Cats set for SEC Tourney

Cats set for SEC Tourney

Kentucky senior Josh Harrellson hasn’t given much thought about approaching the dawn of his collegiate career.

Harrellson said the reality of entering the postseason and the stress of enduring a one-and-done ride in the NCAA Tournament, hasn’t registered as the Wildcats prepare for the Southeastern Conference Tournament that begins Thursday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga.

“It hasn’t clicked yet,” Harrellson said Tuesday. “You know, it’s just hard to believe my season is already gone. I had fun this year.”

What a fun ride it’s been for Harrellson, who entered the season as a possible role player, but stepped into a starting role when Enes Kanter was declared ineligible by the NCAA. In the absence of Kanter, Harrellson has given the Cats a solid presence in the post and is averaging 6.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. In the past two games, Harrellson has collected six blocks, adding to his list of abilities inside the paint.

Harrellson hopes to add to his senior-season memories a list of postseason thrills when Kentucky begins the first leg of two postseason tournaments starting with the SEC version this week. Kentucky, the No. 2 seed in the SEC East, received a first-round bye and will open defense of its SEC tournament title at 3:30 p.m. Friday against the winner of the Ole Miss-South Carolina game. Kentucky defeated Mississippi State in last year’s finale in Nashville.

The Wildcats (22- enter the tournament ridding the wave of a three-game winning streak, including a 64-58 victory over Tennessee in the regular-season finale for both teams last Sunday in Knoxville. The Wildcats have won six of their last eight games. Harrellson said the team’s performance against the Volunteers, which included a successful rally in the second half, gives the Cats confidence and momentum going into the postseason.

Harrellson said “just knowing we can win on the road” and “going to Tennessee in a tough environment playing a great team like that and playing a rough first half like we did, and coming out with a victory” gives the team optimism for the rest of the season, especially playing away from home.

“That just shows a lot of maturity in our teams and hopefully we can carry that over to the neutral site games too,” he said.

As for the conference tourney, Harrellson said he hasn’t paid much attention to the team’s possible opponents beyond the quarterfinal round.

“I don’t even know who is on our side (of the SEC Tournament bracket),” he said. “I just know we play the winner of the South Carolina-Ole Miss game.”

The Wildcats swept two games from the Gamecocks and lost to Ole Miss in Oxford during the regular season. Harrellson’s personal preference is the Rebels, who knocked off the Cats 71-69 on Feb. 1.

“We are going to be looking forward to both of those two teams,” he said. “Hopefully we can get our way back with Ole Miss if we have to play them, and if we play South Carolina hopefully we get a win against them too.”

Story by Keith Taylor