Kentucky basketball: Magic 8 Ball can Wildcats win SEC Tournament
By Eric Thorne
March Madness is upon us and traditionally Big Blue Nation would be descending on Nashville starting tonight, but Covid-19 has halted that along with a less than stellar Kentucky basketball season.
Even so, BBN will still be glued to their TV, computer, or phone Thursday at Noon for our favorite time of year – the tip-off of the Southeastern Conference Tournament where the Wildcats are in search of title No. 32.
This year though the odds makers, physics, media, and other pundits give UK slim to no chance of winning four games in four days. If they fail to accomplish this feat the 2020-21 season will come to an end.
Magic 8 Ball does Kentucky basketball have any hope in SEC tournament?
But ye of little faith do you say all is lost and hopeless?
They just can’t do something like that with this team?
Hey we can win this thing you have to believe Cat fans!
Pessimists and optimists bring your best debate. Better yet let’s ask the Magic 8 Ball to predict their chances since no one really knows the future. Or does that round black ball with the blue faces which admit it, we have all shook in our lifetime hoping for some good news when the answer appears?
A standard Magic 8 Ball is capable of 10 affirmative answers, 5 non-committal answers, and 5 negative answers. Pessimists the magic ball is in your hands first.
Shake. Shake. Shake.
● Don’t count on it. Well, that is harsh but this is the typical answer many are fixated on after all this team is just 9-15 overall and 8-9 in the SEC. This kind of record doesn’t deserve to make the Big Dance you say.
● My reply is no There just has been too much consistent inconsistency. An up and down season and a team that Calipari has taken hard labor to construct and it takes one single piece out of place and the Wildcats come crumbling down.
They opened with a huge win over Morehead State raising expectations that crashed hard by losing the next six games. The SEC slate began with three wins, followed by three losses and then a thumping of LSU. But then four losses preceded three wins, two losses, and Saturday’s blowout over South Carolina.
Even a roller coaster enthusiast would be sick after this ride.
● My sources say no. Kentucky has not won more than three consecutive games all season and would need to win four now to keep dancing. Kenpom has the Cats winning 69-64 over Mississippi State but that’s a slim margin on opening day. After that Kentucky would be the underdog in each matchup. It’s doubtful David has enought stones to slay that many Goliatahs.
Kentucky forward Keion Brooks Jr. was asked by the media Tuesday about the perception Kentucky has heading into the tournament and what it will take to silence the naysayers.
"“We’ve just got to be ready for war every single time we step out on that court. We know what position we’re in and we know what we have to do to get it done. It’s not going to be easy. We know it’s going to be difficult. But our coaching staff has put together game plans to help us succeed and help us be the best on the court. We have to go out there and execute, go out there, and fight and go out there and give it all we’ve got.”"
● Outlook not so good. Kentucky has only won four games once in the tournament since 1952.
● Very doubtful The offense is just not powerful enough to score enough points night in and night out to win four straight SEC games much less if they miraculously won the tournament to keep advancing, The Wildcats rank No. 201 in scoring offense at just 70.3 points per game. Top-ranked Gonzaga conversely tallies 92 points a game and Baylor at No. 2 scoring 85.3 per game