Kentucky finishes National Runner-Up in Basketball Managers Games

The Kentucky men’s basketball team might not be playing in Phoenix this weekend, but their managers represented the university well on the big stage. The group lovingly referred to as the Wildcat Waterboys finished as national runners-up in the Mangers Tournament on Friday, falling to the dreaded Arkansas Razorbacks by a single point, 38-37.

The ‘Cats had the ball with 9.8 seconds left on the clock but ultimately failed to convert, and the Hogs are now taking the trophy back to Fayetteville instead of Fayette County where it would have resided better polished and more frequently cleaned. The ‘Cats knocked down a pivotal 3-pointer to keep it close late, but it wasn’t enough to seal the win.

Although not many people were in attendance to witness the travesty, it is safe to assume the Hogs played dirtier than Nolan Richardson’s underbritches.

This was the Waterboys’ first loss of the season, having gone 9-0 during the year. The ‘Cats subsequently won an online poll to make it to Phoenix where they were a favorite to win it all.

In the Elite Eight, the ‘Cats knocked off Michigan State 31-26 to advance to the Final Four where they faced Iowa State. They mopped up the Cyclones to make it to the championship game against the Razorbacks for their third game of the day. Unfortunately, they came up one point short.

Led by 6-foot-10 Ray Surratt, son of former Wildcat, Marvin Stone, the guys responsible for cleaning the literal floor, wiped the proverbial hardwood of the competition all year, earning the most entertaining NIL deal ever seen along the way.

Props to the Wildcat Waterboys.