Kentucky one of selection committee's biggest quandaries

COLUMBIA — Selection Sunday, difficult as it is to believe, is just a week and a half away. But the NCAA Tournament committee has had Kentucky on its mind for some time.

The Wildcats are the biggest quandary in years for those setting the field of 65. And, barring a big surprise, that's not something that's going to clear itself up in the next few days.

The problem, essentially, is what Kentucky did in November and December: losing to the likes of Gardner-Webb and San Diego. Not what it's done more recently: winning nine of 11 in conference play.

The Wildcats are No. 52 in the RPI and near the top in terms of schedule strength. They're 16-11 overall, but 10-4 in SEC play.

They are essentially coin flips in their remaining games with South Carolina (tonight) and Florida (Sunday). So, they could finish 12-4 heading into next week's league tournament.

A win or two there, especially if Kentucky can get to 20 overall wins, would be vital.

But the Wildcats' tournament lives aren't that simply boiled down. The committee is sure to figure in that they just lost for the season one of their best players, freshman forward Patrick Patterson, because of a stress fracture in his foot.

The most famous recent example of an injury factor is from 1999, when Cincinnati was docked several seeds after star Kenyon Martin broke his foot. But it could keep Kentucky out altogether.

It would be a shame. Look at how Kentucky played Sunday at then-No. 1 Tennessee in its first game without Patterson, going down to the wire with the deeper and more talented Vols. The Wildcats bowed by three, but had a shot to tie in their final possession.

In Patterson's void, Perry Stevenson had 13 points and 14 rebounds for UK.

Keep in mind Tennessee has won 31 consecutive home games, and one of the Vols' three losses came earlier in the year at Kentucky.

Of course, there is one sure way for Kentucky to make the tournament: Just win the SEC tourney.

That would be some way to cap the roller-coaster ride for Billy Gillispie's first year.

Flip of the coin?

It's something of a long shot, but a coin flip could determine when South Carolina and Georgia play their first games in the SEC Tournament.

If South Carolina loses tonight to Kentucky and at Tennessee on Sunday, and if Georgia beats both Auburn and Ole Miss to finish the season, each team would finish 5-11 in the league, tied for fifth in the East.

The difference in fifth and sixth is, the cellar team plays in the Thursday late game against the West No. 3 seed. The fifth-place team plays at 1 p.m. against the West No. 4 seed.

Here's the real irony, and the reason you'd skip through all the tiebreakers to the coin flip: With two Bulldogs wins this week, they'll have wins against the exact same teams.

Both will have beaten Alabama, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Auburn and each other.

Remember, though: Georgia's won just three conference games all season, and it would have to win two this week for all this to come to fruition.

Shan's the man

Shan Foster isn't this week's SEC player of the week. But he should be.

Foster was brilliant in Vanderbilt's upset of then-No. 1 Tennessee, pouring in 32 points thanks in part to six 3-pointers by the 6-7 smooth-shooting wing. The Commodores (24-5, 9-5) are 18-0 at home this season.

Foster then had 22 in a setback Saturday at Arkansas.

He seems to be at or near the front of the player of the year race, now leading the league with 19.8 points a game. The senior also hits a league-high 3.9 3-pointers a game.

Reach Travis Haney at thaney@postandcourier.com.