He was able to do so even though he played much of the year with a shoulder injury, and underwent surgery on a torn labrum in his left shoulder after the Tennessee game. He missed UK’s bowl game and has since been rehabbing the shoulder so he could work out for NFL teams.

At UK’s Pro Day on Wednesday, Maxwell finally suited up again. But this time, he was suiting up for Sam Maxwell. Scouts from about 15 NFL teams showed up to put UK’s seniors through drills, workouts and time them in the 40-yard dash. For a player like Maxwell, who has laid low since his injury, it was a chance to get back on the map.

“Not many people know about Sam Maxwell,” Maxwell said. “The only people who know are people who watch Kentucky football.”

Maxwell’s training suffered as he had to focus on recovering from his surgery, and he said he knows he’ll have to improve his 40-yard dash time to raise his stock. He turned in a time in the 4.9s.

Still, Maxwell feels he’ll be able to help an NFL team if he is drafted. He was being discussed as a surefire pick during the season, but much of the buzz around him cooled as he recovered from surgery. Now, he’s not sure if he’ll be drafted or if he’ll have the chance to sign somewhere as a free agent.

“I’m an all-around guy,” Maxwell said. “I’ve got the talent, I’ve got the character. Just give me the chance.”

Preparing for the NFL Draft and a potential career in pro football showed the departing seniors a different side of the game; something many other students who are closing in on graduation might be able to relate to. Maxwell said there’s a lot more stress around the game as he gets ready to work out for teams.

“It’s not just fun and games,” Maxwell said. “There’s a business side you’ve got to get used to. It’s the real world now.”

4th and inches

After a disappointing showing in the 40-yard dash at the combine, linebacker Micah Johnson improved his time at Pro Day. Johnson was clocked at just under 5.0 seconds at the combine last week, but ran in the high 4.7s or low 4.8s on Wednesday … Tailback Alfonso Smith had one of the better showings at Pro Day, running his 40-yard dash in the high 4.2s or low 4.3s. He said he’s hoping to show teams that despite a quiet senior campaign, he can still be an effective contributor and is willing to play special teams … Fullback John Conner had one of the best combines of any UK player, and limited his workouts at Pro Day to a few position drills. He said he’s expecting to be picked in one of the later rounds of the draft.

Though sophomore pitcher Chanda Bell gave up no runs and only three hits through seven innings, the Cats were unable to come up with a victory in extra innings against the No. 18 Louisville Cardinals. The 24th meeting between the bitter rivals ended in a 3-0 loss for UK after eight innings on a breezy night at the UK Softball Complex.

“Chanda threw really well throughout the whole game. Unfortunately, our offense couldn’t produce points,” junior catcher Megan Yocke said. “She kept us in the game long enough so that we had opportunities to win but we couldn’t take advantage of those situations.”

The Cats’ first obstacle came at the top of the fourth inning when Louisville was able to advance runners to first and third base without posting an out in the inning. However, UK was able to escape the Cardinals’ leadoff double by first baseman Alicja Wolny to keep the score knotted at zero.

The initial hit for the Cats came in the bottom of the fourth inning when Yocke landed a single in center field, but UK was unable to capitalize on the hit.

Louisville worked the pitch count early on Bell, forcing her to throw 48 pitches in the first two innings. But Bell found her stride against opposing batters and entered the seventh inning having thrown 111 pitches.

“The amount of pitches Chanda threw is typical for her,” UK head coach Rachel Lawson said. “Louisville is good hitting team so she prepared accordingly for this game.”

After holding the Cardinals scoreless through regulation, UK’s 2-3-4 hitters of Yocke, senior second baseman Natalie Smith and sophomore infielder Brittany Cervantes were due to bat at the bottom of the seventh. However, the trio was unable to come up with offense, sending the Cats to only their second extra innings game of the season.

Melissa Roth of the Cardinals hammered Bell’s pitch over the left field wall for a home run and the lead in the top of the eighth. Shortly after, first baseman Alicja Wolny sent another ball over the outfield wall. UK couldn’t answer.

“We are very resilient team and I expect us to bounce back quickly. I am not worried about our toughness,” Lawson said. “We are going to focus hard on our offense and continue to work on the things we have been doing well like pitching.”

Conwright not only captured MVP honors over the weekend in Austin, Texas, but also led her team Mansfield Timberview High School to its first Class 4A title. She tallied 36 points in her two state tournament games.

According to ESPN HoopGurlz, Conwright, a 5-foot-9 native of Arlington, Texas, is the 36th-best guard in the nation.

