Jay Williams believes the hype doesn't match the production when it comes to Kentucky basketball.
Saturday morning college game day Broadcasting from Neville Arena, Williams commented on Kentucky's tumultuous season this year. The Wildcats (17-7, 7-4 SEC) rank him 22nd in the country, but he's only 5-5 in 10 games here. UK lost three straight at home for the first time at Rupp Arena with losses to Florida, Tennessee and Gonzaga.
Williams said the Wildcats are the Dallas Cowboys of college basketball.
“They have all the draft picks, so every year we're going to pump them up. Every year we're going to talk about (John Calipari),” he said. “Cal is one of the best at doing it. But is he on the same level as Bill Self?”
Jay Bilas was quick to point out that it was Kentucky's first title since the Cowboys' last Super Bowl.
Dallas ended the 1995 season by winning Super Bowl 30. Since then, Dallas has yet to advance past the regional round of the playoffs. The Cowboys have missed the playoffs a total of 15 times and lost in the wild-card round six more times, including two halting 12-win seasons in the past three years.
That's a bit of a harsh comparison. The University of Kentucky won the NCAA National Championship during the 1995-1996 season. The Wildcats played for the title again the following season, but fell short. They appeared in the title game again in the 1997-98 season, this time winning for the second time in three years.
Calipari took over from 2009 to 2010 and won a national championship in his third season (third since 1995). Under Calipari, the Cats have advanced to the Elite Eight seven times and the Final Four four times.
related: The NCAA Tournament is almost here! To get you ready for the big dance, here's more information about sports betting in Kentucky.
That frustration has come in recent years. Kentucky went 9-16 in 2020-21. They lost in the first round as a 2 seed in the 2021-22 season, and lost in the second round in last year's NCAA Tournament.
Williams himself warned against patience in relation to Calipari just a few days ago.
During the halftime show of Monday's game between Kansas and Texas Tech, Williams urged fans trying to run Calipari out of town to “take a break and breathe.”
“I know how sensitive people are going into February. Let's see how it ends in March,” Williams said.
Calipari also said recently that he believes this Kentucky team is built for a strong run come tournament time. Let's take a look. A big opportunity awaits Saturday against Auburn (6 p.m. ET, ESPN).
