Kentucky fans have been living every version of the season in fast-forward, it's just the way. There is hype, panic, anger, hope, sometimes in the same week.
So when Jon Rothstein watched Kentucky rally past St. John’s and get on a 4-game win streak, he told the fanbase to “exhale,” but should they?
Rothstein’s point was simple: this is why you wait to judge a team until you actually see it whole.
And for Kentucky, “whole” has been the missing piece.
Kentucky basketball finally looked like itself with Jayden Quaintance back
Rothstein highlighted the obvious difference-maker: Jayden Quaintance.
In his view, if Quaintance stays healthy, Kentucky has a legitimate National Defensive Player of the Year type of presence because of the way he changes the floor on both ends.
That’s not hyperbole when you watch what a real rim protector does to an opponent’s confidence. Suddenly, drives become floaters. Layups become kick-outs. A “good look” becomes a reset.
And when you combine that with the return of Jaland Lowe, Kentucky’s rotation finally looks like something you can build habits with, not just survive with.
The part Rothstein didn’t fully live in is the thing fans actually felt
Health explains a lot.
It doesn’t explain everything.
The early frustration wasn’t only about losses. It was about moments where the effort looked inconsistent, and fans picked up on it. When a roster has real talent and real money behind it, the one thing that’s going to light the fuse is the perception that intensity is optional.
That’s why this season’s emotional swing has been so wild. Kentucky fans weren’t only reacting to outcomes. They were reacting to body language, urgency, and whether the team looked connected.
And to Kentucky’s credit, the St. John’s game looked like a team that was connected again.
So should BBN exhale?
Yes.
Because Kentucky’s ceiling is tied directly to health and availability, and the Wildcats are finally closer to full strength than they’ve been.
But “exhale” doesn’t mean “sleep.”
It means the season is still alive and now the Wildcats have to prove that the edge and the habits stick when the schedule turns unforgiving again.
Kentucky doesn’t need fans to lower expectations. Kentucky needs to match them.
And the only way to do that is to keep playing like the St. John’s second half, and the last 4 games weren’t just a moment it was the standard that has to be hit every night.