Kentucky’s first-round loss to St. Peter’s University in last year’s NCAA tournament carved a grotesque scar into what was an otherwise beautiful season. Not to casually dismiss the most embarrassing loss in school history, but much of the 2021-22 season was a bastion of success.
At the end of January 2022, Kentucky was 19-4. The only loss experts would consider bad was to Notre Dame, but the other defeats were understandable. They fell to Duke early in the season at the Champions Classic, a ranked LSU team on the road, and #2 Auburn, again away from home.
These losses were counteracted by major wins, including blowouts over eventual National Champion, Kansas, and National Runner-Up, North Carolina.