Kentucky Wildcats and the SEC find redemption in NCAA Tournament

Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Get ready for the war. Anytime the Kentucky Wildcats and Louisville Cardinals face off, it’s a huge rivalry game. When they meet in the NCAA Tournament, it’s literally the Armageddon in the Bluegrass. And thanks to the NCAA’s creative seeding, this is what we will get in the Sweet 16. And of course, it is the last game of the Sweet 16 at 9:45 Friday night.

The headlines are easy but in the end, you have to think that Louisville really did not want this matchup. John Clay thinks so, at least.

"You have to think this is not what Rick Pitino wanted. Louisville lost to UK in Lexington in December and Kentucky has the one thing U of L lacks – size inside. Kentucky’s guards are older now and should do better against the press. Plus, the Cats have the confidence of beating Wichita State. On the flip side, Pitino does have all week to prepare and he’s a pretty good preparation coach. (Understatement.) Montrez Harrell is a problem for any team. Most of Louisville’s players have been there before. Should be fun."

With the win, Kentucky advances to the Sweet 16 as an eighth seed. During the season, Kentucky got criticism from virtually every corner and the most severe was from Rick Pitino apologist/co-author Pat Forde. Before the tournament, Forde blasted UK and Calipari saying that Cal was responsible for the mess Forde considered his team. And in what is probably his biggest nightmare, Forde had to eat some crow and actually write something nice about UK.

"As one Wichita State staffer said afterward, “How did those guys lose 10 games?” This team bears scant resemblance to the shaky, disjointed group that was beaten by 14-20 South Carolina 22 days ago. John Calipari has worked an extreme – and extremely effective – makeover. Where there was no confidence, it now overflows. Where there was no chemistry, it now thrives. Where there was no consistency, it now can be found in 40-minute supplies. A 39-point performance from the Harrison twins against an elite team seemed impossible three weeks ago. Yet there they were, making 10 of 13 free throws and 12 of 22 field goals. In the final minutes, they lowered their heads and bulled to the basket, repeatedly drawing fouls and then making their foul shots. Multiple clutch plays by James Young also seemed unlikely at times this season. Yet there he was, hitting a 3-pointer with 97 seconds left that gave Kentucky the lead for good and grabbing a pair of huge rebounds late. A 13-point, 10-rebound, six-assist game from Julius Randle? Maybe the first two-thirds of that stat line, but not the last part. Randle forced nothing today, letting everything come to him and serving as an adept passer. His 5-of-6 foul shooting was a departure from early season form as well."

After a long and sometimes frustrating season, we are where a lot of people thought we would be. Kentucky and Louisville are meeting in the NCAA. It’s earlier than we thought it would be, but the basketball world is going to stop for this latest edition of Cats versus Cardinals. And Kentucky is just hitting their stride.

"Kentucky, meanwhile, looks ahead. Louisville, which it beat back in December, awaits after a crazy week back home. If the Wildcats survive, perhaps they get Michigan, who lost to Louisville last year in the national title game. Calipari, nursing a sore hip of late, said he was “whistling and skipping” in the hallway outside the UK locker room, though not because he felt relieved. “If wins are relief,” he said, “it’s time for me to retire. This was great joy in seeing a group of young men come together and start figuring this out. It took longer than I’d hoped.” The coach said he failed to define roles adequately among the young Wildcats early in the season. Now, they’re starting to lose themselves within the team. They’re growing as a unit, not lurching forward and backward as individuals. It was evident on the court against Wichita State. “I just wish we had another month of the season,” Calipari said, “because we’re getting better every day.” He won’t get a month, but Calipari could get two weeks. It’s a scary thought for the remaining teams in the tournament, because Kentucky, as a No. 8 seed at not even close to its best, takes a backseat to no opponent."