If you told me a week and a half ago that Kentucky would be the clear favorite against the winningest program in all of college basketball (yes I'm still furious), I would've laughed in your face. After a bizarre double-header of Duke and Kansas both losing, the Jayhawks will next suit up in Rupp Arena.
The Jayhawks, led by star forward Gradey Dick, have been on a severe plateau dating back to the 17th of this month. In that time, Kansas has lost to Kansas State, TCU and, last night, fell 75-69 on the road against Baylor. With what seems like the future of the season on the line, will Kansas be able to contain Oscar Tshiebwe? Will the new role for Sahvir Wheeler prove to be successful with the recent struggles of Kansas' bench? Could the Big Blue Nation be too powerful for Kansas?
With the Cats on an upward path, and obvious signs of improvement over the past week and a half, the fanbase has finally started to buy into this team and the crowd Saturday night could be one of the greatest we've seen in a long, long time. With ESPN College Gameday in the house, and resale tickets currently no cheaper than $120, fans are excited to watch their Cats take on a team that, as of this Sunday, was the 2nd ranked team in the country. IF Kentucky takes care of business tomorrow in Nashville, there will be a buzz in the city all week headed into the game. It seems like Kentucky is turning the page and Kansas is at their roughest rough patch of the season.