Kentucky No. 9 at the SEC? Money can only buy so much happiness

Urban Klavzar drives on UK's $22 million lineup (UAA Photo)

"Money don't matter 2 night

It sure didn't matter yesterday

Just when u think u've got more than enough

That's when it all up and flies away" – Prince

The Kentucky Wildcats open the Southeastern Conference Basketball Tournament as the No. 9 seed, which isn’t exactly what the Big Blue Nation thought was in the cards when $22 million was forked out to build a roster capable of cutting down the nets at the Final Four. National championship dreams have been replaced by the nightmare of the indignity of playing the first game of the SEC Tournament against No. 16 LSU.

Making matters worse for the Big Blue Nation, the first game of the tournament is 11:30 a.m. local time, 12:30 p.m. EDT. Has Kentucky ever started an SEC Tournament this early and with the prospects of needing to win four games in four days just to get to the championship game? Kentucky spent all that money on a roster that lacks the depth and the talent to do that.

Beat LSU in game one and the Wildcats have to face a rested Georgia team at noon Thursday. That’s the same Georgia team that bushwhacked Kentucky at Rupp a couple of weeks ago. Beat Georgia and it’s the Florida Gators on Friday. The Gators are rested and ready to go on a search and destroy mission having not played since beating Kentucky at Rupp last Saturday.

Florida is in every conversation about winning a national championship. Conversations about Kentucky begin with what happens with Mark Pope if the Wildcats go belly up day one or day two? Despite the pleadings of Jimmy Dykes and Dick Vitale who proclaimed Pope is the perfect guy to lead Kentucky during last Saturday’s Florida-Kentucky ESPN broadcast. About the only way the Big Blue Nation would agree with that assessment is if Kentucky does the unthinkable and goes 5-for-5 in Nashville to win the tournament. It’s not impossible. Stranger things have happened such as the 2008 tornado that damaged the old Georgia Dome, forcing the tournament to move to Georgia Tech for the semifinals and finals. Georgia had to play two games on Saturday to win the championship.

Donkeys might fly before something that bizarre happens again, although in the eyes of Kentucky fans the Wildcats playing the first game of the tournament as the No. 9 seed is reach out and touch close. Two things might happen if LSU were to spring the upset today: 1. LSU would probably announce that Matt McMahon would be returning to coach the Tigers next year; and, 2. Kentucky would be putting out a notice on Linked In and other social media outlets that it’s in the market for a new head coach.

Kentucky should beat LSU. Emphasis on should. Oklahoma, Texas and Auburn should win their first round games. Once again, emphasis on should. Kentucky will make the NCAA Tournament no matter what happens because the NCAA knows the Big Blue Nation travels and it’s an almost guaranteed sellout wherever the Wildcats play in the first round of the Big Dance. Oklahoma has won four straight games. Can two wins in Nashville punch the Sooners’ dance card? How about three? Texas is in although a low NCAA seed. Try No. 10 or No. 11. Auburn? Two wins could do it, but three for sure.

NCAA locks no matter what happens in Nashville: Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Kentucky. Should be in: Texas and Missouri.

The pick to win it all: Florida. The Gators are too big, too fast, too well coached. There isn’t an SEC team in Florida’s league. The pick to make it to the championship game to play the Gators: Arkansas if Darius Acuff Jr. is healthy.

SEC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Wednesday, March 11

1. No. 9 Kentucky (19-12, 10-8 SEC) vs. No. 16 LSU (15-16, 3-15 SEC)

2. No. 12 Oklahoma (17-14, 7-11 SEC) vs. No. 13 Mississippi State (13-18, 5-13 SEC)

3. No. 10 Texas (18-13, 9-9 SEC) vs. No. 15. Ole Miss (12-19, 4-14 SEC)

4. No. 11 Auburn (16-15, 7-11 SEC) vs. No. 14 South Carolina (13-18, 4-14 SEC)

Thursday, March 12

5. No. 8 Georgia (22-9, 10-8 SEC) vs. Winner game 1

6. No. 5 Tennessee (21-10, 11-7 SEC) vs. Winner game 2

7. No. 7 Missouri (20-11, 10-8 SEC) vs. Winner game 3

8. No. 6 Texas A&M (21-10, 11-7 SEC) vs. Winner game 4

Friday, March 13 (Quarterfinals)

9. No. 1 FLORIDA (25-6, 16-2) vs. Winner game 5

10. No. 4 Vanderbilt (24-7, 11-7 SEC) vs. Winner game 6

11. No. 2 Alabama (23-8, 13-5 SEC) vs. Winner game 7

12. No. 1 Arkansas (23-8, 13-5 SEC) vs. Winner game 8

Saturday, March 14 (Semifinals)

13. Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner

14. Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner

Sunday, March 15

Championship game

TODD GOLDEN, FIFTH BEST COACH IN THE COUNTRY?

