I finally watched the Laettner documentary on Friday and I thought to myself, college basketball needs a villain. Villains make sports fun. Villain, of course, is a strong word. Christian Laettner isn't really a villain. He was one of the greatest college basketball players ever and we hate greatness unless it's our guy/gal/team.
I was wrong about needing a villain. We have a villain and that villain is John Calipari. By extension, his team becomes the villain. Prior to yesterday's game, non-Kentucky fans attacked Calipari and Kentucky as everything wrong with college basketball. They're a collection of hired guns! They don't take college serious! They're dumb and our guys are smart! We're "morally superior" to the villains of college basketball.
Kentucky also dared to be great this year. They openly pursued 40-0 and this rubbed people the wrong way. Chasing greatness is perceived as brash and somehow arrogant. We celebrate the underdog and the humble. The guy that goes to work everyday in a shitty job and does his job is a great story. But the great and those with the drive to be great and ultra successful are viewed with suspicion and we love nothing more than to knock them from their pedestal. It's the American way. You can dare to be great, but heaven forbid someone else dares to be great.
Going 38-0 was erased with one loss to an outstanding team. Not everyone will, but the majority will call this season a failure for Kentucky. And maybe their right. There's little doubt the Wildcats deep down feel that way. As stupid as it is, had Kentucky lost a game at some point this year prior to last night, the loss to Wisconsin wouldn't be viewed the way it will be in history. That's colossally stupid on every level.
Kentucky went 38-1 with Freshmen, Sophomores and only 1 upperclassmen in their rotation. They played great defense and every player shone at some point this year. No one player dominated the ball. It was a beautiful thing to watch. They pursued perfection with purpose and effort. They embraced the pressure and the hatred and managed to do something only 2 other teams have done and win 38 games. Today, people are celebrating their demise because they dared to do those things and be great.
The NBA has decided the system college basketball plays with (indentured servitude is what it is) not Kentucky. Kids could go to Europe, China, etc. or play for a coach who gets his guys millions. The cult of the head coach is strong in college sports. Coaches are perceived as these leaders and molders of men. It's a cottage industry and these guys have embraced it and wisely so. The truth is, it's all hot air. These guys are driven by success and winning. Rightfully so, I'd argue. You could graduate 100% of your players with a 4.0 GPA in real majors and if you don't make the tournament on a regular basis, you'll get fired. Boosters and fans only talk about those things when they don't like an opponent or when they lose. John Calipari isn't some bold rebel but he's also not hiding behind the facade of something that doesn't exist.
So, today is a great day for people that don't like Kentucky and the way they do things. We'll call them failures and smile. Some will smugly proclaim something about "doing it the right way" ignoring facts and basking in their supposed moral superiority. That's what we do. That's a shame. Kentucky had a great year and did something amazing. They lost to a great team in a great game. Failures? Not even close.
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