Kernel Editorial Board

Everyone knows UK fans take their basketball seriously. But sometimes, it’s important to remember what’s serious and what needs to be taken as a joke.

Last week’s letter from the South Carolina Student Government is the perfect example.

On the heels of the Gamecocks’ victory over the then-top ranked Cats, South Carolina Student Senate President Alex Stroman and Co. sent a letter declaring the garnet and black’s athletic supremacy over the blue and white.

And most of you thought they were being serious — as if it wasn’t anything more than a good-natured ribbing from a team that really couldn’t argue it was better than the other just because of one win.

It was a light-hearted joke from one university to the other that may have gotten a little bigger than originally planned (though the Kernel might have had something to do with that).

To that point, kudos to UK’s Student Government for turning the other cheek and taking the letter for what it is actually worth – which isn’t much.

Sure, the easiest thing would have been drafting a resolution to send to Columbia, S.C., pointedly remarking that the Gamecocks’ all-time record against the Cats in basketball is 10-41 and that there’s no possible way South Carolina can even begin to boast of tradition or success that equals UK’s. But SG President Ryan Smith and the rest of the student senate took the high road.

“We’re gracious in victory and defeat,” Smith said “We’re 21-1, they’re 13-8 and we’re proud of our record, our basketball team and all of our sports at UK.”

UK students can be proud that their student government felt it was more important to remain mindful of the task at hand than to get caught up in one loss. SG has better things to do than waste time by going through the trouble of drafting a carefully worded resolution and sending it to Stroman.

After all, there’s still plenty of time for the ultimate rebuttal. South Carolina visits Rupp Arena on Feb. 25.