If you were wondering what that deafening noise at the end of UK’s 90-85 loss to Georgia was, I don’t blame you; it’s not a sound Cats fans are used to hearing.
That deafening noise — the mix of the shuffling feet heading toward the doors, the groans of disappointment and the boos of disapproval — was the sound of UK’s NCAA tournament bubble bursting.
The Cats’ stretch of 17 consecutive NCAA tournament berths was in jeopardy before Wednesday’s loss, but after dropping a game to Southeastern Conference cellar-dwelling Georgia, the ÂÂstreak is in full crisis mode. The smart money says only an SEC tournament championship can save it now.
UK fans are growing accustomed to having impressive streaks broken. Last season their stretch of 20-win seasons went by the wayside, and the streak of first-round wins in the NCAA tournament evaporated as well. Without an SEC tournament championship, the Cats may have one more broken streak to add to that list.
“Maybe one team was playing physically, but it wasn’t the team in white,†UK head coach Billy Gillispie said.
That’s the essence of the trouble. UK, a team that had everything to play for Wednesday night, was out-hustled, out-worked and out-manned by a Georgia team that had lost any reason to play at least a month ago. One would expect the Cats to come out with a competitive fire to match the dire straits their tournament resumé was in before the game.
“I don’t think they’ve shown a great deal of maturity in accepting a challenge,†Gillispie said.
Instead of showing maturity, these Cats showed softness, weakness and anything but competitiveness. The competitiveness was so lacking that just two minutes into the second half, Gillispie pulled four of his starters in favor of a lineup that featured, among other unlikely crunch time candidates, freshman walk-on Landon Slone.
“I had a hard time finding five guys, or three or four guys, that play together all the time,†Gillispie said.
By removing the majority of his starting lineup, Gillispie delivered a loud message to his key players: Play harder, or things won’t get better. The message may have gone through, but the price was an expensive one.
With the lineup of Slone, junior Kevin Galloway, freshman Darius Miller, junior Michael Porter and sophomore Josh Harrellson on the floor, Georgia turned a two-point deficit into an eight-point lead. By the time the UK starters returned, their chance of a comeback had taken a serious hit.
“We just need to focus on Florida next and take it one game at a time,†junior Ramon Harris said.
Harris is right. The Cats can’t start worrying about winning the SEC tournament just yet. But after this loss to Georgia, they are officially one game away from facing just that proposition.
“We can’t lose,†Patterson said. “Hopefully we can win the SEC tournament.â€
The NCAA tournament picture may change tomorrow, but for now, the Cats’ bubble is officially burst.
Â
Pingback: » BBL: Linking to the Kentucky meltdown John Clay’s Sidelines
Pingback: BBL: Linking to the Kentucky meltdown | MrSEC.com