Too Good to be True (Blue): My Kentucky Experience

This is a story that was 14 years in the making. Not everyone will have the same story verbatim, but everyone will have the same ending. It is the story of that person who wears blue at every waking moment, the person who will skip their birthday celebrations in order to watch their beloved team play, and that person who will do whatever possible in order to let the world know that they bleed Kentucky Blue. That person could be you, or anyone else reading this article. But today, this is me and my recent experience in the Bluegrass.

Now, mind you, I have not lived in Kentucky in years. But I go back at every possible moment in order to see family, friends, and occasionally catch a Kentucky football or basketball game. I have only been to two football games since I left Lexington and one basketball game, one of which was the biggest football game in school history. That upset against LSU was one of the best experiences of my young adult life up until that time. As a UK fan living on the outside, I got to experience Big Blue Nation first hand and enjoy everything that game had to offer.

A few weeks ago, after Kentucky had just defeated Iowa State, I was talking with a few other Kentucky natives who said if the Wildcats were able to make it to the Final Four, we should all make the pilgrimage back to the Bluegrass. It seems like they were hypothesizing, because I bought my plane tickets within 24 hours. And 10 days later, I was off to Lexington.

I tried to make the most of my time by soaking up the hype of the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry first hand by going to both universities on Thursday and Friday to visit friends and gain a full-on perspective on the rivalry. On Saturday, I celebrated in the streets with the throngs of students and fans, not having any idea what I was doing or what to do. But by just observing the crowd and meeting other people throughout the night, I knew exactly what to do come Monday night.

And when Monday night came, I celebrated, just like everyone else. But this is where I cut the story short, because there are really no words to describe the emotion and jubilation I felt when the Cats milked the clock out during the last ten seconds. There are no words to describe just how exhausted I am, not only from last night, but this entire season and the wait during the past 14 years.

This is the story of a coach who finally got the monkey off his back. This is the story of a senior who overcame many obstacles to become the fierce leader that he is today. This is the story of a team who put away all their personal achievements, accolades, and goals in order to have one common goal. This is the story of the Big Blue Nation and us taking our rightful place atop the throne of college basketball.