With just a few days left until March Madness, every win and loss matters more than ever. That’s why the Wildcats are concerned about their recent 102-97 loss to No. 4 Alabama. What went wrong? Injuries have forced Kentucky to rely heavily on young players to step up in their absence. But not anymore.

Both Jaxson Robinson and Lamont Butler have been sidelined—Robinson with a wrist injury and Butler with a shoulder problem. However, after days of uncertainty, they are finally back at practice… sort of. During his Monday night radio show, head coach Mark Pope provided an encouraging update.

“Lamont and Jaxson were both in practice. They had modified practice, which is a good thing,” Pope said, adding, “Certainly, they’re both on the uptick.”

While their full return isn’t immediate, it’s at least a step in the right direction. And it couldn’t come at a better time, as the Wildcats have been struggling on the court. Even in their last game against Alabama, Kentucky found themselves in a “tough situation,” as Pope admitted.

“Alabama is a terrific team, and they put us in tough situations that we didn’t respond well to on the defensive end,” he shared.

The numbers back up his statement. Alabama shot 52.5% from the floor and 35.5% from three-point territory, exposing Kentucky’s defensive lapses.

Inside the paint, Kentucky also struggled, as Alabama outscored them 44-34. This means the Wildcats were allowing high-percentage shots and failing to protect the rim. The Crimson Tide also recorded eight blocks compared to Kentucky’s three, further highlighting their defensive shortcomings.

Turnovers? They weren’t a major issue as Kentucky committed just 10, while Alabama had eight. However, Alabama capitalized, converting Kentucky’s mistakes into 11 points, nearly matching Kentucky’s 12 points off turnovers. In short, the Wildcats needed improvement on both ends of the floor.

“I would like to handle them a lot better, but I do feel like we’re game three in, and we’re playing against a really good team on the road, and clearly, we have to get way better,” Pope said after the game. “And so, I’m proud of our young guys’ effort. They are getting better, and we’ve got to keep getting better faster.”

And he’s right. Perry, Noah, and Chandler have been thrown into the fire, tasked with stepping up under intense pressure. Perry, making his third career start, finished with 12 points, while Chandler showed his potential in overtime.

Though the young roster fought hard, Alabama took advantage of Kentucky’s lack of depth, going on a 29-10 run and seizing a 47-40 halftime lead.

“We’re getting down into the stretch run, and us getting better on this end of the ball is something that we’re obsessing about and we’re determined to do. If we do it well, then we’re going to have a good stretch,” Pope added.

Now, the Wildcats stand at 14-4 in the regular season and 3-2 in conference play. But is that enough to make a deep run in the national championship?

With equal highs and lows, will the Wildcats make it to March Madness?

As Kentucky gears up for a memorable March Madness run, their tournament seeding projection remains strong despite a season of ups and downs. In the past week alone, the team has experienced an equal number of wins and losses. They first defeated Tennessee, then lost to Texas. They bounced back with a win over Vanderbilt before falling to Alabama.

Currently, the Wildcats hold the 14th spot in NET rankings and boast an 8-7 record in critical Quad 1 matchups. These games, heavily weighted by the NCAA selection committee, prove that Kentucky can compete with the nation’s best. In fact, their eight Quad 1 wins tie them with Alabama, Arizona, and Tennessee for the second-highest number of victories in that category.

However, the recent loss to Alabama was a missed opportunity for Kentucky to elevate themselves even further. But with four games remaining before the conclusion of the regular season, they still have a chance to improve their standing.

Will their strong resume and steady performance propel them deep into March Madness? That remains to be seen, but with Robinson and Butler on the mend, the Wildcats might just be getting healthy at the perfect time.