Dribble Handoff: Predicting Kentucky’s final SEC record and NCAA Tournament seeding this up-and-down season

Kentucky hasn’t participated in an NCAA Tournament game past the first weekend in nearly five calendar years. Although there is hope that this year’s squad will be the first in a long time to go deep into the tournament, the No. 6 Wildcats are still a work in progress going into their final two games of January, as demonstrated by their Tuesday night loss at South Carolina.

After Croatian big man Zvonimir Ivišić was cleared by the NCAA, six freshmen have joined the rotation. UK needs its youthful stars to play above their years at a time when experience and age are more valuable than ever.They have demonstrated this in thrilling bursts, as evidenced by their victories over No. 3 North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic and Georgia on Saturday, where they scored 105 points.

There have also been embarrassing moments, like the home defeat to UNC Wilmington on December 2 and Tuesday night’s lackluster effort that led to South Carolina’s biggest-ever victory against a top-10 opponent. Is this Kentucky for real? For some people, the answer to that question is already a resounding yes. Others might think that as February draws near, the Wildcats are more show than substance.