Kentucky Men's Basketball Wildcats Grateful for March Madness Opportunity That Awaits

March is in full swing, spring weather is in the air and the Kentucky men’s basketball team’s NCAA Tournament starts Thursday night in Indianapolis with a first-round matchup against Saint Peter’s.

For newcomers and veterans alike, the Wildcats are relishing the opportunity before them.

“Just being my first experience, this is something I’m super grateful for,” junior guard Sahvir Wheeler said. “Because as a kid, every basketball player’s dream is to be here and get to the Big Dance. Even at the end of it, you’re watching that one shining moment.”

Wheeler joined the program last summer an established All-SEC player who transferred from Georgia looking to be a part of the Greatest Tradition in the History of College Basketball. The most unforgettable moments in that history took place in the NCAA Tournament, and the prospect of being the next set of Wildcats to etch their names in that history is appeals to everyone on this year’s Kentucky team.
 

Another newcomer to UK this season, graduate transfer guard Kellan Grady, is returning to the NCAA Tournament, but making his debut with the Wildcats in college basketball’s premier competition.

Grady shared his fellow guard’s sentiments about embracing the transcendent cultural moment, drama and spectacle associated with March Madness.
 
“We have an incredible opportunity here as a group to do something really special in the NCAA Tournament, and that’s what I’m focused on,” Grady said. “As long as I play to win, I think the rest will take care of itself.”

Kentucky enters the March Madness as one of the nation’s most experienced teams, but amongst the team’s key contributors, none were a part of the program the last time UK participated in the NCAA Tournament in 2019.

So for the whole team, this chance to take part in the most exciting three weeks in sports, is one these Wildcats are embracing.

And even without bona fide experience of everything that goes along with an NCAA Tournament run at Kentucky, the Wildcats are guided by a Hall of Fame head coach in John Calipari.

Coach Cal’s message to his team has been to embrace the moment and excitement. The Wildcats have had plenty of success in the NCAA Tournament during the Calipari era and before that too.

While many of Calipari’s teams at Kentucky had different makeups, a through line of successful NCAA Tournament runs was embracing their chances, in a manner similar to the attitude Wheeler and Grady described.

“We historically have had teams that, you know, you can either play to win or play not to lose, and I have had teams that have played to win,” Calipari said. “Different team one year was five freshman; got to the final game. This year it’s a veteran team. Let’s see how they perform. I think they’re ready, but you don’t know. You walk into the game, they’ll all say, how you feel, Coach? And I will go, does it really matter? Doesn’t matter how I feel? It’s how they feel.”

Big Blue Nation will get a first look at how the Kentucky players feel on Thursday night, with tipoff vs. Saint Peters set for 7:10 p.m. on CBS.