Thursday headlines: Can this Kentucky basketball season be saved?

Well, last night was pretty brutal.

Kentucky took an 8-point lead with about 4:30 left and looked like it could pull out a victory in the SEC home opener against Missouri. Even if they hadn’t played well, it looked like Kentucky might get away with a win, and a win is a win at the end of the day.

Instead, Kentucky only managed two points the rest of the game and Missouri took the win, as Kentucky falls to 0-2 to begin SEC play with a Quad 3 loss.

After back-to-back losses in SEC play, each frustrating in their own way, one has to wonder if this Kentucky basketball season can be salvaged. We thought this team might start to turn a corner after beating Indiana and St. John’s, and we remained hopeful that they would have time to turn things around.

But Kentucky has looked terrible in two SEC competitive games. Maybe you could rationalize the Alabama game because it was on the road against a very good Alabama team, but there is no explanation that can reassure anyone about what happened at Rupp Arena last night.

If something doesn’t change, this team won’t make the NCAA tournament, and that is unacceptable at Kentucky. Period.

Now, can things get better? Anything is possible, I suppose, but what will change? This team looks like they’re stuck in the mud offensively and too often seems completely lost on defense.

Things aren’t going to get any easier from here. In January alone, the Wildcats take road trips to Tennessee, Arkansas and Vandy, all of which are currently ranked in the top 25, with Vanderbilt and Arkansas both ranked in the top 15.

There may still be hope of salvaging this season, but it’s hard to feel it the morning after a loss like that.

What do you think? Can the season still be saved?