Kentucky receives a warning no one wants in the first round of the NCAA Tournament

Kentucky has been put on upset alert by just about everybody now. The entire CBS sports crew picked them to lose, the majority of the fanbase is worried, and Mark Pope's refusal to host a media party had some local media members quite upset. Things went from bad to worse when Jon Rothstein released 5 bracket busters.

Kentucky basketball on upset alert

Rothstein said, "Santa Clara is going to be a trendy pick here in the NCAA Tournament." And he is right, a lot of people are picking the Broncos here.

Kentucky's consistency has been the issue all year long. You just never know which team is going to show up. Some nights they make shots, some nights they don't; see the two Vanderbilt games this year for a prime example. Sometimes they defend well, like in the second half against Florida in the SEC Tournament. And sometimes they couldn't guard traffic cones like in Tuscaloosa.

Rarely do you see the same team show up two nights in a row, and most of the time it is a half-to-half situation. That kind of volatility usually means you see your Tournament run come to an end sooner rather than later.

Mark Pope is trying to focus his group ahead of a tough draw

Santa Clara turns you over, they pressure all over the floor, they shoot a ton of 3's, and they play a style that is hard to guard for 40 minutes. And that is the biggest challenge for this team.

We have talked all year long, from Otega Oweh's comments after Georgetown and Michigan State, to Mark Pope's admission after the SEC Tournament loss to Florida. If this team could just play as hard as they can for 40 minutes, they can beat anybody in the country.

And that is why Mark Pope said he wanted to keep Selection Sunday private. He thought having a moment alone with just the team was something they could use to try to get their heads right.

Maybe he is right, maybe they needed a decompression zone to allow the regular season to wash away before being reborn in the postseason.

We will find out when the Cats open their NCAA Tournament on Friday at 12:15 on CBS against Santa Clara in St. Louis.