Tournament time: For teams in

Kentucky, This is IT!

For Morehead State (in), Louisville, Bellarmine, Georgetown, and at this writing, possibly Western Kentucky, drum roll, please.

This is IT! Michael Jackson crooned. Tournament time.

Morehead will wait to see if its next foe is Kansas, Duke or Ohio State.

The best tournament could be the Big East and UofL is a major reason why.

Flagship U. Kentucky heading to the Southeastern Conference Tournament will be no UK Invitational at Atlanta, but will be standing room only entertainment on court, the usual colorful carnival of it, this is a team nobody wants to play.

John Calipari’s all-grown-up Wildcats arrive with a smartly earned three-game win streak and a new sixth man on its (too) much discussed short bench. Big Mo.

Big Mo pulled on Wildcat blue and white Sunday night in Knoxville after Kentucky laid a second half whoopin’ on Tennessee that left top scorer Scotty Hopson muttering to himself, reducing Volunteer faithful to travel plans for New York (NIT), and Bruce Pearl pondering which long distance moving service to hire to send his household goods.

Kentucky’s 35.8 shooting aside, the Wildcats demonstrated why “young team” has morphed into a defensive juggernaut (at least) that has sent Big Blue stock soaring.

Kentucky’s 40 minutes in Knoxville was a final exam of sorts, result of five months of combat experience gotten against a range of styles and talent – schooled by UConn, bullied at Georgia and Alabama, cut up by clever Vandy, beaten at the wire by the Billy Donovans. The Wildcats have seen it all.

A breakdown of Kentucky’s performance in Knoxville. First half was survival and stay close. The Wildcats did. Second half was grit, toughness, poise and more toughness. Tennessee surrendered.

Brandon Knight was extraordinary in spite of wearing Melvin Goins and Trae Golden on his windshield for all 40 minutes.

Darius Miller shot daggers. Josh Harrellson had zero points, but did what he does, be in the right place at the right time for key rebounds.

DeAndre Liggins made another daytime nightmare for Scotty Hopson.

Terrence Jones, who still has growing up to do, muscled Tobias Harris to a draw, missed a dozen shots, nine free throws, and still posted a double-double.

Finally, Kentucky’s too much-maligned bench featured a glossy six points, six rebounds, three assists and defense for 28 minutes from Liggins and 10 solid minutes combined from Eloy Vargas and Jon Hood. Vargas’ three points, a rebound and blocked shot, primes him for tournament play. None of the three had a turnover.

And so, March …

Tournament time for UK and a team nobody wants to play.

Defense. If Kentucky’s had a color it would be platinum. Man-to-man-to-zone and back again and ever tenacious. It lured the Vols into a case of The Tights. That twilight zone where players develop the yips, too edgy with each possession, can’t distinguish good shot from bad. Result: Hopson, two of 10 and Tobias Harris 13 tries overall and a second half disappearance.

Comment on Harris: Chose the wrong school, kid.

Barring upsets, Big Blue and Big Mo will take attitude into games against Ole Miss and Alabama. Both stuck Ls on the Calipari(s) in regular season.

Kentucky’s three game win streak is no small item. It was built against ranked teams Florida and Vanderbilt, and on the road in Knoxville.

Side notes.

• Kentuckian Hopson managed two field goals in 34 minutes of frustration and pout. In two losses to Kentucky this season, he scored 11 and 15 points.

• Oddity. With 19 seconds left at Tennessee, Kentucky had a five-point lead and won by six. With 21 seconds left at West Virginia, Louisville had a five-point lead and lost.

Bringing to the fore once again, premier sports philosopher Yogi Berra. It’s never over ‘til it’s over.

ALLAN HOUSTON

Think Arthur Ashe, Stan Musial, Pete Dawkins … and Allan Houston.

Best of the best sports stars who set the bar high. Too high for some, within reach of others willing to be worthy. Those who get it in this life.

Houston was in Knoxville Sunday having his No. 20 jersey hoisted into the rafters at Thompson-Boling alongside those of Bernard King and Ernie Grunfeld.

Kentucky Mr. Basketball 1989, Houston is now 39, father to six children and home is Connecticut. Successful ball player high school, college and the NBA, all the way to now, Houston climbed his mountains with grace and style.

“Having the opportunity to play for my father (Wade),,” he said, “no matter how many wins or losses or stats, I believe being here (at UT) was so much about me growing and learning how to be a young man.”

WORTH REPEATING

Cal Tech’s men’s basketball team defeated Occidental College 46-45 February 22. The win ended a conference losing streak of 310 in a row over 26 years. Calculated another way, Tech’s last win was seven U.S. Presidents ago. Since the Beavers last won a basketball game five Cal Tech alums have won a Nobel Prize.

Context? The last 26 years UK has sent more than two dozen players to the NBA.

BARNHART & BBVA

Kentucky and the BBVA Compass Bowl disaster January 8 was back in the news last week. University of Kentucky’s bowl trip cost the school $126,740.

Unlike his press conference to praise UK’s director of athletics, there will be no Lee Todd report about UK taking a financial bath on its bowl trip. According to figures UK supplied the SEC and reported by the Birmingham News, of UK’s 7,000 ticket allotment, 2,540 went unsold.

Barnhart explained accepting the Compass Bowl bid, telling the Lexington Herald-Leader, “… we knew it would be difficult to match revenues with the expenses. Our goal for this event were to continue our presence in post season play as we are one of 28 schools that have gone to five consecutive bowls.”

Sounds remarkably like U.S. government economic policy these days, i.e. “yes, we spent beyond our means, but image is more important. We can always raise ticket prices again to make up the deficit. And besides, President Todd has seen to it that I’m going to get mine.”

And so it goes.

Sports In Kentucky appears in community newspapers across Kentucky. You can reach Bob Watkins at Sprtsinky@aol.com