KSR Today: The Mourning After a Kentucky NCAA Tournament Loss

And just like that, the 2022-23 Kentucky basketball season is over. Kansas State was victorious in the battle of Wildcats, ending Kentucky’s season in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Without a Sweet 16 appearance since 2019, this early exit feeling is all too familiar for the BBN. Although painful, the first weekend finale provided a fitting ending for a talented, albeit wildly inconsistent, Kentucky basketball team.

Antonio Reeves and Jacob Toppin averaged a combined 47 points over his last three games. Sunday afternoon they made 2-of-22 shots. Even though Kentucky out-rebounded Kansas State by 20, it was a lost cause without reliable shot-makers.

Despite the awful shooting performance from two of UK’s top three scorers, Kentucky was in control for most of the game. A Lance Ware dunk gave the Cats a four-point lead by the final media timeout. Unlike so many times in the past, instead of delivering big shots down the stretch, Kentucky was the victim. Two big threes from K-State buried the Cats, starting a long, dreadful offseason.

Since falling to Auburn in overtime of the 2019 Elite Eight, there’s been a whole lot of heartbreak for the BBN in March. Kentucky has only one SEC Tournament and one NCAA Tournament win during that stretch. From roster management to style of play and everything in-between, Calipari’s critics will not be quiet. It’s going to be a long offseason for the Big Blue Nation.

How did they miss that many shots?

This is typically part of the post where I move on to another aspect of the game, but it’s still a difficult pill to swallow. No matter how up and down this team has been all season long, Toppin and Reeves were playing so well. They were the Cats’ top two scorers over the last two weeks. You can survive one cold night, but two? They didn’t needed to be great. An average performance from one and we’re probably talking about a trip to New York City. Even with Cason Wallace returning to form (21 points) and Chris Livingston exceeding expectations (11 & 7), Kentucky could not overcome a pair of offensive no-shows.

“It hurts you, but I don’t want to put it on him. We had other guys that didn’t post much (points) either, and so it wasn’t just one guy.” John Calipari felt Reeves was due, and encouraged him to keep pulling.

“I was trying to, as these two know, trying to build up Antonio for two days: ‘You’re going to have a great game. You’re going to shoot it.’ Then throughout the game we just kept telling him what? Keep shooting. Shoot it. Just wasn’t that day for him, and it wasn’t his fault. We had other guys not make any shots either. That happens in this sport.”

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John Calipari in the NCAA Tournament at Kentucky

2010	Elite 8
2011	Final Four
2012	National Championship
2013	NIT
2014	National Runner-Up
2015	Final Four
2016	Second Round
2017	Elite 8
2018	Sweet 16
2019	Elite 8
2020	Canceled
2021	No Postseason
2022	First Round
2023	Second Round

Who Will Stay, Who Will Go?

“Who’s Next?” is the first question Kentucky fans must ask after the end of every season. The Covid waiver complicates the equation, allowing all six seniors to return for another season in Lexington if both sides agree. John Calipari is not sure what will happen, but doubts that is the case.

“My guess is they will all leave. That’s my guess, but I have not talked to them all,” he said after the game.

Typically it takes 2-3 weeks before decisions become public. The most intrigue will surround Antonio Reeves and Chris Livingston. Each feels like a toss-up for players that could determine how well Kentucky is able to respond in 2023-24.

Oscar Tshiebwe Delivered in the NCAA Tournament

Sunday may very well be the last time we see Oscar Tshiebwe in a Kentucky basketball uniform. If he decides to move on, he leaves a somewhat complicated legacy behind. The personal accolades are unrivaled, rebounding like no one we’ve even seen in a Kentucky uniform, yet it’s not accompanied by significant postseason success.

The first ever unanimous National Player of the Year in Kentucky basketball history and one of only nine two-time Consensus All-Americans in school history never made it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. It’s not for a lack of effort on his part. In three NCAA Tournament games he averaged 21 points and 19.6 rebounds per game. The numbers are eye-opening, but not enough to propel Kentucky to a deep NCAA Tournament run.

The Sweet 16 is Set

Some folks turn off their TVs as soon as the Wildcats’ season ends. This is for those who are still trying to keep a clean bracket and enjoy the final two weeks of college basketball season. Three SEC teams are still alive on the road to the Final Four.

Reed Sheppard is Mr. Basketball

A few days after his North Laurel Jaguars were eliminated from the Sweet 16, the future Wildcat received the state’s most prestigious individual honor. Reed Sheppard was named Kentucky Mr. Basketball after averaging 22.1 points, 8.5 assists, 8.5 rebounds and 4.0 steals per game. He’ll be the fifth Mr. Basketball to play for John Calipari at Kentucky.

Sheppard’s season ended in a loss to reigning state champion George Rogers Clark. GRC returned to the finals for a rematch with Warren Central. The Dragons got the best of them this time with a 64-60 victory to give Warren Central its second state title.

One thing that was lost in the March Madness shuffle: how did Male blow a 13-point lead with 4:23 to play? There isn’t a shot clock in high school basketball, yet Fredrick Douglass ended the quarterfinal matchup on a 17-0 run. You gotta tip your cap to the Lexington school for doing seemingly the impossible, but this blogger cannot understand how it happened.

Bat Cats are EN FUEGO

If you’re ready to move on to the next sport, we have some good news for the BBN: Nick Mingione’s team is playing as well as they’ve ever been. Kentucky has won 14 straight games, opening SEC play with a dominant sweep of Mississippi State. After winning by one in extra innings on Friday, Kentucky outscored the Bulldogs 29-6.

This week the Kentucky baseball team will host EKU Tuesday at Kentucky Proud Park, followed by a weekend road trip to Alabama.