Julius Mays had braced himself for bad news. The Kentucky senior had every reason to believe that the Kentucky Wildcats would be left out of the NCAA Tournament, and so as he settled in to watch Sunday’s Selection Show, he was prepared not to hear the Kentucky Wildcats’ name called.
“I kind of prepared myself for the worst just so it wouldn’t hurt as bad,” said Mays, whose team did in fact miss out on an NCAA invite. “But it’s still a deep wound and it’s going to haunt me for a while.”
The healing process, such as it is, begins Tuesday night with an NIT first-round game at Robert Morris in Moon Township, Pa. It’s a small consolation for the Kentucky Wildcats (21-11), but a postseason test nonetheless.