The Trials and Tribulations of UK Basketball

From the Enquirer:

Then there's Kentucky. What a mess Tubby Smith has on his hands in Lexington. One day, he criticizes the Wildcats players because they all try to be heroes. The next day, he says they don't have heart or don't seem to care. Can both things be true? Of course not.

And frankly, for the kind of money he makes, Smith should be able to solve the riddle of this team. Instead, he has spent half the season looking like a man who has given up, one who doesn't think his players are good enough to win. It's not a quantum leap to assume his players have picked up on that sense of self-defeat.

Looking ahead, Kentucky should win its next three games, then lose its last three, barring a Senior Day miracle in Rupp against Florida in the season finale. That puts UK at 18-12. That record defines the NCAA Tournament bubble. UK has a very good win over West Virginia and a perfectly harmless loss to Iowa. The Cats also have a decent win over Iona, of all teams. But the victory over Louisville is meaningless, and all their SEC wins thus far are against the league's lower echelon.

March 12 is going to be a very long day in the Commonwealth.