One down, three to go ...

Let's move beyond how they got here. Let's think about what they have left to accomplish instead.

Backing into the SEC Tournament with a blowout loss to Florida, Kentucky found itself against a desperate opponent in the tournament opener, not exactly where they envisioned themslves in mid-January.

But maybe the urgency of a tourney format is good salve for old wounds. It sure seemed like the key players -- Randolph Morris and Joe Crawford, specifically -- came to play in Kentucky's 79-67 victory in Atlanta.

Morris was, simply, outstanding. He opened the game hot and stayed there, hitting 8-of-10 shots and grabbing 11 boards in compiling his 10th double double of the year and playing strong on the glass.

Tubby and friends were fired up for a key SEC Tourney win over Alabama. (AP)

Crawford started slowly, but seemed to liven up after a long three-pointer to get off the snide in the first half. He also didn't let a clear no call foul at the halftime buzzer linger. Down the stretch, Joe did a smart job of taking the ball to the basket. He finished with 16 points on 50% shooting.

Fellow junior Ramel Bradley was also excellent, and the Cats will need him steady and, most importantly, hitting jumpshots to continue advancing.

Only a blowout loss would put UK on the bubble, and were there any doubts the Cats deserved an NCAA bid, a win today erased them, if only by attrition. At 21-10, with a strong showing, the aat-large bid is locked in (if it wasn't already, which it probably was).

The slow start made things a little sweaty in the first 10 minutes. Like other games late this season, the shots were there but weren't falling early on. once they did, it's amazing how much pep returned to the Cats' step.

All in all, a good first game for UK, and a favorable matchup against Mississippi St., a defensive team that has caught fire offensively in the season's second half. They'll be pumped to win, with an NCAA at-large unlikely without a run to the conference finals.

But urgency fits the Kentucky players, who played with fire and focus. A few more showings like this one over the SEC season and we might not have been talking coaching change for the last month.