Skip to main content
KSRKSR Plus
KSBoard
kentucky logo
Join KSR+

KSR's road trip thoughts on the ride home from Tuscaloosa

Jack PIlgrimby:Jack Pilgrim•about 9 hours
IMG_1194

I’m sitting in the passenger’s seat with some time to kill on the drive home from Tuscaloosa, both sad and hopeful following Kentucky’s loss at Alabama. It was deflating in real time watching a 12-point lead for the Cats turn into a 13-point win for the Tide, but there were a surprising number of long-term victories to keep in mind while sorting through the short-term defeat.

How are we feeling the next day? What’s on our mind as we get back in the Bluegrass State just three weeks away from Selection Sunday? KSR has some road trip takeaways to close out the weekend.

KSR’s trip to Tuscaloosa was not fun

Steven Peake and I started our drive at 8 AM ET on Saturday and managed to put together a fairly disastrous 24 hours to and from Tuscaloosa. We get to the arena and they have us park a mile and a half away to walk. Good opportunity for our walk-and-talk stream, right? The feed cut out after a few minutes because the signal was so bad. Then we finally get inside and find out neither of us have seats for the game, the UK Athletics’ support staff kindly offering up one of theirs before Alabama brought out a stool from the back for me to fit between two other people. Meanwhile, Peake was left wandering around the arena, told he couldn’t access certain areas or stay in others trying to get footage without a set spot.

Oh, and then he got deathly ill to close out the game, scrambling to the Coleman Coliseum bathrooms to throw up over and over again. There is nothing Peake enjoys more in this world than getting shots up in opposing gyms after wrapping up postgame work and he could barely move before calling it a night after a few attempts. He left on a make — always does — but did it in clear discomfort. We’re thinking the Buc’ees sausage, egg and cheese biscuit failed him on the way down to poison his first Alabama experience.

That’s on top of losing the game by 13 to give Kentucky fans 12 weekends of a men’s basketball or football loss in the last 18, one of those being a bye week for football.

0/10 experience, would not recommend. Still left on a make, though.

Dick Vitale’s return was bittersweet

Shortly before tip-off, the ESPN crew brought the legendary Dickie V out to his seat ahead of the Cats and Tide. He earned a roar from the fans and got choked up as he was introduced over the loudspeaker and on the jumbotron. Posing for photos and shaking hands, you got the best of Vitale’s stardom, but it was clear there wasn’t much gas left in the tank. Winded quickly and helped up and down as he gingerly navigated the arena, the 85-year-old was a clear shell of himself after beating four different types of cancer over the last four years.

I hope to be alive at 85 years old and his passion to continue on as the face of this sport as long as he can is admirable — there will never be another Dickie V. It was a tad bittersweet, though, appreciating the legend that is Vitale while also watching his age and health catch up to him in person.

“After seeing Kentucky in person vs the talented Alabama team, I’m impressed by what Coach Mark Pope has done,” Vitale said of the Wildcats after checking out Pope’s group with his own two eyes. “With the return of Lamont Butler & Jaxson Robinson, BBN will be a legit threat (during) March Madness time. Playing in the SEC without your starting guards is TOUGH!”

Here’s to hoping and praying we get more analysis like that for years to come. The basketball world deserves it, baby!

Mark Pope is losing his patience with officiating

It’s been a talking point all season long, starting with Pope opening the year empathizing with officials after attending a referee symposium to understand how difficult their jobs are. Then came a ‘sweeping review’ of SEC officiating in hopes of ‘learning the whistle’ after watching foul and free-throw disparity flip once conference play began. He felt a breakthrough had been found to help balance in inconsistencies with calls, yet, here we are, still talking about officiating with four games left in the regular season.

It was a major talking point last night as Mark Sears earned calls like James Harden in 2018 and Terry Oglesby’s power trip went viral, two Wildcats fouling out and a third forced to play the last seven minutes with four fouls. Pope’s frustration was evident after the loss, addressing it to make his point without going far enough to earn a fine.

When asked what Alabama did to take Oweh out of the game, scoring two points on 1-9 shooting before picking up his fifth foul in 22 minutes, Pope hinted that the reporter answered his own question.

“Are you baiting me into an answer here?” he said, adding a long pause and a smirk. “Alabama is a terrific defensive team.”

So terrific the Crimson Tide rank No. 340 nationally in scoring defense.

Kentucky had its opportunities to stay in the game and potentially even steal a win, but the self-inflicted errors don’t erase the fact that the officiating was shameful in Tuscaloosa. Pope and the Wildcats can’t say that publicly, but I’ll happily do so.

Cats still climbed two spots in the NET

A disaster night for Kentucky?! Not really. In fact, it didn’t hurt the Cats at all when talking about the postseason resume. They actually jumped two spots in the NET to No. 12 overall, good for fifth in the SEC behind Auburn (1) Florida (2), Tennessee (5) and Alabama (6). That’s it. In fact, this is the highest UK has been in the NET since moving up to No. 10 on January 31, the highest all year being No. 5 on December 13.

Again, we’ve already heard the DI Men’s Basketball Committee say they value Kentucky’s best wins — seven top-15 victories, remember — while also taking into account the team’s injury issues. That was when they listed UK at No. 10 overall as a No. 3 seed a week ago.

That’s why you shouldn’t be surprised guys like ESPN’s Joe Lunardi still list UK as a No. 3 seed in the latest bracket projections, no matter how much the social media echo chamber tells you to Cope with Pope after sitting at .500 in the SEC. You’ve got Oklahoma on the road, No. 1 Auburn and LSU at home and No. 15 Missouri on the road to wrap up the schedule. Win two or three of those — starting with the games they should win against the Sooners and Tigers of Baton Rouge — and you not only keep a bye alive in Nashville, but likely maintain top-four-seed status in the NCAA Tournament.

Survive until Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson get back on the floor — they’re making real progress, remember — and then go make a run. The Cats aren’t far off.

Discuss This Article

Comments have moved.

Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.

KSBoard

2025-02-23