The national sound and fury aimed at the Alabama basketball program has not abated. The Charles Bediako debate received considerable air time during Tuesday night's broadcast of the Alabama vs. Missouri game.
There was another SEC basketball story on Tuesday night. It came out of Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, TN. Vanderbilt was missing one of its key players, Duke Miles. The Kentucky Wildcats had finally gained momentum from five straight wins. The Commodores had lost three of their last four games. Kentucky fans were optimistic about a sixth consecutive win.
In the game's first several minutes, the Wildcats missed every shot, seven from the floor and two at the foul line. The Kentucky site A Sea of Blue wrote, " This game was ugly from the start... The Cats couldn’t score. They couldn’t defend. They looked absolutely lost, and this game was over before it even started. Vanderbilt led 43-23 at halftime."
Kentucky coach Mark Pope said, "We just didn't have the intensity to hit first. We got punched in the mouth pretty good, and we just didn't respond — at all — in this game." Kentucky fans describe the intensity problem as common, from a team that does not play hard enough.
Many Kentucky fans have given up on Pope., and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart for hiring him. The Big Blue Nation may have a bigger problem than Mark Pope. If the Wildcats don't have the largest player payroll in college basketball, they are close. The cautionary lesson coming out of Lexington is while money can buy talent, it cannot buy effort, determination, and the money may hinder team cohesion.
Kentucky fans in Nashville commented that in the second half, more than one key player seemed unbothered by the blowout, which ended at 80-55. The Cats have a growing resume of blowout losses going back to last season. In the remaining regular-season schedule, only one home game and one road game look like sure wins. Lose even five of the 10 remaining, and the Big Blue Nation may not be Dancin' in March.
Nick Saban has repeatedly said, that any team that buys the wrong guys will be in big trouble. Kentucky may be living that right now.