Kentucky Basketball: Are Wildcats falling behind on and off the court?

The postseason results haven’t been Kentucky-good

The definition of success is different for teams like Kentucky compared to everyone else. For most teams, going to back-to-back final fours followed by annual trips to the NCAA tournament that consisted of berths in the elite eight and sweet 16 would be program altering. But for Kentucky, the results since their final four appearances in 2014 and 2015 might be labeled by some as a disappointment.

Everyone remembers when the Wildcats were upset in the first round of the 2013 NIT by Robert Morris. But after bouncing back with those final four trips, they haven’t made it back to the tournament’s final weekend. They have made five of the six dances that have been contested since but have lost as the higher seed in four of them.

In 2016 the no.4 Wildcats fell to fifth-seeded Indians in the second round.  2017 was the team’s most successful tournament since 2015, reaching the elite eight where they lost a heartbreaker to top-seeded North Carolina by two. In 2018 and 2019 they were once again victimized by the upset bug. First, by No. 9 seed Kansas State in the Sweet 16, and then another agonizing defeat in the elite eight. This time in overtime to No. 5 Auburn. Again, to most other schools these seasons are a raging success, but in Lexington they are disappointing.

2020 was disappointing for everyone when covid halted everything, especially the Wildcats who would’ve entered the tournament with a record of 25-6. Coming off the unconventional end to 2020 a lot of teams struggled in 2021. But when you’re Kentucky and you limp your way to nine wins, people tend to take notice.

Of course, this past season they finished 26-8 earning a no. 2 seed in the tournament, but were once again the victim of the upset of the tournament, falling to no. 15 St. Peter’s in overtime. With standards set so high, the results since 2015 have been very unlike Kentucky basketball.