SEC Tournament 2012: Kentucky's Loss in Title Game Won't Affect Them in Tourney

If Kentucky had beaten Vanderbilt in Sunday's SEC championship game, everyone would've said they were ripe for the picking heading into March Madness—so maybe it's a good thing Vanderbilt handed the Wildcats their first loss since December 10.

It's nearly impossible to beat the same team three times during the course of the season, and Kentucky almost pulled it off but eventually fell 71-64 to the Commodores on Sunday. The Wildcats' bid to go 19-0 in SEC play was crushed, as were their aspirations of seizing the conference title.

But does it really matter? Better to lose now than a week from now.

The Wildcats will still be the top seed overall in this year's field. They are still, by all indications, the scariest team anyone could possibly face. And now, thanks to Vanderbilt, they've become even scarier because right before the tournament that actually matters, they've been reminded of what it feels like to lose. And they're not going to want to feel this way again.

Anything can happen on any given day during March Madness; any No. 16 seed can take down any No. 1 seed. But there's no team that's even in the same ballpark as Kentucky. They have the character to win the close games, and they have the sheer talent to blow even the best competition out of the water. They've proven it, and a close loss against Vanderbilt doesn't change that.

As John Calipari told the Associated Press after Saturday's win, "I've got this team that has the will to win. They want to win. They have great pride."

There's nothing more terrifying than a scary team with hurt pride.

And just for the record, the last time Kentucky lost—on December 10 against Indiana—they came back and laid a 25-point beating on their opponent seven days later. Granted, it was Chattanooga, but still. They didn't wallow or fall into a funk; they came out with a vengeance and reeled off 24 straight wins.

Kentucky may be better off going into the Big Dance on the heels of a loss because it takes some of the pressure off. If the Wildcats headed into their first-round matchup with the world wondering when the other shoe would drop and they'd finally lose a game, it would be that much harder to focus, that much harder to tune out all the voices saying they couldn't do it.

Now, instead, the Wildcats have proven that they're fallible. And now, they're going to be angry, which is the only thing more dangerous than just being good.