Only weeks ago every Kentucky fan was the same person who sweated profusely watching each second of Alex Honnold’s gripping Taipei 101 climb.
Nervous. Anxious. On edge.
With their beloved Wildcats on the ropes at 0-2 to start off SEC play, Big Blue Nation’s timidity was completely understandable. A mundane 9-4 non-conference record prior to conference action had a dark cloud hovering over Lexington.
However, Mark Pope’s club stormed back, laying chin-displacing blows against Tennessee (twice) and at Arkansas. As a result, the once written off blueblood is once again in the SEC regular season title hunt, trailing frontrunner Florida by only 0.5 games. Most outstandingly, it clashes with the Gators in Gainesville on Saturday.
Suddenly, confidence in Bourbon Land is soaring. Any day now an overly brash fan will attempt to free solo the local McDonald’s. Probably.
All jokes aside, Kentucky, despite crippling setbacks to Jaland Lowe (shoulder), Jayden Quaintance (knee) and Kam Williams (foot), has reasonable odds of continuing its current resurrection.
Once thought improbable, here’s why a resurrected UK could win the takeable SEC at +1500 (BetMGM):
Road toughness. Pope’s crew is a respectable 3-3 in true road environments this season. Its decreased depth is a worry and constant early game deficits have prompted a number of come-from-behind scurries, but they haven’t been intimidated by hostile crowds. Swishing frequent buckets away from Lexington, they’ve averaged a terrific 1.198 points per possession, splashing 35.8% from three. Continue to successfully stroke it in upcoming trips to Florida, Auburn, South Carolina and Texas A&M and they will only bolster the overall NCAA Tournament resume.
Second chance dance. The efforts of bigs Malachai Moreno and Mouhamed Dioubate explain why the Wildcats rank appreciably in offensive rebounding percentage. On a whopping 34.0% of team possessions, they generate another opportunity. With many of the quick putback variety, they’re also top-65 nationally in two-point percentage offense (55.4). If opponents don’t box out effectively, Kentucky will undoubtedly take advantage.
Improved defense. Slowly but surely, UK’s efforts challenging competitor shots have ratcheted. Reliable contesting interior releases, Moreno and company have allowed only 47.8% from two over their past eight games. Inconsistent perimeter teams highly reliant on interior action will have an extremely difficult time scoring the rock versus UK.
Admittedly, this weekend’s road test at Florida is an enormous challenge. Arkansas and Texas A&M also remain in the SEC title mix. The conference -- No. 1 overall in several power metrics -- is a league filled with teams constructed from a similar ilk. Really, only the Gators are a sure-fire Final Four contender. It has depth, but -- very different from last year -- it lacks true dominance.
And the last point is precisely why Kentucky has a chance to vanquish its leaguemates and add a banner to the rafters. Achieve a 5-2 record down the homestretch and it could reward risk takers with a handsome return. Keep in mind, along with a pair of bouts and the Wildcats, Florida has difficult matchups at Georgia, at Texas and home versus Arkansas remaining.
On, on, U of K.