As the 2010’s neared their end the decade challenge became very popular on social media. Most everyone was posting pics of themselves from 2009 and comparing or contrasting them with how they appear currently. As someone who follows the Kentucky Wildcats and the Dallas Cowboys closely, I felt it was time to do the same thing with both teams as they struggle toward 2020.

John Calipari

John Calipari agreed to become Kentucky’s head coach on March 31, 2009 and we all remember his introductory press conference on the following morning on April 1. The Wildcats were 11 years removed from winning their seventh National Championship in 1998. Things had grown stale in the final few years under Tubby Smith and downright horrific in Billy Gillispie’s two seasons in Lexington.

Coach Cal immediately injected life, fun and most importantly winning at a high level back into the program. We all know the numbers but take a second and reflect on them once again anyway.

Four Final FoursTwo National Championship AppearancesOne National Championship

I’m not afraid to say, I don’t care about having the most elite 8’s or the most Final 4’s. I want National Championships. And if you’re honest with yourself you would say the exact same. That’s a UK fan. If you disagree tell me, but don’t call me names. That’s unintelligent. — Michael Bennett (@justthecatradio) December 22, 2019



Sure it’s human nature to focus on what got away and Cal has even said that he should have another title or two. But there’s a lot there that is secure and in hand. There’s nothing wrong with yearning for another title but the levels of consternation and angst in years that don’t end with another banner being hung in Rupp Arena are a bit much sometimes. When Cal, The Brow, and the rest of the Cats won Kentucky’s eighth National Championship in 2012 that banner hadn’t even stopped swaying in the rafters before “Gotta Get 9” and “Dy9asty” were the talk of BBN (that’s another article for another day).

Kentucky is seven years removed from the 2012 title. That’s half as long as the time between titles prior to championship No. 8 being won (1998-2012). Remember when the ’96 team won title No. 6? Prior to them winning it all UK’s last title had been won in 1978. Before the Goose was Golden Kentucky hadn’t been kings of the college basketball world since 1958. Titles don’t grow on trees and they aren’t won every single year. A 30-win season that ends in a tad sooner than we’d like isn’t the absolute worst thing that can happen in our lives.

As for this season . . .

I do think you can win at a very high level still in college without a 3-point barrage. But you better be a suffocating defense (UK isn’t with any consistency) and you better dominate inside (far from it). The more we see, this team feels poorly constructed. https://t.co/QT4mfcpcqY — Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) December 19, 2019

Is this team poorly constructed or just not coming together yet? Probably bits and pieces of all of the above. The possibility of losing to Ohio State was real but an 0-2 Vegas trip was unexpected. This team isn’t good enough to out-talent or out-athlete anybody. They have to stay on that grind and work for 40 minutes and that’s not happening yet. This Saturday against Louisville would be a perfect time for that to start happening on a more consistent basis.

“You’re at Kentucky.” – @UKCoachCalipari



Now let’s learn and get better as a team. pic.twitter.com/44Ep6qQz3r — Kentucky Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) December 22, 2019

Fortunately for Cal and the Cats no one else in the SEC, or college basketball, is setting the world on fire at the moment. This team isn’t going to be dominant like the 2012 or 2015 but for all of their warts and flaws you have to like that their chances of being in the mix come March.

Jason Garrett

Now down in Dallas, Jason Garrett was hired as the Dallas Cowboys head coach on January 5, 2011 after going 5-3 in the second half of the season as an interim head coach. It’s not quite a decade but it’s more than enough time for us to see what he’s about. In his first three seasons he finished 8-8 and lost a win and you’re in (the playoffs) game to a division rival three consecutive times. Remember when Rick Pitino went 14-14 with a team that should have gone 5-19 in his first season? He was praised for that, and he should have been. Imagine if he’d gone .500 in his next two seasons. Imagine if Cal had gone .500 in his first season following Billy G.

Garrett finally got it together in 2014 with a 12-4 season. Did that result in a Super Bowl? No, they lost (controversially) in the Divisional round to the Green Bay Packers. The following year they went 4-12. Yes, Tony Romo was lost for the season after four games but when you average out 12-4 and 4-12 you still wind up at 8-8. The Cowboys came back with a vengeance and went 13-3 and had home field advantage throughout the playoffs. How did that work out? Fresh off of their first round bye, they promptly went out and lost to the Packers again in the Divisional round.

Coming into this season there were literally no excuses.

There could have easily been nine Cowboys represented in the NFL Top 100 but Dak Prescott was left off of the list. After starting off 3-0 the Cowboys now find themselves at 7-8 and in need of help from the New York Giants to even make the playoffs. This is assuming that they handle their own business against the Washington Redskins which is definitely not a given.

Jerry Jones is difficult to work for, meddlesome and entirely too hands on as an owner. That said, the Cowboys not making it to the NFL’s final four, the NFC Championship Game, once under Jason Garrett’s tenure is inexcusable.

John Calipari has essentially equaled and exceeded Jim Boeheim’s accomplishments in less than a quarter of the time but catches scrutiny from some like he hasn’t done anything during his time at Kentucky. He isn’t perfect and there are things the can do better and differently but there’s still more to like than there is to knock. Let’s just sit back and see where the squad is as we inch closer to spring time.

Follow @VinnyHardy