UK guard Aaron Harrison scores a 3 point basket during UK vs. Ole Miss at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., on Tuesday, January 6, 2015. Photo by Emily Wuetcher
By Kyle Arensdorf
Tournament time is just over the horizon, and teams are tuning up for the most pressure-packed part of the season.
But for the Cats, beating Florida Saturday could put an end to any hopes of ruining their perfect 40-0 season.
The only teams that have gotten close to blemishing UK throughout the season have been ones it hasn’t taken that seriously.
Non-conference opponents such as Buffalo and Columbia (which has as many losses as wins this season) held leads against the Cats after the first half of their respective games.
Middle-of-the-pack SEC teams such as LSU, Vanderbilt, Florida and Georgia haven’t received the Cats’ full attention and have been able to take them to the wire.
The third- and fourth-best teams in the SEC (Ole Miss and Texas A&M, respectively) pushed UK to overtime, but one could argue it was a result of the Cats’ first taste of physical conference play. Not to mention the back-to-back games came after three tough games against No. 21 North Carolina, UCLA and No. 4 Louisville.
Conversely, when the Cats get up for an opponent, or they decide to send a message, there isn’t much a team can do but watch it happen.
It’s been the case all season. No. 5 Kansas, the Cats’ third opponent of the season, was the first to experience the blur of a fully-committed UK team, which left Kansas head coach Bill Self at a loss for words after the game.
The next ranked opponent in the Cats’ path was No. 6 Texas, who fell by 12 points, then it was No. 21 North Carolina, who lost by 14.
But maybe the best example of UK’s ability to flip a switch and take down a troublesome opponent came Feb. 28 when it faced the second-best team in the SEC, Arkansas, a team many thought could be a potential streak-breaker.
The Cats took this as an opportunity to dismantle the Razorbacks, who were in a 31-point hole with nearly eight minutes left in the game when UK took its foot off the gas and allowed them to cut the deficit to a final of 84-67.
It’s apparent that when the Cats are motivated, they take their game to a level that’s unmatched in college basketball. And there’s no better motivation than a single-elimination tournament.
So if prior evidence is any indication of things to come, Florida may be the final road block in UK’s coronation into college basketball history.