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Good Times Now At UK, Hard Times On The Way?

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John Calipari had a big day Wednesday, getting commitments from Brandon Knight and rising senior Michael Gilchrist.

The question for Kentucky now is: will this work? Can you take a number of one-and-done kids who are only around for year and get to the Final Four, much less win the title?

The good times are still rolling and the wins will still happen and certainly you can't rule out a Final Four run.

However, it's a balancing act. Calipari is under as much pressure as a coach could be: not only does have to keep the Kentucky faithful happy, he also has to have a huge talent influx annually, and some years, the talent just won't be that great. He got a Final Four pass this season, but that won't last forever: if he doesn't start making it, his fans will turn on him in short order.

The comments made by Patrick Patterson's mother recently about how her son has been treated suggest that the veneer may not accurately reflect what's beneath.

And in another possible issue which somehow has gone under the radar, assistant coach Rod Strickland was arrested Sunday morning and charged with DWI.

By the way, the much vaunted no-tolerance policy Kentucky instituted a few years ago is long gone.

Strickland, like former coach Billy Gillispie, has a history of alcohol arrests. Kentucky has made no public comment, but parents of recruits are asking questions.

Add it all up, the pressures and the sliding standards, and you have the groundwork for trouble.

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