/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/10024241/20120325_kkt_sv3_110.0.jpg)
Who? The Wildcats of Kentucky.
What? The nickname was given in a chapel service. (Proof that football is serious business even at basketball schools.) The University of Kentucky does not recommend raising your own Scratch.
Where? Lexington, Kentucky, also home to Transylvania. University, that is.
When? March 24th, in Queens, New York.
Why? Single-digit RPI and second in the SEC? No question.
How? They were an at-large selection.
Surprise? Predicted to finish first in the conference, they ended up in second, a game behind Tennessee.
RPI: 7
SOS: 12
Record: 27-5 (13-3 SEC)
Good wins: At Louisville.
Bad losses: Nothing too egregious. At LSU, maybe?
Who's running this show? Matthew Mitchell, since 2007, who cut his teeth as a Tennessee grad assistant.
Extra, Extra! The Lexington Herald-Leader. You can also hear more from our friends at A Sea of Blue.
Kentucky prides themselves on their defense, forcing over 24 turnovers per game and making sure their opponents don't get the opportunity to score. Senior forward A'dia Mathies leads the Wildcats in scoring with 15.8 per game, but junior forwards DeNesha Stallworth and Samarie Walker are dangerous in the paint, and sophomore guard Jennifer O'Neill is a threat from beyond the arc or in the lane.
If the defense is on, their opponents... do not look good. But the Wildcats commit a fair number of turnovers themselves, and in the wrong matchup, that tendency can be exploited.