It's Kentucky's Time to Prove Worthy of NCAA Bid

It takes more than 40 minutes to erase the embarrassment of getting pantsed in gym class.

It takes more than 40 minutes to make people forget the kid whose voice cracked during his valedictory address.

But all Kentucky needs is 40 minutes.

With one simple win against Marquette, the Wildcats can make people forget about what happened against Gardner Webb and Vandy, among others.

The question remains: Can they do it?

College basketball purists have to love the fact that Kentucky has two seniors running the show.  Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford can light it up with the best of 'em.  Even with the unfortunate loss of Patrick Patterson, the Wildcats still have a terrific one-two scoring punch. 

Add to the scoring punch some veteran leadership and the Bradley/Crawford duo will definitely have their young teammates fired up to play against Marquette today.

The man to focus on is sophomore Perry Stevenson. He's the Wildcats' main presence in the middle, and he's shown he can get the job done. His minutes have steadily increased since the beginning of the year and he's made the most of it. Stevenson's pulled down double-digit rebounds in three of his last four games alongside an average of just under three blocks a game. 

If the Wildcats can get him in the offensive mix like they did against Tennessee and Florida, they may give a small Marquette team some defensive troubles.

Expect a very patient and slow Kentucky team to rely on Bradley and Crawford to control the pace of the game. Lest we forget, Billy Gillispie is a good coach who has won a few tournament games himself. He'll have his team ready.

If Kentucky gets past the Eagles, the Wildcats will most likely have a chance to match Bradley and Crawford against the weak perimeter presence of Stanford. The Wildcats' slow offense matches up well against the great Cardinal defense. Kentucky just needs to take care of the ball.

Throw in senior leadership, an experienced coach, and an athletic, young big man with a lot to prove and you've got a Sweet 16 appearance for the Wildcats.

As if 40 minutes isn't sweet enough, 80 winning tournament minutes will definitely cover a multitude of sins.