Cats one win from prominent place in UK's rich history

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Joe B. Hall understands the rich history and tradition of Kentucky basketball about as well as anyone currently walking this earth. He played for Adolph Rupp, then coached under him, then succeeded him.

He led the Wildcats to one of their eight NCAA championships. He coached three of the teams with banners hanging at Rupp Arena. Making a Final Four is the minimum requirement for that honor when you're talking about the winningest program in college basketball history.

Consider all of that, and then this, as top-ranked Kentucky (30-0) attempts to finish the first undefeated regular season by a major-conference team in 39 years with a win over Florida on Saturday: If the Cats complete the feat, even if they're subsequently bounced before the national semifinals, Hall says raise them to the rafters.

"I think you could create another category deserving of having a banner, and that would be going through the regular season undefeated," the former UK coach said. It's that big a deal. "They've passed the eye test, regardless of what happens next. I think they're the most talented, deepest team I've ever seen. Regardless of what their record comes out, I don't think that diminishes what this team has accomplished as far as its place in the history of Kentucky basketball."

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Others think it's even bigger than that. Get by the Gators (15-15) and the Cats will be just the sixth Division I team since Indiana in 1976 – the last undefeated national champion – to enter the postseason without a loss. Wichita State last season, Saint Joseph's in 2004, UNLV in 1991 and both Indiana State and Alcorn State in 1979 are the others.

But they all played in mid-major conferences and did not subject themselves to non-league gauntlets that included Kansas, North Carolina, Texas, UCLA and Louisville as Kentucky did this season.

"For them to do what they've done is truly remarkable and shouldn't be taken lightly," said Florida coach Billy Donovan, owner of two national titles and his own 30-game winning streak that ended in the Final Four last season. "People want to discredit or discount what happens in the regular season and they want to put all the emphasis on the NCAA Tournament in terms of measuring success all-time. With a team like Kentucky, that's done what they've done, that shouldn't be the case."

Donovan, the guy who'll try to spoil it all on Saturday, raved on and on. No other team this season "realistically can even compare to them." Other coaches realize, he said, that anything can happen in the single-elimination NCAA Tournament, where one bad bounce or a cold shooting performance can sink an otherwise spectacular season.

What the Wildcats have done this year, though, taking everybody's best shot for nearly four months as the wire-to-wire No. 1 team, speaks to consistent excellence that is far rarer than catching fire for six games at the end.

"Teams and coaches shouldn't be measured by whether or not they win the national championship," Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said. "What they've done already is amazing. Amazing. Incredibly difficult. … Nobody takes a night off against Kentucky. So whether they win the national championship or not, what they've done is phenomenal and should be recognized as such."

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But ESPN analyst Jay Bilas knows it won't, not if these Cats come up short in the postseason.

"It'll be another one of the great accomplishments in Kentucky basketball history. I think it'll be valued in Big Blue Nation. But I don't know that it would be valued outside of that," he said. Not that he thinks that's fair, but that's life. "When UNLV lost in the Final Four in '91 to Duke, it's amazing how quickly some of those things get erased or forgotten. Same thing with Wichita State last year."

That is Hall's whole point about hanging a banner if this team wins Saturday whether they win another game after that or not – an idea that wouldn't even be discussed until after the season, deputy athletic director DeWayne Peevy said. (It should be noted that Hall's 1975 Cats ended Indiana's bid for a perfect season in the NCAA Tournament and took the '76 Hoosiers to overtime.)

Mike Pratt, a UK radio analyst who played for Rupp, is not on board for a banner unless this team makes a Final Four – "I don't think you break tradition" – but he does believe they'll hold a special place in program history.

"There's other ways you can honor them," he said. "Joe might be onto something there. Start a new category. It should always be thought of as an unbelievable accomplishment."

Worth mentioning: The Wildcats haven't actually accomplished it yet. There's still the matter of Florida, which led Kentucky with 12 minutes to go in Gainesville a month ago.

Thinking about records? "That's how you get beat," junior Willie Cauley-Stein said. If they do it, "I think that's one of those things that's going to hit you later. Maybe not at the time, just because it's not really going to mean a lot at the time. Because you still got other stuff to do."

The Cats would prefer there not be a debate when this season ends. Win a championship and they'll get a banner. Win 10 more games and they'll be 40-0, entering the discussion about the greatest teams in the history of the sport.

"I'm not reflecting back right now. I'm looking forward," coach John Calipari said. "But I will tell you for them to stay the course is a challenge in itself here. To stay into each other, to not listen and let the clutter affect who you are and how you play, it's amazing."

Yes, but how should this team be remembered if they finish the regular season without a loss?

"I don't know. We haven't won the game yet," he said. "I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but we could lose the game. Then how should be remembered?"

Kyle Tucker can be reached at (502) 582-4361. Follow him on Twitter @KyleTucker_CJ.

UNDEFEATED REGULAR SEASONS SINCE 1976 INDIANA

2014 – Wichita State (31-0)

2004 – Saint Joseph's (27-0)

1991 – UNLV (27-0)

1979 – Indiana State (29-0)

1979 – Alcorn State (27-0)

TODAY'S GAME

FLORIDA AT NO. 1 KENTUCKY

2 p.m., Rupp Arena

TV: CBS Radio: WHAS-840 and WAKY-103.5