No joy in winning for Kentucky
Apr 1, 2012
About ten days ago, staring at the possibility of a North Carolina-N.C. State regional final in St. Louis, I heard from many Tar Heels fans their reluctance to see that match up with so much on the line. Any game is losable, so the thought of losing this game to that team was too painful to even consider. Rivalry games always carry a special feel, and the next day at the office, around the coffee machine, the winners just seem to linger a little longer, maybe give their mug a few extra stirs. The day after is always best during the season.
The post season is a different animal.
Spend enough time with a coach and eventually you’ll hear them talk of how the joy of winning doesn’t come close to the pain of losing. Most fans don’t understand that, and honestly I can only politely nod my head in agreement because I’ve never coached – unless you count my days skippering the under-13 year old Green Road Mets, and I know you don’t. But, there were a lot of Carolina fans dreading a potential match up with the Wolfpack because, when you consider their total dominance of the rivalry over the last decade-plus, winning that game wouldn’t feel close to as good as losing would feel bad.
That’s how Kentucky felt Saturday night at the Superdome. I’m positive of it. Of all the teams standing in the way of their first national title in 14 years, an eternity to that fan base, did it really have to be Louisville? Anyone but the Cardinals. Heck, even Duke would have been easier to deal with and Kentucky fans HATE the Blue Devils.
There were nearly 74,000 people in the building Saturday night and I’d guess that at least 25,000 of them were card-carrying members of Big Blue Nation, and they were tighter than a drum as their team of future NBA first rounders just couldn’t shake their scrappy, hated, less-talented rivals. There just didn’t appear to be a lot of joy amongst Kentucky fans – until the game was over, and then it was as much a sense of relief as anything else. On Rue Bourbon last night, Louisville fans were not a down group. They reveled in the moment – in the almost – because they were close to winning the ultimate game. They knew what they were up against in the star-laden Wildcats. They knew their season was already a huge success. For them to even reach a Final Four was an incredible, unexpected accomplishment.
Not for the guys in blue.
For Kentucky and their fans, who believe winning national championships to be a birthright, this was the minimum. Only winning a title was going to be satisfying given the roster and the fact that most all of them would be professionals in less than a year. The last thing they needed was for Louisville – Louisville! – to derail the train. That would be a stain that would never come out. So, while the Cardinals were the gum on the bottom of your shoe on a hot, sticky, summer day, it was impossible for Kentucky fans to enjoy the process. No amount of Anthony Davis dunks or blocked shots was going to turn fear into fun – until the final buzzer sounded.
Then it was safe to exhale.
There just isn’t any fun in nearly suffocating to death only relief when the torment is over. The Wildcats survived Saturday night. Maybe on Monday, against another tenacious, gritty team in Kansas, they’ll be able to relax and enjoy the journey to another national championship.
Most Recent Comments
RE: No joy in winning for Kentucky
Looking at it now, at first I didn't want to see State again, but I wish it was them instead of Kansas!!!Posted Apr 1, 3:52 p.m.
Rank: Sports Legend Posts: 12969
Joined: Dec, 2006
Location: Raleigh, NC
