KENTUCKY BANK BLOG 1/23/12
Do you really think any opponent is going to come at Kentucky any harder as the number one ranked team than they have with the Wildcats at number two? Yeah, me neither—so enjoy the number one ranking for Big Blue for as long as it lasts.
Given how rare an achievement it’s been for any team to go through the SEC season without a loss, I don’t expect a squad that starts three freshmen to do it.
Only one team has three wins over Kentucky when the Cats were ranked first in the Associated Press poll. That’s Vanderbilt and that’s where most experts will project the first SEC loss for UK might come. With ESPN’s Gameday show broadcasting from Memorial Gym on February 11, the atmosphere will probably be similar to what the Cats faced at Indiana.
Between now and then, Kentucky’s biggest threat might well come a week from Tuesday, when Tennessee comes into Rupp Arena. The Vols have the big bodies to cause problems for the Cats the way Alabama did so that one won’t be an automatic “W” just because it’s played in Rupp.
A road trip to Mississippi State on February 21 is arguably the second-most dangerous spot for Kentucky as it pertains to the number one ranking. I’d rank the road game at Florida third-most risky for the Cats only because the Gators don’t play as physical a brand of basketball as Vandy or State could bring to the court.
But the big picture view on all of this is that the Wildcats have six weeks to shore up things, like dealing with physical opponents, point guard play and Terrence Jones’ consistency—and whether or not they make it to tournament time as the number one ranked team is a much lesser concern.
You can follow Tom’s daily coverage of the Cats at www.tomleach.com and listen to his “Leach Report” radio show on WLAP, AM-630 from 9:05-10am each Monday-Friday.
–Tom Leach
