To win NCAA title, Kentucky must beat Volunteers

LEXINGTON, Ky. – If you are the type of Kentucky fan who looks to history to find omens for how the Wildcats will fare in the 2019 men’s NCAA Tournament, two things should be clear:

1.) Some of the major portents that can be discerned from UK’S past championship seasons are in conflict in 2019;

2.) If you trust the patterns of the past, UK’S chance of claiming its ninth NCAA title in 2019 is correlated to whether or not the No. 4 Cats (24-4, 13-2 SEC) beat No. 7 Tennessee (25-3, 13-2 SEC) in Saturday’s game at Thompson-boling Arena.

At least three of the major “UK basketball titleyear omens” will be tested in March Madness 2019.

The omen: The “Kentucky football 10-win-season” factor.

When Josh Allen, Benny Snell, Lynn Bowden and Co. bested Penn State in the VRBO Citrus Bowl to give Kentucky football a 10-3 record, the happiest person in the commonwealth should have been John Calipari.

The only other times in UK sports history when the Wildcats football team reached 10 wins, the Kentucky men’s basketball program went on to win the NCAA championship in the same school year.

The history: In 1950-51, Bear Bryant’s football Wildcats, led by Babe Parilli and Bob Gain, went 11-1 and beat Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl.

That same school year, Adolph Rupp’s Cats, featuring Bill Spivey, Cliff Hagan and Frank Ramsey, beat Kansas State in the 1951 NCAA title game.

In 1977-78, Fran Curci’s football Wildcats, led by Derrick Ramsey and Art Still, went 10-1 and produced UK’S only unbeaten SEC record (6-0).

That same school year, Joe B. Hall’s Cats, featuring Jack Givens, Rick Robey and Kyle Macy, beat Duke in the 1978 NCAA title game.

Real factor or coincidence? Two prior school years is not enough of a sample size from which to draw conclusions.

I do think when UK football is good, it takes some pressure off Kentucky basketball by giving Wildcats fans another outlet for their zeal.

Omen two: The “in-state player as top-six scorer” factor.

Kentucky has never won a men’s NCAA basketball championship without a player from the commonwealth among its top six scorers.

The history: Rupp’s 1947-48 Cats had Louisville product Ralph Beard (second-leading scorer), Harlan’s Wah Wah Jones (third) and Wickliffe’s Kenny Rollins (fifth).

The 1948-49 UK championship team had Beard (second) and Jones (third).

Kentucky’s 1950-51 title team featured Owensboro products Bobby Watson (third-leading scorer) and Hagan (fifth) plus Madisonville’s Ramsey (fourth).

Rupp’s final NCAA title team in 1957-58 boasted Lexington’s Vernon Hatton (leading scorer), Hazard’s Johnny Cox (second), Hebron’s John Crigler (third), Farmington’s Adrian Smith (fourth) and Ashland’s Earl Adkins (sixth).

Joe B. Hall’s 1977-78 NCAA champs had Lexington products Givens (leading scorer) and James Lee (fourth).

Louisville native Derek Anderson was the fourthleading scorer for Rick Pitino’s 1995-96 national champions (with Lebanon’s Anthony Epps as starting point guard). Scott Padgett of Louisville was third-leading scorer for Tubby Smith’s 1997-98 title team.

Maysville’s Darius Miller (sixth-leading scorer) upheld the tradition on UK’S 2011-12 national championship team.

Real factor or coincidence? Alas, the current season is the second straight year UK does not have a scholarship player from the commonwealth on its roster.

My guess is UK will someday win an NCAA title without a native Kentuckian among its key players – but, since the NCAA tourney began in 1939, it never has.