SEC Finals Recap

Kentucky 89, Florida 73
Utter and complete domination. Within six seconds of the game beginning, Gerald Fitch had hit a three pointer, cracked a devious smile on his face and given notice to all the fans in the Georgia Dome that this was going to once again be the Wildcats’ day. Kentucky got out fast and furious and put on a display of offensive productivity in the first six minutes of the game that was as good as any performance by any team all season long. They spent the last few minutes of the first half playing their reserves, keeping a double digit lead and allowing their starters a chance to rest for the final sprint. The second half began and within minutes, the game was over. Gerald Fitch, Cliff Hawkins, Chuck Hayes, Eric Daniels and Kelenna Azubuike took turns scoring at will on the overmatched Florida team and when all was said and done, they left the floor with a 25 point lead and the knowledge that once again, they were the top team in the SEC.

There is likely no series between two teams that can legitimately be called a “rivalry” that has been as one-sided in recent years as the Kentucky-Florida games. The Wildcats have won 9 of the last 10 and in the past two seasons, have looked like a completely dominant force against the Gators. Billy Donovan admitted last Sunday after a whipping in Lexington on Senior Day that he was finally going to learn from the recruiting strategies of his fellow coach Tubby Smith and attempt to develop Seniors as the Kentucky coach has, so that he will not have to perpetually tout the strengths of his “young” team. Over and over this season, this group of Wildcats has been told that they were not as talented as past teams, that they had no player who would one day play for pay in the NBA, that Tubby’s decision not to sign All-American recruits had caused the chickens to come home to roost. However someone forgot to tell these Wildcats that any of this meant that they were to stop winning. Led by 6 players who play with a degree of teamwork and chemistry unmatched across the nation, Kentucky is now going into the NCAA Tournament as the top overall #1 seed in the tournament. Quick, how many of you predicted that at the beginning of the year? This team is now a solid pick for the Final 4 and just might be cutting down the nets again in San Antonio in April.

We have heard all a lot recently that Tubby Smith is a fabulous coach who has done a wonderful job with this team, and that is certainly true. Smith has never gotten all of the credit he deserves but folks all over the country, and more important to the program, all over the state of Kentucky are truly beginning to believe in him. However what has been forgotten is that Kentucky is winning the way that all teams will have to win in this age of high schoolers to the NBA. They have a solid core of players who believe in themselves and their coach, and they sacrifice their own personal glory for the sake of the team. It is often hard to watch a powerful program such as Kentucky and think of them as gritty underdogs, but in many ways that is exactly what this group is. When you are filling out your brackets, think long and hard before you send the Wildcats packing. It was a pleasure to watch this team this week in Atlanta, and if they play as they did here, they will not be stopped this post-season.