The Evansville Aces trumped UK’s ace, sophomore pitcher Alex Meyer, in a sixth inning that saw five runs score against the Cats’ front-of-the-rotation arm en route to a 8-4 loss for UK (10-2).

Meyer, UK’s No. 1 starter, entered the game in the fifth inning out of the bullpen with UK holding a 4-3 lead.  He promptly recorded a three-up, three-down inning.  He said he didn’t feel uncomfortable having to come on in relief.

The game appearance replaced Meyer’s bullpen session.

“I was trying to get him a couple innings of pitching,” head coach Gary Henderson said.  “As good as the first one went, I thought the second one at the time seemed like a good decision.”

And then disaster struck.

Evansville had its first three batters of the inning reach base when Meyer issued two walks and hit a batter.  With the bases loaded, Greg Wallace roped a bases-clearing double that cleared the bases.

When the next batter launched a two-run home run, Meyer was removed from the mound after giving up five runs and recording no outs.

“It was just one of those night,” Meyer said.  “It wasn’t the mechanical, it was just me.  It’s just like any other sport, you have to come out ready to go and the last couple nights I haven’t been.”

After Meyer’s bipolar pitching performance, the Aces held all the cards.  They held onto their 8-4 lead the rest of the game.  There would be no aces up the Cats’ sleeves, as they were unable to answer Evansville’s scoring burst with anything but zeroes.

“We didn’t do much past the fourth,” Henderson said.  “We certainly left guys on base.  We had a chance to capitalize early and often.”

That sixth frame represented exactly why the snowballing inning is a team’s worst nightmare.

Up until that point, UK looked in control of the game.  The Cats scored one run in each of the first four innings, with junior infielder Neiko Johnson serving as a catalyst at the top of the order.  Despite not getting a hit, Johnson reached base his first two plate appearances, stole three bases and scored two runs, helping UK build a 4-3 lead.

“He did a nice job of getting on base, creating some energy for us by scoring a couple runs,” Henderson said.

Sophomore outfielder Corey Farris, a left-handed hitter starting against a left-handed pitcher for the first time all year, was a bright spot in the lineup.  Farris went 3-for-3 with a home run and a double.

“I’m glad to see him hitting,” Henderson said.  “I was really pleased to see him come through and get three hits.”

With second baseman Chris Bisson and catcher Marcus Nidiffer injured and out of the lineup, the 7-8-9 hitters — Braden Kapteyn, Michael Williams and Taylor Black — went a combined 5-for-10 with four RBI as No. 22 UK (10-1) beat Evansville, 7-1.

“Kapteyn saw the ball well and was taking good swings, it was a great day for Michael Williams, and Black hitting the ball hard in the eighth inning really kept that thing going,” UK head coach Gary Henderson said.

It was that trio, sitting at the back end of the lineup card, that propelled the Cats when the game mattered most. Holding a 3-1 lead entering the eighth inning, UK exploded for four runs in its last at-bat to put the game out of reach.

“We just kept battling, and stuff started falling for us,” said sophomore third baseman Andy Burns, who added a home run later that inning. “We talked it over, went up there with a plan, and things started going our way.”

UK might have made the hits start falling for them by putting better swings on the ball.

“We hit some balls on the nose,” Henderson said.  “We were able to hit some balls hard and put things together.”

Up to that point, the offense had to grind it out for runs. The first two runs, scored in the second inning, were unearned, and UK left a total of 11 runners on base.

“I thought it was some of both (bad luck and poor execution),” Henderson said. “On a couple of occasions we hit the ball hard right at somebody, but on a couple of occasions the quality of our at-bats was very good.” While the Cats seem to have a propensity for the big inning, they would rather be able to consistently manufacture runs.

“It’s always nice to get that big inning, put those crooked numbers up,” Burns said. “But we need to get better scoring runs on a consistent basis.  That’s something we’re going to go to work on.”

UK’s offense may have been streaky, but the pitching was steady. Nick Kennedy, who had been injured since early last season, made a successful return, tossing three shutout innings at the end of the game to earn the save.

“I was happy for him,” Henderson said. “It’s been a long road for Nick.  He’s had two surgeries, but he’s worked hard.  He’s a talented kid who can be effective in short stints.”

The submariner’s performance earned him a loud ovation from his teammates in the postgame huddle.

“It was my first time back in about a year, and there’s always jitters when you haven’t pitched in a while,” Kennedy said. “But after that first pitch it all came back. It was nice to get out there and do well and have them give me a little ovation at the end.”

