LEXINGTON, Ky. — There comes a moment in every college basketball team’s season in which the boat is rocking. It’s either going to capsize, throwing everyone into the water, or it’s going to find its way upright and into smoother sailing ahead.
Kentucky faced such a moment Tuesday night at Rupp Arena. A week earlier, the Big Blue battleship had been torpedoed by lowly South Carolina. Four days after that, John Calipari’s crew had emerged from the drink to execute a total turnaround with a 63-56 upset of archrival and fifth-ranked Tennessee in Knoxville. Now, here at halftime, the dark skies of regression had reappeared. UK trailed Georgia 42-34.
It was then that, just in the nick of time, up stepped the captain of the Good Ship Wildcat, a sweet smile of a fellow named Oscar Tshiebwe.
