The three omens that foretold an unhappy NCAA tourney ending for Kentucky
Fast-break points from the Chris Rock fan club:
21. The 2021-22 Kentucky men’s basketball season. Given how spotty UK’s play was down the stretch — 5-3 in its final eight games before the NCAA Tournament — it was surprising how many were picking John Calipari’s Cats to go to the Final Four.
20. Peacocks’ power. Instead of playing this weekend in New Orleans, Cal’s Cats were stunned in the round of 64 by the No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s Peacocks in an 85-79 overtime shocker.
19. Three omens that foretold UK’s fate. While nothing would have prepared you for a Kentucky loss to Shaheen Holloway’s unheralded crew, there were portents warning you not to pick UK for the Final Four and/or national championship.
18. The “Tennessee omen.” Among UK’s NCAA eight championship teams in 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998 and 2012, you will find a combined zero losses to the Rocky Toppers.
The 2021-22 Wildcats lost two of three meetings to Rick Barnes’ Volunteers.
17. The “native Kentuckian omen.” On every one of UK’s eight NCAA championship teams, you will find at least one player from the commonwealth of Kentucky among UK’s top six scorers.
At 2.3 points per game as the leading in-state scorer, former Pendleton County star Dontaie Allen stood ninth in points per game for the 2021-22 Cats.
16. The “SEC Tournament omen.” Since the Southeastern Conference reinstated its league tourney for the 1978-79 season, every subsequent UK team that has reached the NCAA Tournament Final Four — 1984, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015 — has played in the finals of the conference tournament.
The 2021-22 Wildcats lost in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament to Tennessee.
15. What does it mean? I will let you sort out what degree of causation, correlation and/or coincidence you assign to each of these Kentucky “omens” as they relate to UK’s ultimate NCAA tourney fate. In filling out future March Madness brackets, however, history says you would be wise to take them into account in deciding how far to predict the Cats to advance.
14. Dontaie Allen. On the first day the now-ex-Cat put his name in the transfer portal, at least 14 schools reached out to the former Pendleton County star. Included were Bellarmine, Belmont, Cincinnati, Louisville, Northern Kentucky, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Western Kentucky, Wisconsin and Xavier.
13. All-time wins. Entering Saturday’s Final Four — Villanova vs. Kansas; Duke vs. North Carolina — the all-time wins race stands: 1. Kansas 2,355; 2. Kentucky 2,353; 3. North Carolina 2,322; 4. Duke 2,246.
12. Worst UK loss ever? By seeding, No. 2 UK’s loss to No. 15 Saint Peter’s was the biggest upset a Kentucky team has ever suffered in an NCAA Tournament. So I have no argument with people calling it UK’s “worst loss” ever.
11. Most impactful Kentucky tournament losses. The two NCAA Tournament defeats that cost UK the most, however, did not involve Saint Peter’s — nor Christian Laettner either, for that matter.
10. Most impactful Kentucky loss ever. Was UK’s 92-85 defeat at the hands of UCLA in the 1975 NCAA Tournament championship game.
9. Why it mattered so much. Flip that one result, and UK would presently have nine national championships to UCLA’s 10 — instead of the Bruins current 11-8 advantage.
9. Second-most impactful Kentucky loss ever. Was UK’s come-from-ahead 71-64 defeat to Wisconsin in the 2015 Final Four that ended the Wildcats’ season at 38-1.
8. Why it matters so much. Given how close UK was to college hoops’ first unbeaten national title since 1976 and the agonizing way a late Kentucky lead slipped away, it was a uniquely devastating defeat.
7. Jeff Walz. When the Louisville women face off with No. 1 South Carolina at 7 p.m. Friday in the NCAA Tournament Final Four, it will mark Walz’s fourth head-coaching appearance in the national semifinals — 2009, 2013, 2018, 2022.
6. The new Kentucky record. A fourth women’s Final Four at a university in the commonwealth moves Walz past his mentor, former Western Kentucky head man Paul Sanderford, for our state record for the most women’s NCAA Tournament national semifinals appearances. Sanderford led WKU to the Final Four in 1985, 1986 and 1992.
5. Women’s college basketball transfer portal. As of late Thursday morning, there were almost 850 NCAA Division I women’s hoopsters who had initiated the process of leaving their current schools for a new one.
4. Two Kentucky Miss Basketball winners. Among those with their names in the portal are two prior winners of Kentucky Miss Basketball honors.
3. 2019 Miss Basketball. Former Boyd County star Savannah Wheeler averaged a team-high 20.3 points a game this past season as a junior for Marshall. A 5-foot-6 guard, Wheeler shot 34.5 percent on three-point attempts and 81.7 percent on foul shots.
2. 2020 Miss Basketball. Former Ryle star Maddie Scherr started 28 of the 31 games she appeared in for Oregon this past season and averaged 4.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, a team-best 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals as a sophomore. Scherr made 34.4 percent of her field-goal tries and 32.8 percent on three-pointers.
1. A Miss Basketball trend. If Wheeler and Scherr actually do switch schools, it will mean that every Kentucky Miss Basketball winner from 2016 through 2020 has transferred as a college player.
Men’s NCAA Final Four
At Caesars Superdome in New Orleans
Saturday
6:09 p.m.: Villanova vs. Kansas (TBS)
8:49 p.m.: Duke vs. North Carolina (TBS)
Monday
9:20 p.m.: National championship game (TBS)
