It’s pretty simple for the Kentucky women’s basketball team. If the Cats want to have any shot at winning the Southeastern Conference Tournament in two weeks, the run essentially begins now.Since the tournament’s inception in 1980, only two teams – Kentucky in 1982 and Auburn in 1997 – have won the tournament without a first-round bye. Only one team, Auburn, has done it in the league’s current 12-team format.That places a significant importance on the final four regular-season games for UK, especially this week’s games at Georgia and at Vanderbilt. Entering Thursday’s game in Athens, Ga., the Cats (8-4 in the SEC) are in a two-way tie with Vanderbilt for third place in the SEC standings and trail Georgia (9-3) by one game. Tennessee has the No. 1 seed essentially locked up.The top four teams at the end of the regular season receive a bye, but there is a logjam of teams right behind Georgia, UK and Vanderbilt with a very good chance of stealing a bye. Auburn and South Carolina both sit at 7-5 while LSU has a 7-6 record after the loss in Lexington on Sunday. Kentucky would also like to be the second or third seed to avoid being on the same side of the bracket as the Lady Volunteeers.The importance of the last four games for UK isn’t lost on head coach Matthew Mitchell.”If you look back in the history of tournaments, I just think it’s really hard to win it if you don’t get that bye,” Mitchell said. “It’s one of the toughest tournaments anywhere to win. Every advantage you can give yourself is important. It’s crucial that we get that bye and give us every advantage we can to win the tournament.” Said sophomore guard A’dia Mathies: “It’s the difference between playing three or four games to win the SEC championship.”Such a critical stretch for UK will be magnified by the rigors of the road. Three of the Cats’ final four regular-season games are away from the friendly confines of Memorial Coliseum. Kentucky is 3-2 on the road in the SEC this season.”I think it’s coming at a good time,” Mitchell said. “We need to find out where we are.”At 19-6 on the season with an RPI ranking of 18th, Mitchell believes UK has solidified a bid to the NCAA Tournament. He’s hoping, however, to use the next two road games against two of the league’s best teams as a barometer for his club. “I told the team it’s time for us to step up here and see what we’re made of,” Mitchell said. “These are two great opportunities.”Everything from this point forward is playing for a better NCAA Tournament seed – and of course, that all-important bye in the SEC Tournament.”That’s the thing that you tell the team is that you’re in control of your path at this point in time,” Mitchell said. “A three seed is better than a four seed. A four seed is better than a six seed. And a six seed is better than not being in.”