University of Kentucky Athletics: A House Divided?
By Terry Brown
Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
The Big Blue Nation is sitting in familiar territory. It’s the end of October. Big Blue Madness has already happened and the football team have had a discouraging outing on the gridiron. For some in the BBN, a refrain of “now I can focus on basketball,” or some variation thereof, has become their new mantra, particularly after the football team’s 42-16 loss to Mississippi State on Saturday night. For some, it would seem, that focusing on more than one Wildcat activity is too difficult and/or much too taxing. And to that, I say if we want the football team to be big time, then the fans need to be big time.
No one is happy with the loss to the Bulldogs. The football team, for stretches, looked outcoached and were obviously outplayed. There are still some positives to be gleaned from the game, Boom Williams’ play for starters, but the overall result was certainly disconcerting. Still, the Wildcats are 4-3 and there are certainly winnable games out there to get the Cats bowling. Even with that blowout loss, there are
Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
still a lot of positives regarding building going on by Coach Stoops and company.
For the third straight year, head coach John Calipari will start off with the number one ranked team in the country. Coming off his fourth Final Four appearance and 38-1 record, the excitement of yet another top ranked recruiting class plus returning players Tyler Ulis, Marcus Lee and senior Alex Poythress has the Big Blue Nation dreaming of the school’s ninth national title. Arguably, Coach Cal is on one of the more remarkable runs of the program’s storied history. And with his success, the attention of fans inside and outside of the BBN are going to be on the Wildcats.
Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
For the next month, it’s going to be important that the Big Blue Nation be able to split their attention. Not only is the football team driving for a bowl and the men’s basketball team ready to start another deep NCAA tourney run, but some of the other sports are also competing on a high level. Currently, the Wildcat volleyball team is #20 in the coaches poll and #10 in the RPI as had coach Craig Skinner prepares for a postseason play. Coach Jon Lipsitz and his Women’s soccer team sit at 9-5-4, but they got hot in the postseason last year to reach the program’s first Sweet 16. Can they do it again? The Men’s soccer team is ranked 16 in the country and are leading Conference USA. Coach Johan Cedergren has his team also poised to make some postseason noise.
For years, the Big Blue Nation has had to hear the same thing: the University of Kentucky has men’s basketball and nothing else. It’s clear that simply isn’t true any longer. Wildcats, no matter the field or court, are competing at high levels, particularly at this time of year. Instead of focusing on just one sport, let’s sit back and root for the Wildcats across all the sports. And if we want the football program to improve and become a consistent top 25, bowl eligible program, let’s not jump ship at the first sign of distress.
All the young men and women student-athletes that compete for the University of Kentucky deserve the support of the BBN. We are the best fans in the country, but let’s make sure we show that to all these Wildcats.