Hours after a valiant fight against Marquette, and with the picture of Joe Crawford crying into a towel on the bench burning in the minds of Kentucky fans, all we are left with is the feeling that a first round loss as an 11 seed is an acceptable end to an up-and-down first season under Billy Gillispie.  While certainly a strange feeling for a program used to success, it might not be an altogther false statement when you consider the adversity thrown at this team. 

So, as I try to reason with myself that getting bounced from the NCAA tournament just hours after it started is a result that I can be happy with, I’m left wondering “what if?” to several things.

What if…

Jodie Meeks didn’t get hurt?  Well, Kentucky would not have had as much trouble scoring the ball.  Meeks is a deadly outside shooter and has the athleticism to get to the basket and draw fouls when the offense is mired in a drought.  Meeks also brings intelligence and leadership to the court - something that this team lacked more often than not.  Plus, just having an extra body would have eliminated the Porter factor and allowed Ramon Harris to play the 10 minutes or so he deserves, while also letting Joe Crawford to keep his legs fresh.  Had Meeks been healthy the entire season, then I’m inclined to say that Kentucky wins at least 5 more games, including today against Marquette.

What if…

Patrick Patterson wouldn’t have been hurt?  This is a little tougher to gauge because when Patterson went down, Perry Stevenson came out more confident and established himself as more than a novelty on both ends of the floor.  With that being said, Stevenson is still no dominant inside force and, after him, where do you go for inside play?  Patterson is a beast and, when given the chance, put the opposing team on its heels.  He would have, without a doubt, outplayed everyone that Marquette threw at him today and Kentucky would have most certainly won the game.  This injury really threw a wrench into the Kentucky game plan.

What if…

Randolph Morris wouldn’t have gone pro?  Morris’ decision to go pro looks sketchy at best right now and you would have to think that another year of being the best big man in the SEC would have gotten him more cash and more ready to play in the NBA.  Had he been able to share the court with Patterson, then UK might have had the best frontcourt in the country.  Then again, what would that have done to the development of Stevenson and the breakout year of Patterson?  No one will ever know, but I think that had he stuck around and the other two guys stayed health, you’re looking at , worst case scenario, a top 10 team and, best case, a national title contender.

But, as my high school history teacher said, “If ‘if’s’ and ‘but’s’ were candy and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas”.  In the end, Kentucky gave you a team that wasn’t always fun to watch or easy to defend to your rivals, but it was one that was heavy on the heart and one that stood tall when adversity came knocking.  For Ramel and Joe, two guys who deserved better, it’s a lesson in perseverance and thick skin that earned them a special place in the heart of this Kentucky fan.

We’ll miss you both.  Best of luck in the future.