Number 10

So, what do you do with a team that is ranked number 8, has two solid wins in Maui, but then gets blown out in the final by UConn? If you're the AP voters, and the team is the University of Kentucky, you drop them down to number 10 -- a downgrade, but a small one. (The bigger downgrade will come next week after the Cats lose to UNC on Saturday.)

(And yes, I'm a gloomy, pessimistic fan. That's just how I roll. If you want optimism, you can read Eric's views in the comments. But I assure you, I want the Cats to win just as much as he does.)

This is the first time UK has been ranked number 10 since December 3, 2005, when the Cats lost at home to UNC by the score of 83-79. That team imploded and ended up losing to UConn in the second round of the NCAA's. UK was also ranked number 10 when it won the SEC Tournament back in 1994, beating two teams that went to the Final Four (Florida and Arkansas) along the way. Of course, that team also lost in the second round of the NCAA's -- to Marquette. The Marquette game is of particular interest to me, as it was played during my last visit to the house in Paducah where my parents lived for 21 years.

UK's all-time record as a number 10 team is 44-12.