Last Season
For those who don’t know, last year the Wildcats’ men’s basketball team finished with a dismal 9-16 record as shown in the team’s stats. This was the team’s worst record since its 1926-27 season, according to sports-reference.com.
My guess is that COVID-19 restrictions on practices impacted Kentucky more than many other teams. A young, inexperienced team like UK Coach John Calipari often features needs more practice time to develop than an experienced team might. At least that’s my amateur perspective.
My History as a Fan
I’ve been a University of Kentucky basketball fan since at least the 1969-70 season. At age 12, I cried after that #1 ranked 1969-70 UK team led by All-American Dan Issel lost in the NCAA tournament to Jacksonville which was led by Artis Gilmore.
It’s sad that a person, even a child, could take a basketball loss so seriously. After all, it’s only a game. But it’s been stated that UK basketball is almost a religion in Kentucky. And there’s likely at least a bit of truth to that.
As a college student a few decades ago, I sometimes camped out in order to be in line for quality seats for UK home games. And I wasn’t the only one. Typically a crowd of students camped outside Memorial Coliseum seeking to get nice tickets for seats in the lower arena.
Over the years, I accumulated things to show my fan support for UK men's basketball (as well as UK women's basketball and UK football), including those pictured below.
This year I (and others) expect Kentucky to be a much better team and return to its winning ways, reaching the NCAA Sweet Sixteen (or better). ESPN’s “Way-Too-Early Top 25” on August 31st, 2021 listed UK as #9 in the country. That forecast seems reasonable to me.
A highlight of Kentucky’s 2021-22 schedule is a November 9th game against Duke in New York’s Madison Square Garden. Duke is another powerhouse that was an underachiever last year. This game will offer an early checkup on how the two teams have improved this year. Added emotion will come from this being Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final season as Duke coach. I especially look forward to this game.
A January 29th, 2022 game at Kansas is probably the other highlight of the nonconference season. And the SEC schedule features some strong competition. The SEC is a much better basketball conference than it used to be. I expect a few other SEC teams to be ranked in the top 25, though not as good as Kansas, Duke, or (I hope) Kentucky.
Roster
This year’s Kentucky team includes a roster that is possibly Coach Calipari’s most experienced one during his coaching career at Kentucky, featuring returnees, quality transfers with experience, and incoming freshmen.
I’m not going to speculate on who will start. My guess is that Coach John Calipari is still weighing options in this regard. Maybe competition for a starting position will lead to extra effort by players.
The Future
The future looks even brighter for the Wildcats. Kentucky’s ongoing recruiting for the 2022-23 season is off to a great start, with three quality commitments ranked #1, #6, and #17 in the country by 24/7Sports.
Closing Thoughts
It remains to be seen how COVID-19 will affect the upcoming season and the future. As of now, UK Athletics has announced plans to allow full capacity for events, including Big Blue Madness, the opening practice in Rupp Arena, but attendees will be required to wear masks.
I expect an exciting season. But remember that basketball is only a game. It’s not that important in the grand scheme of things.
NOTE:This article was last revised October 1, 2021.
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