SEC Tournament 2012: Kentucky Will Continue to Thrive in SEC Championship Game

Kentucky did what many teams struggle to accomplish in sports—defeat the same team three times in a season.

The Wildcats improved to 32-1 after their victory over Florida in the SEC semifinals on Saturday. Kentucky has the best team in the country and a SEC tournament victory on Sunday will prove that they can rise up in a smaller, non-important tournament leading up to the Big Dance.

They are ready to thrive.

The Wildcats have few flaws like depth and potential three-point shooting, but guys like Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, Marquis Teague and Doron Lamb provide an awesome five-man core that is capable of covering up those flaws.

All five were in double figures against the Gators. 

Senior Darius Miller can also play an important role if the other five aren't having regular performances. 

Kentucky has breezed through SEC competition, blowing out the majority of their opponents. A major reason for their success is their physical style of defense led by Anthony Davis down low. He has recorded 152 blocks this season—an average of 4.8 blocks per contest. 

Miller and Kidd-Gilchrist can really get after it guarding multiple positions. Their length and athleticism is a major plus for the Kentucky program.

Defensively is where Kentucky will dominate on Sunday. It may be a close game at the end, or down the stretch, but their ability to defend will be the difference maker. Tipped balls, turnovers and great outlet passes will lead to easy transition buckets for the Wildcats.

Kentucky deserves to be labeled the best team in the country given their complete body of work. The great thing about college basketball is that it doesn't matter come tournament time. One poor outing or one team shooting a high percentage from outside could mean lights out for even the best team in the nation.

The Wildcats don't want to go into the NCAA tournament on a losing note despite how much John Calipari doesn't care for conference tournaments.

They will come ready to dominate on Sunday.