Besides being a heart-warming story for Kennedy the player, it was a hope-forming story for the bullpen. Kennedy’s return gives the Cats another arm to use in a now-bolstered bullpen.

“We’re really glad to have him back,” Henderson said. “He’s really got a chance to help us, that’s pretty clear. He’s a talented kid who can be effective in short stints. Not perfect, not unhittable, but effective.”

It was Media Day at that time, and Cousins was more known for his nicknames, dancing and staggering size than anything else. With the Southeastern Conference Tournament beginning on Friday and the NCAA Tournament beginning the week after that, the Cats have another chance to silence the doubters.

But unlike most SEC teams, UK’s main focus is not the SEC Tournament.

The current focus of the No. 2 Cats (29-2, 14-2 SEC) is to get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The future focus is to hang another banner in the rafters of Rupp Arena.

“My teams have had success (in conference tournaments), historically, we don’t worry about them,” UK head coach John Calipari said. “We’re only trying to win it to get a high seed (in the NCAA Tournament). And I know people may be mad, ‘We’re Kentucky we don’t do it that way.’ You hired me and that’s how I do it.”

College basketball pundits across the country say the Cats are a virtual lock for a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance, but Calipari said he wasn’t so sure. Calipari believes if the Cats win two games in the SEC Tournament, which would put them in the conference championship game, they will be a No. 1 seed. If they win only one game it would be dicey, Calipari said, and if they lose in their first game he’s not sure they will be a No. 1 seed.

To get to the SEC championship game, the Cats may have to go up against both of the teams that beat them earlier this season, South Carolina and Tennessee.

“The hottest team (Mississippi) is on our side (of the bracket),” Calipari said. “Two teams that just won their last game of the season (South Carolina and Alabama), we’re going to play one of them, which means they’re going to us with a two-game win streak and they’re stretched and ready to go. Mississippi has won four straight, Tennessee has won three straight. That’s all on our side (of the bracket). What? Who’s on the other side?”

For the Cats, the proverbial bull’s-eye on their back will be the biggest it’s been all season. With the SEC having only three teams as locks for NCAA Tournament bids, the nine other schools will be competing for the automatic bid that comes with winning the conference championship.

The Cats have had great success in the SEC this season and the SEC Tournament historically, winning more conference tournaments than all other members combined. But their inability to put teams away has drawn the eye of naysayers.

Freshman guard John Wall said he expects his first SEC Tournament to be crazy like the regular season.

“Some teams get a run and they feel like they can win games,” said Wall after UK’s game against Florida on Sunday when the Cats allowed an 18-point lead to be trimmed to two. “We haven’t done our best to put pressure on them. We needed to do a better job at not letting them
think they have a chance.”

With conference tournaments serving as the initial heat to the mayhem that is March Madness, allowing a team back into a game that at one point seemed to be out of reach is something UK will not want to happen.

“Whenever we get up 18, we need to make it 25, probably continue on,” junior forward Patrick Patterson said. “We need to step up, if we get tired we need to come out the game. We can’t let up.”

Almost five months later, Cousins had another message that still rings true today. When asked about how big of a recruiting tool Calipari’s ability to turn freshmen into NBA-ready players after only one year in college was, Cousins said they weren’t focused on that.

“We’re worried about winning a national championship,” he said.

Although UK’s place in the women’s NCAA Tournament won’t become official until Selection Monday, the No. 19 Cats (25-7, 11-5 Southeastern Conference), runners-up in the SEC regular season and SEC Tournament, simply have to sit and wait to find out where and when they’ll play in the field of 64.

“I know that many consider it a down year in the SEC, but I don’t think anyone thought (UK) would be this good,” said Chris Hansen of ESPN’s HoopGurlz. “(The Cats) were criticized early on for not scheduling a difficult non-conference schedule, but league play has rendered that criticism moot.”

ESPN women’s college basketball bracketologist Charlie Creme projects UK as a No. 4 seed in the Kansas City Regional. The Cats’ projected opponent is the Horizon League’s Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix (26-3), which was in the top 25 for eight consecutive weeks during the season, reaching as high as a No. 14 ranking in the coaches’ poll in week 10.

According to Creme’s projection, UK would head west to Seattle for the first two rounds and play on a Saturday/Monday schedule.
Most importantly, the Cats current projection has them avoiding the Connecticut Huskies, who are riding an NCAA women’s basketball record 71-game win streak, as the top seed in their region.

