Rob Dillingham looking to unleash inner Kemba Walker in Kentucky's run

Everybody has a favorite March Madness memory, that one moment that sticks out above the rest. We Are Young by Fun. still brings me back to 2012 whenever it pops up on the radio or shuffled playlists, the anthem of Kentucky‘s last title run — that song played over and over during the Cats’ journey to New Orleans.

That’s actually the NCAA Tournament that Antonio Reeves remembers most, not too much of a surprise considering Anthony Davis — a fellow native of Chicago — was college basketball’s biggest star at the time.

“That 2012 Kentucky team,” Reeves said of his favorite March moment ahead of Kentucky’s next run. “I was watching some of them games and everybody was locked in trying to win each game, that’s what I really remember about it.”

Rob Dillingham‘s answer may surprise you, especially considering it came at the expense of his own Wildcats. But hey, March Madness is unforgiving. It can’t control whose time to shine it is or when it happens. In 2011, it was Kemba Walker’s time to make history, leading UConn to 11 straight wins en route to Big East and NCAA Tournament championships despite closing out the regular season losing seven of the team’s last 11.

It was must-see TV, even when the Wildcats fell to the Huskies in the Final Four.

Dillingham couldn’t help but love the magic Kemba created in that run to Houston. Now, he hopes Kentucky can recreate some of that same magic in a guard-driven tournament.

“My brackets were always wrong, but my favorite memory was that UConn team with Kemba Walker,” he said. “They were losing at the end of their season, then came into the tournament and won all of the games. I feel like that’s similar to what we can do, so that’s one of my favorite moments for sure.”

Does he think the Cats have what it takes? They’ve got the dudes to do it, clearly. Now it’s about coming together and turning that dream into a reality.

“We’ve got more than a few guys to do it,” Dillingham said. “If we lock in and trust each other, we really want to win, we can do it. If we don’t trust each other, it won’t happen.”

What does locking in look like, in his eyes? It’s about embracing and taking advantage of the moment, one they’ve worked hard to earn. Why go through the peaks and valleys they experienced for nothing? Their hope is they don’t have to find that out.

“Understanding where we’re at and the opportunity we have. Sometimes you get caught up in the moment and it’s too much,” Dillingham said. “When you sit there and realize where you’re at and what you had to go through to get there, I feel like that’s capturing the moment and locking in. That’s how you perform to the best of your ability.”

It all starts this week in Pittsburgh. First up? The Oakland Golden Grizzlies.