After missing the NCAA tournament for the first time under John Calipari, the Kentucky Wildcats quickly demonstrated they had little interest in the NIT, falling to Robert Morris 59-57 in Moon Township PA Tuesday night.
In the end, UK’s bad losses outweighed its good wins, especially in the wake of losing star player Nerlens Noel to injury, as they became the first defending champion to be left out of the NCAA tournament since 2010.
After a thrilling victory over then #11 Florida last week, many thought UK was safely in the NCAA tournament. After falling to Vanderbilt they’re right back on the bubble.
UK came up short in a game they desperately needed to avoid damaging their waning tournament hopes, falling 72-62 to the Goergia Bulldogs Thursday night in Athens.
Behind strong efforts by Alex Poythress, Julius Mays, and the Rupp Arena crowd, UK got its biggest win of the season by beating Missour 90-83 Saturday night.
After a week that saw UK lose two games by a combined 47 points; and perhaps the best player in college basketball this year to a torn ACL, the Cats rebounded by holding on to defeat the Commodores 74-70 Wednesday night at Rupp Arena.
Florida gave itself some breathing room in the SEC East race by cruising past UK for the team’s first win in their last six tries against the Wildcats.
Coming off arguably the biggest win of the season, UK narrowly avoided being swept by Texas A&M winning in overtime 72-68 Saturday afternoon in College Station TX.
Multiple news outlets are reporting that Billy Gillispie, former coach of both Texas A&M and Kentucky, will be in attendance Saturday as UK looks to avenge its first conference home loss under John Calipari.
In a game that could serve as a microcosm of the up and down year UK is having, the Cats go nearly eight minutes in the 2nd half without a field goal and fall on the road to the Crimson Tide.
Without Willie Cauley-Stein, the Cats went into a hostile environment and demonstrated they are a team that can get a 20 point lead and hold it, a capability John Calipari had doubted earlier in the week.
UK had a fight on its hands Tuesday night at Rupp Arena against the Volunteers of Tennessee, but held on to send the Vols to their fourth straight loss.
As PBS prepares to air “Music Makes A City”, a story about the rise of the Louisville Orchestra in the aftermath of the 1937 flood, today’s orchestra is attempting a similar comeback.