“No team, regardless of seeding, wants to be in Connecticut’s region,” Hansen said. “(UConn) has the tourney experience, elite players at multiple positions and players that put winning over statistics.”

The Cats’ performance against Tennessee this Sunday proved they are capable of sticking around against an elite team, especially when junior forward Victoria Dunlap is on her game. Creme has the Volunteers projected as a No. 1 seed.

Dunlap heads into the NCAA Tournament after being named to the SEC All-Tournament Team. She averaged a little more than 22 points and seven rebounds in UK’s three tournament games.

“I think people forget that Victoria Dunlap was a highly-touted recruit,” Hansen said. “We ranked her in the top 60 based on her athletic potential and she’s lived up to it and then some.”

Both UK and Dunlap show no signs of slowing down, but the relatively young Cats — only Amani Franklin and Lydia Watkins are seniors — will be experiencing something completely new come tournament time.

In fact, the only player with NCAA Tournament experience for UK is sophomore guard Rebecca Gray, a true freshman on the 2008 North Carolina team that reached the regional final.

Even UK head coach Matthew Mitchell will be making his first tournament appearance as a head coach, following back-to-back WNIT appearances in his first two years at UK.

Although UK’s tournament run may be unpredictable, the postseason experience will be good for the upward trend of the program, Hansen said.

“With some good young players returning (UK) should continue to compete at the top of the SEC and for tournament bids (in the future),” Hansen said.

Matthew Mitchell, put your hand down. Obviously, you don’t count.

To tell you the truth, my hand is one of those not raised. Before the season, I would have never guessed Mitchell would have turned the Cats from mediocre to really, really good.

Two years ago, I watched this same program lose an exhibition game to a bunch of thrown-together former women’s basketball players and wondered how much longer Mitchell could last as head coach of the women’s basketball team.

After this season, one in which the Cats finished second in the Southeastern Conference and are a lock to make the NCAA Tournament, my guess is for as long as he wants to be.

After a few seasons of decent play, Mitchell has righted the ship. The only thing keeping the UK women from the spotlight is the success of the men’s team. But at the end of the day, the women’s team, depending on the draw, has just as much of a chance to go deep into the Big Dance as the men.

How did Mitchell do it, seemingly overnight?

Truth be told, it wasn’t that quick of a turnaround.

Players needed to graduate to allow SEC Player of the Year Victoria Dunlap to progress as she has and command this year’s squad. They needed to move on to allow Amber Smith to flourish.

Mitchell had to work the recruiting trail and the phone lines to get his current roster. He took three transfers – Rebecca Gray, Keyla Snowden and Crystal Riley – at the expense of the 2008-09 season, but to the benefit of this year’s squad.

And he got the state’s best player, SEC Freshman of the Year A’dia Mathies, to wear blue instead of going out-of-state like many others have.
Mix that all together and the outcome seems to be what Mitchell has this year: a really good basketball team.

That was proven Sunday evening as the Cats nearly won their second SEC Tournament title over powerhouse Tennessee. At the same time, we saw that some work is still left over.

Regardless of whether UK gets upset in the first two rounds or the Cats make it to the Final Four, this season is a success for Mitchell. It’s a cornerstone to build the program off of.

All the top players return for another season at the helm. They’ll all be hungry for what they missed out on – SEC titles, maybe an NCAA title.
And they’ll know what it takes to get where they want to be.

So enjoy the ride, UK Hoops fans. It’s only up from here.

Mitchell and the Cats should play like they have nothing to lose (because they don’t) and set a strong foundation for next year.
Because then we won’t need a Drive for 5K, baking shows or seemingly weekly appearances by Mitchell on local country stations to get people in the seats.

The basketball will do the talking.

And we’ll all raise our hands, saying we knew this was coming.

Kenny Colston is a journalism senior. E-mail kcolston@kykernel.com.

Preseason top 10, in order: Kansas, UK, North Carolina, Michigan State, Texas, West Virginia, Villanova, Duke, Purdue, Mississippi State.
Seven of those teams are still legitimate Final Four contenders. Kansas, UK and Texas have each held that No. 1 spot at some point in the season, but Texas has since faded into the pack.

Two of those teams, though, won’t even make the tournament. Usually, North Carolina coach Roy Williams proves people wrong by winning. This year, he and his team went another direction. And even if Renardo Sidney didn’t play (and I didn’t expect him to when I made picks in October), Mississippi State still returned all five starters from last year’s NCAA Tournament team. Is Bulldogs coach Rick Stansbury feeling any heat?

