Kentucky's disappointing stretch from a student's perspective

I am currently in my junior year at the University of Kentucky. I have yet to see the Wildcats win an NCAA Tournament game while at UK. These two statements shouldn’t be able to coexist.

After watching the Final Four on Saturday evening, reality hit me. Two teams, which Kentucky defeated by a combined 47 points earlier this season, will be playing for glory; glory that could’ve belonged to the ‘Cats.

Another forgettable March has slipped by the students at UK.

Kentucky beat the two NCAA Tournament finalists by a combined 47 points this season

— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) April 3, 2022

Fans and UK students have been devoid of success the last couple of seasons. In 2020, we watched a capable Kentucky team’s season get derailed by a global pandemic. Following the disappointment, we suffered through the worst season in the Calipari era, and arguably the worst in program history. Finally, when our hopes began to rise, the ‘Cats fell to 15-seed St. Peters last month. And, no, the Peacocks’ deep run didn’t make the loss sting any less.

For a small group of veteran Kentucky fans, these complaints may seem unwarranted. After all, UK went from 1999 to 2010 without reaching the Final Four. Who am I to be upset?

I’m the fan who remembers hearing other Kentucky fans scream at the television, wishing for better days during the Billy Clyde tenure. Just a couple of years later, I was the eight-year-old who watched my family jump with joy as Kentucky hired John Calipari.

I’m the 10-year old who cried as he watched his favorite player John Wall fall in the Elite Eight. Most importantly, I’m the fan who ran around my house celebrating as Kentucky won the 2012 NCAA national championship.

Now, I’m just the Kentucky student who hasn’t seen his favorite program win a game in the Big Dance since arriving on campus. I’m the fan who is tired of empty promises, wasted potential and disappointing results. So, what can I do?

The only answer is the same one that has guided my relationship with Kentucky Men’s Basketball my whole life: I will have faith. Historically, valleys for Kentucky have led to some unforgettable peaks.

Crazy stat! Since John Calipari became coach at UK in 2009-2010, UK has been to the final four more than any other school, even though UK hasn’t been to the final four since 2015.

— Troy Howell (@teeroyhowell) March 29, 2022

Just weeks before UK won the NCAA Tournament in 2012, they fell to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament. On a grander scale, the year after the ‘Cats fell to Robert Morris in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament, they made it to the NCAA finals as an eight-seed.

It isn’t easy to remain hopeful for Kentucky, but it’s better than expecting their downfall. Perhaps Kentucky’s most disappointing run during the Calipari era will lead to the Wildcat’s most incredible run in history.