NASHVILLE — The smiles said everything one needed to know about the trials and tribulations the Kentucky men’s basketball players have overcome to capture the program’s 26th Southeastern Conference Tournament title.Entrenched in a real-life nightmare last season, a year ago suddenly seems like a lifetime ago. From the National Invitation Tournament to a tumultuous coaching change, this past season has now become a real-life fantasy for the elder players on the UK men’s basketball team. On Sunday in Nashville, although it wasn’t the ultimate culmination for the players like Perry Stevenson, Ramon Harris and Patrick Patterson, it was darn close. For the first time since 2004 and the first time in the careers of anybody on UK’s roster, the SEC Tournament championship belonged to the University of Kentucky. Kentucky captured the title with a thrilling 75-74 overtime victory over SEC Western Division champion Mississippi State in front of 20,082 fans in Bridgestone Arena. The win earned UK (32-2) a No. 1 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament. As the players embraced each other at midcourt and swayed to “My Old Kentucky Home” – a truly rewarding scene for the Kentucky faithful – jubilation, elation and gratification all overcame the players.”It feels wonderful and great, especially doing it with a bunch of great guys we have on this team,” said freshman point guard John Wall, one of the biggest reasons UK has reestablished its SEC dominance. “It’s awesome for Perry and Ramon, them being seniors, and Mark Krebs. For them to finally have this, we’re just cherishing this and having a lot of fun.”Moments after carrying the SEC trophy back to the locker room, it hit several of the players at what they had done and the long road it took to get there.”We were in the bathroom changing and Ramon and Krebs was like, ‘It took all this to get this far.’ ” freshman forward DeMarcus Cousins said. “I was like, ‘So how does it feel? Was it worth it?’ He was just like, ‘Hell yeah.’ “No need to excuse them for their language. Some of the veterans had been through hell itself to get there. Sunday they deserved to bask in the glory of a historic run.”The past two years I haven’t had the type of success that I would like to have,” junior forward Patrick Patterson said. “Finally coming in this junior year with the type of team that we have and making the run that we have made and getting something that I’ve always wanted – the SEC Tournament and the SEC trophy – it just feels great for myself. It’s something I’ve always wanted and I’ve worked hard for it since my freshman year. Finally getting it, I’m not going to let it go.”Patterson deserved to glow quite possibly more than anyone. The third-year star signed with UK during uncertain times and endured two seasons without the NCAA Tournament because an injury his freshman season and National Invitation Tournament invite last year.Patterson stood in the glare of the negative spotlight when the program fell on hard times and shouldered the responsibility to return it to its rightful glory.”Bloody feet my freshman year from running, my injury from my freshman year, my sophomore year going to the NIT, having all the ups and down and the rollercoaster, and finally coming in this year and having the types of success we’re having this year, it’s definitely worth it,” Patterson said. “All the pain, all the hurt, everything we went through, just having the success we’re having this year, everything is worth it.”Patterson was a big factor in the victory, scoring 15 points and grabbing six rebounds, but it was once again the helping hand of the freshmen that proved to be the difference between last year’s misery and this season’s splendor. “At some point a big play always happens,” Patterson said. “When you look around, it’s always them.”When MSU went up five on Ravern Johnson’s three-pointer in the corner, things looked dire.Said Calipari: “As we walked to the bench, Eric Bledsoe grabbed (Patterson) and said, ‘We got your back. We’re not going to lose it that way. You just keep playing. We got you.’ ” That’s when the Cats mounted their furious comeback for the second time against MSU this season.
Patterson cut it to three with a jumper, but when Cousins missed a hook shot, the Bulldogs retained possession up by three with 43 seconds left. The situation appeared bleak again, but the Cats refused to give in.Wall came up with a steal on Barry Stewart in the left corner and raced down the baseline for a dunk with 40 seconds left. MSU extended it back to three on a pair of Stewart free throws and fouled UK with 4.9 seconds left. Down by three and at the line for two, it meant Bledsoe would have to make the first free throw and purposely miss the second for somebody to get a tip-in and send it to overtime. The scenario was as improbable as the unlikely one-year turnaround, but it worked to perfection.Bledsoe sank the first and then threw the ball high off the rim on the second freebie. Patterson tipped the ball out to Wall for a long-range jumper. Wall’s baseline shot was well short, but Cousins read the misfire, grabbed the offensive rebound and banked it off the glass just before the horn sounded. Replay video confirmed the ball left Cousins’ hand with mere fractions of a second left. “I was just looking for the red square,” said Cousins, who finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for his 20th double-double of the season. “I didn’t know. I just threw it up and I was looking for the red light and I knew I got it off so I ran.”Wall, who finished with 17 points and nine assists, pummeled his teammate like a linebacker in the opposite corner of the court thinking the game was over, but the Cats and Bulldogs were headed for overtime in the Music City.”John actually thought we won,” Cousins said. “We’re in the dog pile and I’m ‘John, it’s just overtime. Get off me.’ “But with the pro-UK crowd in utter pandemonium and the momentum swinging Kentucky’s way, it was all but over. “When they were excited I had a real good feel that we were going to win this,” Calipari said. “I think they could see it my eyes and I could see it in their eyes and they were like let’s just get this over.”Wall sealed the game in overtime with an unbelievable leaning three-pointer from the left elbow. The triple, Wall’s only one of the game, put the Cats up five with 29 seconds to play.”He’s got what every great player has,” Cousins said. “I don’t know what it is, but he’s got it.”The improbable and frantic comeback was fitting of the storybook turnaround. The Cats are once again perched on top of the SEC and not a moment too soon. “I don’t see how Pat, Perry and Ramon did it this long,” Cousins said.They did it because they wanted it. They did it because they deserved it. They suffered, battled and sacrificed because the SEC championship was worth it.