Not Jerry Tipton's Friday Basketball Notebook

The 2013-14 season is almost over, and Kentucky is still trying to atone for the disaster was the 2012-13 season. John Calipari’s team is trying to do something that no team in the history of college basketball has ever done: Win a national championship relying primarily on 6 freshmen who were McDonald’s All Americans. With disappointing losses to a whole bunch of teams, the team will fail to reach its ultimate goal of perfect season, and will instead try to console itself with a national title. To stay apprised and educated, follow me on Twitter @NotJerryTipton. Here’s the weekly notebook: *Lose Yourself: When one compares Kentucky’s historical performance in the NCAA Tournament to that of other schools, it is clear to see the underachievement that has plagued the UK program. In 53 NCAA Tournament appearances, the Cats have only won 8 national championships. Compare this to other top programs like North Carolina (5 titles in 45 appearances), UCLA (11 in 44), Kansas (3 in 43) and Louisville (3 in 40), and the stark reality hits you in the face like a dead flounder: Kentucky has lost 45 NCAA Tournament games, more than any other program in NCAA history. I’m guessing Coach Cal will not be adding this little tidbit to any motivational videos. *The Way I Am: This year, Indiana failed to make the NCAA Tournament. Last year, Kentucky failed to make the NCAA Tournament. This year, Indiana refused to play in the CBI. Last year, Kentucky agreed to play in the NIT. So what’s the difference between the two programs that would compel one to call on its pride and dignity, and allow the other to beg for whatever postseason table scraps it was offered? Money? Prestige? The opportunity to go recruiting while other coaches are busy playing in events that 99% of them won’t win? All of the above. Tom Crean has been called many things in his career. “Whiny,” “creepy,” “not good at coaching,” etc. But one thing he has never been called is “dumb.”* It’s no wonder that IU fans stormed the internet with proclamations of their historical dominance as being the reason they opted not to play in a postseason event this year, while last year UK fans were left to suffer the indignity of a first round loss to Robert Morris. Big Blue apologists will likely argue that, technically, the NIT is somewhat more prestigious than the CBI, but when you get right down to it, there’s no difference at all between them.** * Actually, he has ** Yes there is *Guilty Conscience: Recently, Anthony Davis has been on an absolute tear in the NBA, averaging over 32 points and 14 rebounds per game in the last three weeks. This does not bode well for Kentucky. Coach Cal likes to boast that Davis took the “5th most shots” on UK’s 2012 national championship team. But doesn’t the fact that he was so grossly underutilized speak more to bad coaching than it does Davis’s selflessness and desire to win? Yes it does. How many more games would that UK team have won if Calipari would have fed the ball to Davis more? At least two more, that’s how many. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if AD’s recent tear was motivated solely by an attempt to show John Calipari just how badly he screwed up in 2012 by not getting him more shots. * On this date: On this date in 2015, Indiana will raise a banner that says “Refused to Participate in the 2014 CBI.”