The State of the Union...

Gomez here...

Last night, our Nation took it on the chin. Of course, I'm talking about Big Blue Nation's response to Kentucky's first loss, and not the United States of America's economic woes. Around water coolers and barber shops, the talk has been all about UK's tragic defeat to an unranked opponent that had lost three games in row coming into last night's contest. Forget the 19 game winning streak, the #1 ranking, or the freshmen phenoms; last night, everybody came floating back down to earth. But hey, earth is a good place to be, and coming to reality is better now than later.

I never thought we had a real chance to run the table and go the entire season with an undefeated record. Had we done that, we would have finished with a 40-0 record and as NCAA champions, and yes, that would have been nice. But the real goal is cutting down the nets in Indy, and not a perfect record. One is achievable, the other, nearly impossible, so let's be realists here. In other words, lets come back down to earth.

Looking at Kentucky's schedule, its not crazy to think the Wildcats have yet to face their toughest challenges of the season. Sure, wins over North Carolina, Louisville, and UConn looked good at the time, but what have those teams done since we beat them? Apart from UConn's upset of Texas, not much at all. The other two teams we've played against big conference competition, Stanford and Indiana, have a combined record of 19-19, and aren't what anyone would really consider quality wins. Matter of fact, as of right now, Kentucky's strength of schedule is a lowly 84th, and after last night's loss, we've dropped to 8th in the RPI rankings. We still have 5 games on the schedule against RPI top 30 teams, and that's not even counting the games at Mississippi State or Georgia. Yes, the idea of going undefeated was fool's gold, as we're most likely to lose two or three more in the SEC. Again, that's to be expected, and that's not a slap against our boys in blue either. The SEC is tough, and our team is young, and to think we could somehow navigate each game without eventually being upset was just plain silly.

But, on the bright side, Coach Calipari now has the attention of his team, and I believe they'll be more focused than ever to play to their potential. As our coach has pointed out, there were several games in the 19 game winning streak that we probably should have lost, and last night, our nine lives had already been spent. But now, the team can concentrate on what they're doing wrong and improve in those areas without the added pressure of being an undefeated #1 team. Finishing around the basket, getting Patterson involved, and half court defense were the things that jumped out at me last night, and I'm sure those are things Cal will be addressing in the coming days.

Don't get me wrong, I wanted Kentucky to win, and I'll never say we "need" a loss. However, a loss occurred and we have to look at what positives can result from that negative. We're still 19-1 overall and 4-1 in the SEC. We still have three lottery picks lacing up every night. And we still have one of the best coaches in the country. We've had a brilliant start to the season, and our future is still bright. Big Blue Nation shouldn't forget these facts because of one tough loss on the road against a better team than what most people think.

One more thing... Some want to blame President Obama, and say it was his jinx that brought on Kentucky's first loss, and while I certainly question the timing of his call (why not call on a day when the Cats aren't on the road and about to play a tough game), it was an honor and one that UK fans shouldn't brush away as a pestering gesture by our Commander in Chief.