Kentucky is seeking its 50th SEC men’s basketball title, but does that still matter?

Kentucky men’s basketball begins its quest for a 50th regular-season SEC title on Saturday when the Wildcats open conference play in Gainesville against the Florida Gators. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ESPN has the television coverage.

Here’s the thing: For a program historically dominant in SEC hoops, Kentucky has won just one regular-season title in the past five seasons.

Question: Does that even matter anymore?

After all, John Calipari and his Cats are ultimately judged by NCAA Tournament results. Clearing a spot for the regular-season league trophy is small consolation for a premature exit from the Big Dance.

Another question(s): Is there a correlation between the two?

Has a successful conference run prepared Kentucky for what matters most once NCAA Tournament play begins?

Since Calipari arrived in 2009, the Wildcats have won or tied for the SEC regular-season title six times — 2009-10, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2019-20.

That 2012 team earned Calipari his national championship ring. The 2015 version was 38-0 before losing to Wisconsin in the Final Four. The 2010 and 2017 editions lost in the Elite Eight. The 2016 team was beaten in the NCAA’s second round. COVID robbed the 2020 team of an NCAA Tournament experience.

On the flip side, Calipari’s 2010-11 team finished second in the SEC East, when the league still used divisional play, before reaching the Final Four. His 2013-14 national runner-up club finished second to Florida, then lost to Florida in the SEC Tournament finals before advancing to the NCAA title game while Florida lost in the national semifinals.

His 2018-19 team that finished second in the SEC’s regular season reached the Elite Eight before losing in overtime to fellow SEC member Auburn.

After going 15-3 in league play in 2019-20, the Cats have fallen short since. There was the 8-9 COVID disaster of 2020-21, followed by a 14-4 tie for second in 2021-22 and a dip to a 12-6 record and third-place finish last season.

A lack of NCAA Tournament success has followed. At 9-16, the 2020-21 team wasn’t close to making the Big Dance. The next two editions were bounced out early — the first-round loss to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s in 2021; the second-round loss to Kansas State last March.

This year? The Cats enter conference play 10-2 with losses to then No. 1-ranked Kansas and heavy underdog UNC Wilmington, but with a pair of top-10 wins over then No. 8 Miami (95-73) and then No. 9 North Carolina (87-83).

Meanwhile, Ken Pomeroy’s numbers rank the SEC No. 2 among the 33 Division I conferences, behind only the Big 12. Pomeroy has seven SEC teams among his top 35 — Alabama (6), Tennessee (7), Auburn (11), Kentucky (18), Texas A&M (23), Mississippi State (32) and Florida (35).

Florida is an interesting team. After going 16-17 in his first season in Gainesville, 38-year-old head coach Todd Golden hit the transfer portal hard. Leading scorer Walter Clayton (15.5 points per game) played for Rick Pitino at Iona. Point guard Zyon Pullin was first-team All-Big West last season at UC Riverside. The 7-foot-1 center Micah Handlogten, a volume rebounder, transferred in from Marshall.

After a 4-3 start, the Gators have won six straight, including a 106-101 double-overtime win over Michigan in which Seton Hall transfer Tyrese Samuel scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. The Gators are 6-0 in Gainesville, where Kentucky will play its first true road game of the season.

It will be interesting to see how Calipari’s young team will react to league play, typically more grind-it-out than non-conference action. Every SEC opponent knows every other SEC opponent. The ability to adjust and persevere is required.

I like Kentucky’s chances. Though young, the Cats are the most physically talented team in the league. They appear to have the depth to survive an 18-game schedule. They are eager to compete.

Better yet, even if they don’t take home the trophy, the Cats should be battle-tested from the competition. Hardware is nice, but being prepared for what matters most, i.e. the NCAA Tournament, matters more.

This is the final season of SEC basketball as we know it. How will it work in the future?

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