That’s the opinion of John Leuzzi; someone I’ve never heard of who writes for USA Today. Dan Hurley as the No. 1, I can see that since he’s the only coach in the country who has back-to-back titles, but Jon Scheyer, Tommy Lloyd and Dusty May ahead of Golden? Surely he jests. They are good basketball coaches but neither Scheyer, Lloyd nor May have won a national championship. Todd Golden has and he might get a second one this year.

Here is Leuzzi’s top ten: 1. Dan Hurley, UConn; 2. Jon Scheyer, Duke; 3. Tommy Lloyd, Arizona; 4. Dusty May, Michigan; 5. TODD GOLDEN, FLORIDA; 6. Tom Izzo, Michigan State; 7. Kelvin Sampson, Houston; 8. John Calipari, Arkansas; 9. Bill Self, Kansas; 10. Rick Pitino, St. John’s.

SEC in the latest Joe Lunardi (ESPN) brackets

East: 1. Duke; 2. Michigan State; 3. Alabama; 4. Kansas (SEC: 5. Vanderbilt)

South: 1. FLORIDA; 2. Houston; 3. Nebraska; 4. Purdue (SEC: 10. Texas; 11. Missouri)

Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. UConn; 3. Iowa State; 4. Texas Tech (SEC: 5. Tennessee; 7. Georgia)

West: 1. Arizona; 2. Illinois; 3. Gonzaga; 4. Virginia (SEC: 5. Arkansas; 7. Kentucky)

THE SEVEN TEAMS THAT COULD WIN IT ALL

FLORIDA: The Gators are hot and healthy. They’ve made 43-99 from three their last five games. So much for they can’t shoot. Nobody in the SEC plays better defense. Nobody in all of college basketball transitions from defense to offense better. Nobody in college basketball has a front line that can match Tommy Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon and coming off the bench Micah Handlogten. The perimeter rotation of Xaivian Lee, Boogie Fland, Urban Klavzar and Isaiah Brown is vastly underrated.

ARIZONA: The Wildcats can match the Gators’ size and physicality up front. They have very physical guards led by freshman Brayden Burries. There are quality wins over Florida and UConn, blowout wins over SEC opponents Alabama and Auburn. The secret to beating the Wildcats is make their perimeter guys win the game with their outside shooting. Tobe Awaka off the bench is an absolute beast to deal with.

MICHIGAN: The loss of L.J. Cason (ACL) cannot be underestimated. He was the backup point guard and an outstanding outside shooter. The Wolverines have a tall front line but as they showed in losing to Duke, the outside shooting is suspect without Cason. Elliott Cadeau can disappear as he did in the Duke loss. He’s only 4-18 from three since then. The Wolverines are good enough to get to the Final Four. Good enough to win?

DUKE: Point guard Caleb Foster had surgery to repair a fractured foot. There is only one other point guard on the team, Cayden Boozer. Can he play 40 minutes? Is he good enough defensively to replace what Foster brings to the table? Center Patrick Ngongba has a high ankle sprain and won’t play in the ACC Tournament. How effective will he be when he comes back. Duke doesn’t have a lot of size to back him up. Can Cameron Boozer carry the Blue Devils all the way to a championship?

HOUSTON: Three starters from last year’s team that lost in the championship game to Florida – Emanuel Sharp, Joseph Tugler and Milos Uzan – plus outstanding freshmen Kingston Flemings and 6-11 Chris Cenac Jr. Nobody guards the perimeter better than Houston and the Cougars battle hard on the boards, but is there enough depth up front to win it all?

MICHIGAN STATE: Wins over Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina, a white knuckles loss to Duke when Duke was at full strength. If Michigan State is the No. 2 in Duke’s bracket and there is no Caleb Foster to handle the pressure, Tom Izzo could get to the Final Four.

UCONN: For UConn to win it, Alex Karaban can’t disappear which he did in those unexplainable losses to Creighton and Marquette and Taras Reed has to go beast mode. Wins over Florida and Texas from the SEC, BYU from the Big 12 and a white knuckles loss to Arizona. A lot of things have to go right for UConn to win it.