Preseason Nos. 11-20, in order: Connecticut, Butler, Washington, Tennessee, Ohio State, California, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Maryland, Michigan.

As of this week’s polls, three of these teams still fall in this range: Butler, Tennessee and Maryland. Ohio State has since jumped up to No. 5, and could earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament if it wins the Big 10 tournament and gets some help from Duke in the ACC.

Both Washington and California, members of the Pac-10, fell off early in the season. Unless a rogue team from outside the projected NCAA field wins the Pac-10 tournament, the league will likely only have one NCAA bid. That’s a pretty far stretch from two teams in the preseason top 20.

Michigan, a team reliant on 3-point shooting, hit 29.8 percent from outside and finished eighth in the Big 10.
Preseason Nos. 21-25, in order: Clemson, Siena, Louisville, Oklahoma, Dayton.

None of these teams are ranked. Louisville, playing well as of late, and Siena received a combined four votes in the regular season-ending Associated Press poll. No. 25 Texas-El Paso received 134.

Preseason unranked teams now ranked, with current ranking: Syracuse (No. 3), New Mexico (No. 8), Kansas State (No. 9), Wisconsin (No. 13), Brigham Young (No. 14), Pittsburgh (No. 16), Temple (No. 17), Gonzaga (No. 18), Vanderbilt (No. 20), Baylor (No. 21), Texas A&M (No. 23), Xavier (No. 24), Texas-El Paso (No. 25).

Ouch.

Not that my picks were much different than that of the mainstream — Syracuse did lose an exhibition game to Division II Le Moyne — but it still stings knowing that my preseason No. 3 is a lock to miss the tournament, and the current No. 3, which I had unranked, is a Final Four favorite. Basketball can be kind and it can be cruel.

Glad that’s off my chest. It gives me a few days to breathe well before my always-awful bracket fills its void.

James Pennington is a journalism senior. E-mail jpennington@kykernel.com.

Sports Editor
SEC Tournament champion: Tennessee
Why they’ll win: No one in the SEC had a better mindset for big games than the Volunteers, who rose to the occasion to beat UK and Kansas. They’re still in the fight for a high seed, and a deep SEC Tournament run could mean as much for them as anyone in the conference. Even though they didn’t get a bye, they caught a break with a first round matchup against Louisiana State and a possible second round game against Mississippi.
Final Four teams: Kansas, UK, Syracuse, West Virginia
National champion: Kansas
The Jayhawks have a combination of raw talent, experience, coaching and depth no other team in the country can match. Offensively and defensively, no team is as balanced as they are. They were the preseason favorites for a reason, and they should still be the odds-on favorite to win it all.
The Cats are the only other team with a level of talent comparable to Kansas, and that should propel them deep in the tournament (as long as they make their 3’s). Syracuse and West Virginia have already survived a brutal conference schedule and have proven they have the track record to succeed in a tournament-type environment.

Metz Camfield

Assistant Sports Editor
SEC Tournament champion: UK
Why they’ll win: They have the most talented team not only in the SEC, but possibly the country. The only knock on the Cats is their youth. The young Cats made clear all the things they want to accomplish this season, and winning the SEC Tournament is one of those goals.
Final Four teams: Kansas, Syracuse, UK, Villanova
National champion: Kansas
What Kansas has that many other teams do not have is experience and players who know how to win NCAA Tournament games. Kansas senior guard Sherron Collins has won a national championship, as has center Cole Aldrich. The wealth of talent will push the Jayhawks over the top.
Syracuse could win the national championship due to their inside-outside presence with Wesley Johnson, Andy Rautins, and Arinze Onuaku.
While UK may have the most talented roster, they also have the most inexperienced roster of all the teams that can compete for a championship. Not one player on UK’s normal starting lineup or among the first three off the bench has ever played in an NCAA Tournament game. The Cats could win the national championship with their wealth of talent, but they could also lose in the second round. They’re too risky to pick for your national champion.
Villanova is a good team that, like UK, could win it all or lose in the second round. The difference with these Wildcats is Scottie Reynolds. If Villanova isn’t hitting from outside though, their lack of a dominant big man could cause them to get upset by a hot-shooting team.

