The 2012-13 men’s basketball season ended with a puttering halt at the hand of the Robert Morris Colonials in Moon Township, Penn. Many of Kentucky’s most loyal fans began to call the dedication of this year’s team into question.

This past season, though sprinkled with some positives, seemed like a constant uphill battle against the expectations of an ambitious fan base.

After Nerlens Noel’s injury on Feb. 12 during the Cats’ matchup with Florida, the UK men’s basketball team lost six of their last 10 games by an average margin of almost 14.6 points per loss.

In the final 10 games, the Cats averaged only 64.7 points per game, and could only muster 56 points per game in their six losses. With these stats in mind, the loss to Robert Morris is less surprising.

Although last season ended grimly, there have been some developments in the past weeks that could potentially mend the spirits of the ailing Kentucky fan base.

Julius Randle pledged himself to the Wildcats. Randle is ranked third in ESPN’s Top 100.

With the addition of Randle, Kentucky now has six players in the top 18 of ESPN’s Top 100 players list, certainly challenging the legend of the “Fab 5” at Michigan.

According to the same list, UK now has the top-ranked player at the point guard, shooting guard, power forward and center positions.

The horrible end to this season has the potential to usher in a wiser team with greater talent and more experience.

Based solely on potential, UK has the makeup of an outright national champion.

The funny thing about potential is that talking about potential doesn’t mean anything until it becomes real, and if it doesn’t become real it is that person’s fault for not living up to it, not the people who created the hype.

The UK men’s basketball team will be quick to forget this season and would be wise to abandon the nostalgia of former teams in comparison. Because of Coach John Calipari’s prolific recruiting scheme, it is no longer the goal of his teams to live up to the legends of the past but to manifest a legacy that is specific to that team.