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Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Road to a Championship Begins Today

ByBrian Smith|

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Top 5 stories making headlines for Kentucky Wildcats Basketball for Thursday, March 19, 2015.

Kentucky’s quest for a ninth national championship enters its final stages Thursday night when the Wildcats tip off against Hampton in the Yum! Center. So what’s Calipari’s message to his team as they get ready for the NCAA Tournament? Kyle Tucker writes:

"“John Calipari is a master motivator, skilled at stacking chips on the shoulders of his players to make them forget they’re former five-star recruits and future NBA draft picks playing in college basketball’s glamour program and on the only undefeated team America.So as Kentucky prepares to open the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night against a 16th-seeded Hampton team whose coach believes he needs Jesus to have a prayer, Calipari’s message has been predictable:It’s us against the world. No one, he told the Wildcats, wants to see you make history.”"

Thursday night, the season gets real, so to speak. Lose and there isn’t another game to look forward to this season. For a team that has won 34 straight, it’s easy to believe the next 6 are the most important of the season. Because a loss now, well, Jerry Tipton writes:

"“Now, it becomes as real as college basketball gets. Like all teams, Kentucky wants to survive and advance in the NCAA Tournament. Unlike every other team, Kentucky knows anything short of a national championship breathes life into the famous words of John Greenleaf Whittier: ‘Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, It might have been.’”"

Kentucky fans have heard the pundits say it all year long: Kentucky is unbeaten but they’re not unbeatable. So, 65 teams remain with a shot at taking down the ‘Cats (kind of). Who among them has the best shot? Myron Medcalf writes:

"“Yes, it’s called the NCAA tournament. But this year, it’s essentially the ‘Can anyone stop Kentucky?’ Invitational. The No. 1 Wildcats are 34-0. With six wins, they’ll complete the first perfect season in nearly 40 years (since 1975-76 Indiana). Will they lose in the next three weeks? It’s not likely.There are 65 other teams left, however, that could all earn the opportunity to prove everyone wrong. How would they do it? Can they do it? Here’s a look at every remaining team’s chances.”"

Wednesday, during his pre-game press conference, Southern Methodist University head coach Larry Brown made a bold prediction about the Wildcats. Adam Wells writes:

"“There has been some debate this year as to whether Kentucky could beat an NBA team. SMU head coach Larry Brown, who is preparing for the NCAA tournament, took things a bit further by saying the Wildcats could be a playoff team in the Eastern Conference.”"

This Vine of Karl-Anthony Towns is just…wow.

Next: Inside the Numbers: Cats in the NCAA Tournament

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