On Jan. 24, the day the Commonwealth was first slammed by a winter storm, Kentucky defeated Ole Miss 72-63.
And like that epic ice and snow storm, every day that followed the victory has been a treacherous journey for the Cats. One misstep on an icy patch and you could go down in the blink of an eye.
But just like the TV meteorologists who breathlessly and relentlessly dominated our airwaves, we were all given fair warning of the many “alert days” that riddled Kentucky basketball’s horizon.
It came during the latter stages of that mundane victory over Ole Miss, as many scurried to the exits to beat the snow that had begun to fall, when it was revealed that Kentucky’s final 11 regular season games made up the No. 1-ranked most difficult schedule in America.
Not Duke. Not Arizona. Not Kansas. Kentucky.
Coach Mark Pope’s team that had finally fought its way through embarrassing early losses and three crushing injuries to cobble together a five-game win streak in Southeastern Conference play was now being rewarded with a final slate unlike any in the country.
That’s why there should be no weeping and gnashing of teeth over Kentucky’s 92-83 loss at No. 14 Florida on Saturday. Of course, it was disappointing to see UK fall behind yet again, this time facing a 15-point deficit barely a dozen minutes into the contest. And it would have been nice had Kentucky completed the comeback after cutting the lead to two points early in the second half and again to five points on two occasions – with 12:59 and :36 on the clock.
But Kentucky didn’t lose this game, Florida won it.
The loss puts the Cats with a 3-2 record midway through this end-of-season gauntlet.
The low point was the first of the 11 games, an 80-55 blowout loss to Vanderbilt in Nashville on Jan. 27. Had there been a “fat lady” to sing in the former opera house, she could have begun warbling minutes after the opening tip.
But there have been glorious high points, too, namely a pair of come-from-behind victories against rival Tennessee and a thoroughly unexpected, yet joyful win at Arkansas over former coach John Calipari during which UK survived four technical fouls.
Now comes the final six games, beginning with a Tuesday home date against Georgia, once the darling of the ball before sliding a bit, but still quite capable.
After that, Kentucky has fierce road tests at Auburn and Texas A&M plus home dates with two teams that have already beaten the Cats – Vanderbilt on Feb. 28 and Florida in the March 7 regular season finale. The lone breather might be South Carolina, but UK has lost three of its last four games in Columbia.
Kentucky will be projected to lose four of its final six games, including its last three, which would give the Cats a 5-6 record to close the season. The 19-12 overall record, including 10-8 in the league, would sink UK for seeding in the upcoming SEC and NCAA tournaments.
So what’s it all mean? One of two things.
The exhaustive stretch over the final five weeks could deplete an already depleted Kentucky roster, leaving only a shell to do battle in postseason. The joy of March may be fleeting.
Or, it will be classic iron sharpens iron and this stretch will render Pope’s club the most battled tested of them all. That’s a crucial trait as the only games that truly matter in NCAA play move to a neutral court where my five versus your five becomes the fight.
The intangible, and the one thing to which Big Blue Nation must cling in the coming days, is Kentucky’s refusal to surrender, which opens the door for the Cats to spoil oddsmakers’ days.
We witnessed it in road rallies from 17 down to win at Tennessee, 18 down to beat LSU and, to a lesser degree, on Saturday when UK managed to charge back from 15 down against Florida before faltering late.
“I believe that for our team, when we’re facing adversity, it’s not the end of the story,” Pope said recently. “It’s a necessary, painful part of the process for us to actually become something great.”
Remember those words during what may be trying times before Selection Sunday when every teams slate is wiped clean.