. 5 Tennessee in Knoxville on Jan. 14. Since then, the Volunteers have risen to No. 2 in the AP Top 25 right behind Purdue.
What we also know is that from here on out the Cats must beat the teams they should beat. That starts Saturday with the first of two games against a flawed Florida. UK travels to Gainesville on Feb. 22. The Gators are 12-9 under new coach Todd Golden.
There’s a second game with Georgia, this time in Athens on Feb. 11. UK won the first 85-71 in Lexington. There’s a second game with Vanderbilt, this time at Rupp on March 1. UK won the first game 69-53 in Nashville.
There’s a trip to Mississippi State on Feb. 15. The Bulldogs are 14-8 overall and 2-7 in the SEC heading into Saturday’s game against Missouri. Still, any road conference win is a good conference win. And as of Wednesday, Mississippi State was No. 50 in the NET rankings.
There are two remaining dates with the roller-coaster ride that is Arkansas. Eric Musselman’s Razorbacks are 15-7 and a No. 10 seed via Lunardi’s guesswork. They visit Lexington on Feb. 7. Kentucky visits Fayetteville in the regular-season finale March 4. A sweep would bolster Kentucky’s resume, though a split could serve as satisfactory.
Then there are two opportunities for statements. Both at Rupp. A revenge-minded Tennessee comes calling Feb. 18. A second victory over the Vols would all but punch UK’s NCAA Tournament ticket. Bruce Pearl and Auburn grace Rupp on Feb. 25. The Tigers are currently No. 25 in the Top 25. Calipari vs. Pearl is always fun. This time, it could be vital to the Cats’ tourney future.
In other words, from here through the SEC Tournament March 8-12 in Music City, Kentucky must do what it did Tuesday. It doesn’t have to be flashy. It doesn’t have do be dominating. It can even be, well, blah. It just has to win. And keep winning. And keep winning.
“We did what we had to do to win the game,” said Calipari on UK’s postgame radio show.
More of that will fill the bill. If the Cats improve along the way, all the better. First, however, they have to secure a spot. No surprises.
