Kentucky Loss to Georgia Shows They Deserve the NIT

It was supposed to happen sooner or later. Everyone has gone through it. Kentucky has gone through it before and this probably won't be the last time either.

Every top college basketball in the program rarely misses the prestigious NCAA Tournament, but every team every now and then does miss.

This season for the Kentucky Wildcats is just one of those seasons. The NCAA Tournament streak is over. It's been a great run since the early 1990s but unless Kentucky wins the SEC Tournament the likely hood of another bid is almost zero to none.

But why has Kentucky been playing so poorly of late? Isn't this the team that was a buzzer beater away from defeating Louisville?

Isn't this the team that started the SEC 5-0 and has beaten Tennessee twice by large margins? Yes, that is Kentucky. And yes, at times this season Kentucky team has looked stellar. But that's just sometimes. Most of the time however they look nothing close to a tournament team.

However, Kentucky fans continue to rip on Billy Gillispie. These ignorant fans continue to stick their noses in BCG's business—saying he needs to go even when he hasn't completed his second season of coaching.

The real reason is not the coach. It's the players.

Over the last three games I have watched this team with close intent. I have examined their play and the way they have played has really caught my eye as to why they have wilted so much these last few games.

No heart. No intelligence. No leadership. No effort.

A team must possess all four of these qualities game in and game out if they want to win. Just because you have possibly the two best players in the SEC means nothing. Kentucky's talent is through the roof.

Jodie Meeks is one of the most talented players in the country.

Patrick Patterson is one of the strongest.

Darius Miller is starting to blossom and has been one of the best freshman in the SEC.

Perry Stevenson plays great defense. He makes good cuts for open dunks and can hit the jump shot when open for the opportunity.

Josh Harrelson possesses a blue collar toughness no one else on the team has.

Kevin Galloway is one of the most athletic players on the team that does a lot.

Michael Porter at times can show toughness, but overall he does a good job of trying to possess leadership.

Ramon Harris, who has had a tough season health wise, is maybe our best defender. He's quiet but gets the job done.

DeAndre Liggins displays selflessness, and is a fantastic passer when he wants to be.

A.J. Stewart has always wanted to play and at times when given the opportunity plays well.

Those players are the players that will play on a nightly basis.

The qualities that those players possess are things that every team wants. Those talents and elements are lethal when all put together. But each of the players must give over 100 percent to reach that level.

Most of the time, when a coach says play 110 percent a player thinks its just a cliche.

We'll it's not.

When a player plays 100 percent they exhibit some skills and are huffing and puffing when a game is over. But the remaining 10 percent comes from the heart, intelligence, leadership, and effort in the game.

None of the players on the Kentucky Wildcats current roster, especially the players mentioned, have possessed any of these four qualities throughout the season. NOT ONE.

Fortunately for Kentucky, there is more of a chance Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks will stay next season. On paper and at first glance these two are outstanding. However, when watched closely you will understand why these two still have many flaws. So I will start with these two criticism wise.

Jodie Meeks is great. But he's not the best. There are reasons. Although he is a scoring threat to any team in the nation, of late he has not played with the same tenacity he had earlier in the season.

Jodie Meeks turns the ball over too frequently. Too often he tries too hard to put his team back in the game and he makes poor decisions. He doesn't yell enough on the basketball court to help a player out.

Recently in the past few games Jodie doesn't run hard enough and because of it a player will blow by him and he will have commited a foul due to his lack of effort. He may be ready to play in the NBA where trying doesn't matter. But he is no way ready for the NCAA Tournament where heart matters.

Patrick Patterson is great, as well. However his lack of knowledge on the court may be his greatest weakness.

He's strong, but he's not a monster. There have been too many times this season where he is double teamed and he still goes up for the shot. Instead of passing the ball back out he decides to shoot an impossible shot that 75 percent of the time gets blocked.

He also catches the ball way too low which is a huge disadvantage when going up for a shot. His rebounding needs to improve as he needs more boxing out.

Patterson plays best when away from the basket. He turns and shoots. He must stop catching then dribbling down low. That doesn't work. 

Once again he may be good enough in the NBA where rebounding and being smart don't matter. But he also isn't ready for the NCAA Tournament where intelligence matters.

