Wildcats duo trying again to top Lofton

The criticism. The complaints. Could they hear them?

Sure, Kentucky fans directed their venom at mild-mannered coach Tubby Smith when Chris Lofton scored 31 points at Rupp Arena in 2006. Lofton grew up just 60 miles away in Maysville. His most famous high school performance, the time he made nine 3-pointers in the state championship game, occurred at Rupp Arena. But Smith never offered Lofton a scholarship.

Smith expressed his regret that night after Lofton helped Tennessee beat Kentucky. Said he made a mistake. Reporters still asked questions. They wondered how Smith felt.

Smith? How about Kentucky’s guards in the locker room, on the court, in the classroom, hearing the echoes of criticism? Yes, they were listening.

Imagine being Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley, Kentucky’s two talented senior guards. For almost four years, they’ve heard fans grumble about not having Chris Lofton. What if they had Lofton? Would they be struggling if they had Lofton?

Think about Lofton’s impact on the SEC. He broke the conference’s 3-point shooting record. He led the renaissance of Tennessee’s basketball program. He unwittingly helped turn an entire fan base against Smith, who left for Minnesota.

And Lofton, Tennessee’s soft-spoken shooting guard, left an indelible stain on the otherwise impressive careers of Crawford and Bradley. If Kentucky fans wanted Lofton so much, they must not be too satisfied with their current guard situation.

“It hurt a lot,” Crawford said. “I’m human. I thought I was a better player than (Lofton), and things like that. So it definitely hurt. I felt I was deserving of a scholarship.

“It hurt. It’s just something we had to live through and fight to prove we’re deserving of these scholarships.”

Crawford and Bradley will get one final chance to prove themselves, in person, against Lofton on Sunday at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Former UK guard Patrick Sparks, annoyed with the Lofton talk, used to play with extra enthusiasm in this game. Expect the same from Crawford and Bradley.

It didn’t help that Tennessee’s resurgence under Lofton coincided with Kentucky’s woes. It hasn’t helped that Lofton is averaging 17.6 points and shooting 44.3 percent against Kentucky in his career. The scouting report on Crawford: great shooter, good on defense, not Chris Lofton.

But Sunday, in their last regular-season meeting, the Wildcats will get a chance to steal Tennessee’s lead in the SEC East and possibly leave as conference champions.

“As a player, it makes you want to compete that much more and show everybody you feel you’re better than every other player,” Bradley said of the Lofton talk.

Better than Lofton?

“He’s a very good player,” Bradley said. “As a competitor, unless you’re my teammate, I never say that any player’s better.”

To Lofton’s credit, he avoided any comparisons to Crawford or Bradley.

“I’m here for a reason,” Lofton said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better place.”

But Tennessee guard Jordan Howell knows the feeling. Even during his freshman season, when the Vols were awful, Howell said he got e-mails from Tennessee fans saying he wasn’t good enough to be on the team.

That’s just a couple of notches better than being told you’re not talented enough for the Washington Generals.

“Oh, I understand,” Howell said of Crawford and Bradley’s situation. “That stuff motivates you to want to prove everybody wrong. When you don’t feel like people believe in you, all you really want to do is go out and show them they’re wrong.”

Lofton did just that, and then some. Crawford and Bradley are still trying.

“Chris is the best shooter in the country, over all of them,” Tennessee’s JaJuan Smith said. “Crawford and all of them.”

Trust me, he knows.