Even though Kentucky is an 11th seed (second-worst seed in the proud program’s history), the players still feel pressure to win in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Forward Perry Stevenson noted that UK fans continue to expect the most.
“Seven championships in six years,” he said on Wednesday. “That’s the expectations they have for you. We’ll try to honor that.”
Kentucky begins play on Thursday against Marquette, the sixth seed in the South Region. The winner will play either Stanford or Cornell on Saturday.
Senior Ramel Bradley said he felt a responsibility to help Kentucky do well. UK hasn’t lost a first-round game since 1987 (Rex Chapman’s freshman year).
After noting UK’s tradition — most appearances (49), games (141) and victories (98) in NCAA Tournament history — he said, “I don’t want to come up with any less than that.”
Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald- Leader has covered Kentucky basketball since the 1981-82 season. That time includes five coaches, five Final Fours, four athletic directors, two interim athletic directors and many memories. Before coming to Lexington, Tipton worked eight years for the Huntington (W.Va.) Herald-Dispatch. He covered Marshall’s basketball team for two seasons before coming to the Herald-Leader.
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