Perry Stevenson is next because he is supposed to do the third most. He plays best when shooting an open jumper from the free throw line. Or when he cuts down low for an easy dunk.

When he posts up and tries to make a move for the basket he fails. Mainly because unlike Patterson he is not strong. He is strictly finesse. When he plays finesse he excels. When he doesn't he fails.

These three are probably criticized most on the team mostly because they are expected to do the most. They are expected to be the core of this team. Even when playing at 90 percent these three are better than almost everyone on the court.

But that's the problem when you play 90 or 100 percent—it looks like you may be tired but you MUST play harder. So when fans question why Gillispie sits Meeks and Patterson for five straight minutes or why Meeks doesn't play most of the second half—you have your answer.

This game has become too related to winning.

Yes, winning is the greatest feeling there is. I love winning more than almost any human being. If Kentucky would have won by one over Georgia I would have been in a great mood.

But that's the problem. That's the problem with all fans and players.

Playing these two gives Kentucky a better chance to win the basketball game. But in the long run who cares? These two need to sit on the bench when they don't play their hardest.

At this point, it's do or die. When you lose to Georgia your dead. So you may feel they need to play. But who cares? All your doing is adding fuel to the fire that is worthlessness.

No one on the team learns anything if you win by default. Making mistakes is good, and if it's the NIT this team needs then fine.

This team has more talent than last season. But you are what your record is. And right now Kentucky is 8-7 in a depleted SEC league.

Last season a team that is not as good as this years was 12-4. The reason are the four qualities that are the remaining 10 percent to the key of winning. Last season those were present. This season they aren't.

Last season when push came to shove the seniors in Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford had what it took to become champions. Maybe not NCAA champions, but champions on the court.

They learned what it truly meant to become a leader. Maybe it takes until someone's senior season until they learn what it is to have heart as well.

Before Joe and Ramel's final season they possessed none of these four. In fact, some fans thought they were huge underachievers in their first three seasons.

But come last year with the help of new coach Billy Gillispie they learned what it meant to play hard. With courage. With heart.

They learned how to play with their backs against the wall. E

ven when Patterson went down last season they still flourished because they gave 110 percent. They had experience.

When Joe Crawford is playing so hard and playing with guts, and his legs are cramping up because he's playing so hard, that's when you know you have a special player. A simple hands on your head look for the players this season isn't good enough.

Kentucky has no experience. Talent comes up short when there's no one with experience that shows leadership. LSU may not have the most talented team in the SEC, but they have the best because of senior heart, leadership, and knowledge.

They have three players from the 2006 Final Four team. South Carolina has a senior in Devan Downey who can lead his team no matter in what situation. He ignites his team.

Just because Gillispie is the coach doesn't mean he is responsible for the motivational factor. He's not. The motivational factor comes from your peers. Gillispie tries to make a difference in motivation. He tries to show his team heart.

He knows what it is seeing as he has lived a long life. But kids aren't going to listen to an old man even if he is their coach. They'll listen to his strategy planning, and they'll listen to the scouting reports.

But these are kids. They don't know the meaning of living. They haven't experienced life to its fullest. These kids are 19, 20, and 21 years old. Do you really think they have an attention span to learn enough to be a great team? No.

Talented teams only go so far. Sit down and watch the tournament this season. Most of the mid major surprises are lead by teams with seniors.

Most teams who win a national championship have seniors on their roster. Kansas and Memphis both had two starting seniors.

Both Kansas and Memphis this season are young. They have overachieved mainly due to an over abundance of talent. But just watch. Talent only goes so far.

Many people say Duke will once again play poorly in the tournament because they have in recent years. Well, past years they didn't have senior leadership. This season they have leadership.

So later this month just watch them thrive. Just watch UNC thrive. Surprisingly, you may watch LSU thrive. Just watch the teams with senior leadership.

The one's with heart, intelligence, leadership, and effort will prevail. Kentucky may learn in the SEC tournament, but if they don't, don't be surprised.

If they lose Saturday—don't be surprised. If they lose early this March—don't be surprised.

For these players have yet to learn the fab four. The four things that separate great and dominant.

The four things that keep people from learning what it means to play the game.