Will Kentucky Survive with Tubby Smith Gone?

14-0. That was the lead that Gardner Webb had over Kentucky early in their 2k Sports quarterfinal game. 84-68 was the final score in the matchup. The Wildcats showed little life and look very soft against the Garner-Webb team. They struggled to make shots and looked weak on defense. With an early season loss of this caliber many may be wondering if the Wildcats will miss Tubby Smith after all.

It appears that the Wildcat nation took Smith for granted. Instead of giving him credit for winning the national championship they often said he did it with Rick Pitino's players. Instead of giving him credit for making it to two final eights, the fans complain that he did not reach the Final Four. I wonder if they will have the same standard for their new coach Billy Gillespie. Gillespie had a decent win in Kentucky's first game of the season against Central Arkansas. I say decent because, while the defense held Central Arkansas to only 40 points, the offense looked average while only scoring 67 points. The team struggled shooting from the outside and did not establish a great inside game.

Fans were so disappointed in Kentucky's early season loss that boos could be heard throughout the game. This only after one game under new coach Gillipse. Not exactly very patient! Kentucky's fans are some of the most demanding in the world. The expectations are high and they expect nothing less than being the best. Their expectations are so high the ran off a very good coach in Tubby Smith. They may soon realize that he was not as easy to replace as they thought.

While Kentucky struggled against Gardner Web, there are some bright sides to this team. They have experience with Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley. Both of these players have NCAA tournament experience and have the ability to score in double figures every night. They both need to be more consistent and if so, they should have great years. Sophomore Jodie Meeks is an exceptional young guard who has demonstrated that he has a great jump shot. If he continues to blossom he shod be a great player. Finally Freshman Patrick Patterson was one of the most highly recruited players from this years freshman class. He is a great post player3r with a fantastic ability to score in the post. He will give Kentucky some much needed help on the inside.

The challenge to bring Kentucky basketball where they want it to be will not be as easy as many are hoping. With the parity that currently exist in college hoops, fans may soon learn that their coach was not the real problem. Hopefully fans will be more patient with Gillipse than they were with Tubby.