Kevin Novak

UK student
SEC Tournament champion: UK
Why they’ll win: UK will win the SEC tournament if they limit their turnovers and spread the ball out between Patterson, Cousins, and Wall. The biggest threat in the tournament for the Cats will be Tennessee, but they will be out for revenge against the Vols after suffering a loss to them two weeks ago. Other than Tennessee, UK should have no problem getting to the championship game and taking home the SEC crown.
Final Four teams: Kansas, UK, Ohio State, Kansas State
National champion: UK
Kansas has been dominant all season against a tough schedule, suffering only two losses to a very good Kansas State team and Tennessee who beat UK as well. Other than those two losses Kansas didn’t have very many close games. They have a great team with four players averaging over 11 points a game.
UK is going to go into the tournament with a lot of energy and as long as they limit their turnovers and hit their shots they will coast their way through to the Final Four. The two losses to South Carolina and Tennessee will help them in the tournament.
Ohio State has been playing great basketball as of late, winning a share of the Big Ten regular season title. They go into the tournament with the front-runner for the Player of the Year in Evan Turner. As long as Turner gets support from guard Jon Diebler on the outside knocking down 3’s and Dallas Lauderdale playing good down low, I feel the Buckeyes have a very good chance to make it to the Final Four.
Kansas State is another very good team out of the Big 12. They have great players on the team that will help them win in the tournament. They have six losses but four of the six losses have been quality losses (if there is a such thing). Both of their starting guards average over 16 points per game.

Nick Craddock

Staff writer
SEC Tournament champion: Mississippi St.
Why they’ll win: I’m throwing — something Mississippi State fans have been guilty of — caution to the wind with this pick. The Bulldogs have a favorable draw and wouldn’t have to meet UK or Tennessee until the final, and unlike the Cats or Vols, who are more concerned with a better seeding, the Bulldogs need to win out to go dancing, just as they did a year ago.
Final Four teams: Kansas, UK, Villanova, West Virginia
National champion: Kansas
The Jayhawks, the No. 1 team for the most weeks, have a dynamic inside-outside duo in Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich. The Cats’ John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins aren’t too shabby either, but they aren’t upperclassmen like Collins and Aldrich, and experience matters come March. How Wall and Cousins respond on the biggest stage yet, is still an uncertainty.
Guard play is also crucial in March, and Villanova has three dynamite guards in Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes that should send ‘Nova back to the Final Four for the second straight year. Plus, ‘Nova and West Virginia, a team with grittiness, have been battle tested by the Big East, the toughest conference in nation.

James Pennington

Sports columnist
SEC Tournament champion: UK
Why they’ll win: Postseason play is less about rising up to a big-game situation than what is often talked about. It’s the postseason; everybody is rising up to the challenge. Looking at it that way, unfiltered talent is what will carry UK to winning the league tournament. The fact that UK is likely the only school in the conference to have taken each team’s best shot also helps.
Final Four teams: Kansas, UK, Ohio State, New Mexico
National champion: Kansas
The teams to beat in three of the brackets will be Kansas, UK and Syracuse. Of those teams, Syracuse may be the strongest when it is playing well. It may also be the most beatable. Louisville showed twice this year the way to beat the Orange is just to shoot well. If a likely No. 2 seed like New Mexico is matched in a region with Syracuse, the Lobos’ outside shooting, if it’s on, would be tough for the Orange to overcome.
UK and Kansas have the talent and coaching to make it through to Indianapolis. Whichever team is the final No. 1 seed will likely be paired with Ohio State, which should be the highest of the No. 2’s. The Buckeyes would have been a clear-cut top-line team if Evan Turner hadn’t missed six games earlier in the year. Making the Final Four will prove it. You could tell me today either Kansas or UK will win it all and I’d buy it. I’d just be less surprised if it’s the Jayhawks.

Kenny Colston

Editor in chief
SEC Tournament champion: UK
Why they’ll win: They ran through the conference with only two losses on the road and undefeated at home all year long. If you haven’t noticed, even in down years the SEC Tournament is more like Rupp Arena than a neutral site. Playing in an arena full of Blue and White will allow John Wall and Co. to make quick work of whoever stands in the way. Add in a bye game and there’s really no other choice in Nashville.
Final Four teams: Kansas, UK, Michigan State, Villanova
National champion: UK
Obviously, this could all be skewed by the time the brackets are released, but the above mentioned are the best suited for the Big Dance. Kansas and UK boast the best talent, while there is not a better coach in the country when it comes to drawing up crucial plays and winning in the tournament than Tom Izzo. And while Syracuse may be the better team, my guess is Villanova gets an easier road to Indianapolis. UK and Kansas will finally meet in the title game and Calipari will learn to foul before letting a Jayhawk hit a crucial 3-pointer that turns the tide against his squad.