Mitch Barnhart addresses Kentucky basketball’s struggles, hints at 2014-type run
By Keith Farner
Published:
Kentucky has spent recent weeks on and off the bubble, and after the win over Mississippi State this week, the Wildcats are believed to be in the projected NCAA Tournament field as it currently stands.
However, there’s still work to be done, but in an interview with the Herald-Leader, Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart is optimistic that the Cats will finish strong.
“I think we can get to the postseason and make a run like we did in 2014,” Barnhart said Thursday after the university’s Board of Trustees athletics committee meeting. “I truly believe that. I watch how hard the kids are working. I travel with them on the road, and I see their dedication to the game. They love the game, and I think they genuinely care for one another. They’re trying really hard.”
The 2014 season is perhaps most remembered for a series of game-winning shots from Aaron Harrison that lifted the Cats to the title game.
This year, the Mississippi State win improved the Wildcats’ record to 2-7 in Quadrant 1 games, the NCAA’s measure of the most challenging games on a team’s schedule according to its NET ranking.
Amid unrest among the fans, Barnhart admits that he’s aware of the standard of Kentucky basketball, and aware of the “angst” that we all have.
“I want to just concentrate on where we are and make sure we just continue to find a way to play one game, play the next game and continue to grind away,” he said. “Let’s get to the tournament and figure out where we go from there in terms of the team and just making progress. They’re working hard. We’ve got good young guys on our team. “We all know what the standard of Kentucky basketball looks like. That’s not lost on anybody.”
Barnhart offered the perspective that he’s been on the selection committee in the past, and questioned there being 15 great teams in the country right now.
“I don’t believe so. Not from my lens. I think there’s some really good basketball teams, but there’s a lot of really good basketball teams,” he said.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
