Kentucky guard Lamont Butler is ready to 'prove people wrong' in the NCAA Tournament

Kentucky's players are ready for the NCAA Tournament.

Mar 20, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Lamont Butler (1) walks to the court during NCAA Tournament First Round Practice at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Mark Pope is getting ready to begin his NCAA Tournament career as the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, and this will happen on Friday night against the Troy Trojans.

Kentucky hasn't made it past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament in a very long time, but Coach Pope and his players have aspirations to make it much farther than this.

In Milwaukee, Kentucky, point guard Lamont Butler was asked about his excitement to play in the NCAA Tournament again. Here is what the Wildcats veteran point guard had to say, "We're really excited to go out and there and really just show what we can do, prove people wrong."

Despite being a three-seed, Kentucky isn't a team that many seem to believe will make a run in the NCAA Tournament. Folks keep hearing about Duke, Auburn, Florida, St. John's, Michigan State, and Texas Tech, to name a few, but no one has much belief in the Wildcats.

This is likely why Butler said he is ready to prove people wrong. This Kentucky team has beaten Duke, Gonzaga, Florida, Tennessee, and some other elite teams in the nation, proving they deserve to be in the conversation.

Kentucky has struggled against lower seeds of late. Yes, this was under the previous regime, but Big Blue Nation would love to see Pope's team blow the doors off of Troy.

Butler and the Wildcats are taking the underdog mentality with them into the NCAA Tournament, and this could make them very dangerous, especially if they get out of the first weekend.