Like It Is

Kentucky definitely not the cat's meow

Kentucky head coach John Calipari reacts on the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

It is almost like a foggy dream.

You look at the Southeastern Conference basketball standings, and you can't really wrap your head around it. In this weird dream the blueblood of SEC basketball would be tied for seventh with Mississippi State and Texas A&M, two football schools.

This is a nightmare in the land of Lexington and much of the Bluegrass State.

It isn't a dream though.

The Wildcats, losers of four straight games, are 6-7 in SEC play -- and half of those victories were beating Vanderbilt twice and LSU once -- are struggling mightily.

Go ahead and check the roster -- that's the normal thing to do here -- and you will find John Calipari has six McDonald's All-Americans on the squad. Yet, he doesn't have an established starting five and was still tinkering Wednesday night when the Wildcats went on the road to Auburn.

With just more than seven minutes to play the 'Cats led 59-55 but their next two possessions were turnovers, and they would add only a point a minute and lose 76-66.

This isn't supposed to happen to the school where the term "One and Done," was taken to a new level.

This is Kentucky who is generally so good the SEC Tournament in basketball is called the Kentucky Invitational.

In a place where football is something to do to get to basketball season there are more questions than answers, although no one is pointing a finger at Calipari, yet, and he continues to say all the right things.

And this team has the talent to put it together and make a run, but they better hurry. The Wildcats host a pretty good basketball team, Alabama, on Saturday before going to Bud Walton to take on the Razorbacks on Tuesday night.

They then host Missouri who started this slide when they beat UK 69-60 and Ole Miss, which seems to have all but checked in their uniforms.

The Wildcats close the regular season at Florida, which beat them 66-64 in Rupp Arena on Jan. 20.

Then comes the SEC Tournament and it seems inconceivable that the perennial No. 1 seed might have to play on a Thursday. That means to win the whole thing they would have to win four games in four days, something that's only been done twice.

St. Louis folks, where the SEC Tournament is being played next month, aren't too concerned. For years, Kentucky fans who can't afford tickets to home games have donated to other SEC school's foundations so they could buy tickets to the SEC Tournament.

They aren't likely to quit now, and as stated earlier, Kentucky has the talent to go on a run.

It would be good for basketball if this demise in UK basketball meant an end to one-and-dones, but it won't. Kansas and Duke are playing the game that way, too, and it isn't up to the colleges to change the rule. That's an NBA rule.

For now, it is more of a nightmare than a dream, but the mighty Kentucky Wildcats are struggling.

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When the Houston Rockets beat Sacramento 100-91 Valentine's night it gave them the best record in basketball going into the All-Star game for the first time ever. They are 44-13 and Golden State is 44-14.

Last week, the Rockets traded for Joe Johnson for the stretch run and the playoffs. The former Razorback had mostly been riding the bench for the Utah Jazz so he has fresh legs and a new attitude.

The Rockets wasted no time in getting some use out of the 36-year-old Johnson, playing him more than 31 minutes Wednesday night. He contributed 9 points, 3 rebounds and 1 steal.

In making the trade for Johnson the Rockets picked up a new fan, yours truly.

Sports on 02/16/2018