In what has been a slog of a Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball year, the good news is that we are going to know the ultimate tone of the 2020-21 UK season within two weeks.
Over its next four games, Kentucky (5-9, 4-3 SEC) will face No. 9 Alabama (Tuesday night), No. 5 Texas (Saturday night), No. 12 Missouri (Feb. 2) and No. 18 Tennessee (Feb. 6).
For the Wildcats to have any hope of digging out of the Grand Canyon-sized hole they have dug to contend for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid, UK must win at least three of this rugged next four.
The struggles of John Calipari and the Cats are the major story line in a season where the world of Kentucky college basketball has turned upside down.
Teams who have usually been up in recent years are down.
Barring a major breakthrough in these four ensuing games against ranked foes, UK will be hard-pressed to avoid only its second losing season since 1926-27.
Meanwhile, traditional Ohio Valley Conference power Murray State, coming off seasons of 26, 28 and 23 wins, currently stands 6-7, 3-5 in the OVC.
Unless things turn promptly, Coach Matt McMahon’s Racers could end up playing to avert what would be only MSU’s second losing season since 1986-87.
At Northern Kentucky, winners of 24, 22, 26 and 23 games over the prior four seasons, the rebuilding Norse are 7-8, 5-5 in the Horizon League.
If there are postseason conference tournaments in 2020-21, Coach Darrin Horn and NKU will have to gin up some March magic to extend Northern’s string of postseason tournament appearances/viability to five years.
Conversely, teams from the commonwealth that have not had recent NCAA Tournament access/success in recent years are very much on the up this winter.
Seeking its first winning season since 2014-15 and its first OVC regular-season championship since 1978-79, Eastern Kentucky is 13-2, 7-1 in the OVC.
Only league titan Belmont (16-1, 10-0 OVC) stands ahead of Coach A.W. Hamilton’s Colonels in the conference standings.
With two remaining games against the Bruins — Feb. 11 in Nashville; Feb. 25 in Richmond — Eastern controls its own fate in the league race.
Seeking its first winning season since 2015-16 and its first OVC regular-season championship since 2002-03, Morehead State is 11-6, 8-2 in the OVC.
Coach Preston Spradlin’s Eagles are responsible for one of the two losses suffered by archrival EKU, a 75-62 home-court victory Dec. 14. Morehead also snapped a 13-game losing streak at Murray State with a 61-56 victory on Jan. 2.
Like Eastern, Morehead State also has two remaining games with Belmont — Feb. 13 in Nashville; Feb. 27 in Rowan County. However, it will also take another league loss by EKU to put MSU in control of its destiny in the conference title race.
Seeking its first NCAA Tournament trip since 2012-13 — an eternity by the tradition-rich standards of its program — Western Kentucky stands 13-4 and leads the Conference USA East Division with a 6-2 league mark.
Coach Rick Stansbury has the Hilltoppers off to their best start through 17 games since Dennis Felton’s 2001-02 squad began 14-3 en route to a 28-4 season.
WKU also holds what, presently, is the best win by a Kentucky team in the 2020-21 season
On Dec. 19, Western traveled to Tuscaloosa and hung a 73-71 upset loss on host Alabama. Hilltoppers big man Charles Bassey — whose season-long play (17.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 59.1 percent field-goal shooting) merits All-America consideration — went for 27 points on 11-for-14 shooting and had 12 boards vs. Bama.
WKU held the now-No. 9-ranked Crimson Tide to 7-for-26 three-point shooting.
Seeking a trip past the NCAA Tournament’s first weekend for the first time since 2014-15 (or 2008-09 if one takes into account games subsequently vacated by the NCAA for rules violations), Louisville is now 10-3, 5-2 ACC.
Coach Chris Mack’s Cardinals are, at the present time, the only in-state team that would presumably be in line for an NCAA tourney at-large berth if they fail to win an automatic bid.
U of L’s ability to get out of the NCAA Tournament’s first weekend likely depends on whether big man Malik Williams can make a successful return from foot surgery before this season ends.
If the 6-11 Williams returns healthy to go along with the capable backcourt of Carlik Jones and David Johnson, Louisville will be dangerous in March Madness.
Seeking credibility in its first season transitioning into NCAA Division I from Division II, Bellarmine is earning some D-I street cred.
Though ineligible for the NCAA Tournament while in transition, Coach Scott Davenport’s Knights stand 7-5, 4-2 in the ASUN conference and are riding a four-game league win streak.
So, buckle up: In this Kentucky college basketball season where up is down and down is up, the ending figures to be wild.
