I was preparing to write a column on how Kentucky's basketball season had been little more than average and something needed to change in time for next year. I was going to write about how, Bobby Perry aside, the senior class won't be missed and the need for some premier recruits.

And then it happened: A phone call came in from a friend, Tubby was gone.... "Fired?!?!?!" I asked incredulously, but no. "Minnesota." "Who?" "Exactly." I wasn't shocked that Tubby was gone, it had been brewing all season. The corridors echoed with disenchantment with Tubby. Rupp Arena became subdued as the Cats turned in one average performance after another.

Looking back at last season the writing was on the wall early; they struggled against Miami (OH) at Rupp, they beat De Paul by six and then capitulated down the stretch against UCLA in Maui, they took a heavy beating from Memphis and looked lifeless in Chapel Hill when losing by 12 at North Carolina.

Despite a run of 11 victories in a row the Cats still looked shaky, with most of the opposition being subpar. The Wildcat faithful don't place much value in wins over the likes of Santa Clara and Eastern Kentucky. Then came SEC play and the Cats turned every opportunity into a defeat. They somehow stayed in the game against Florida at Rupp but fell short at the end; they led at Vanderbilt for more than 39 minutes before losing in the last 30 seconds.

They came fourth in the SEC East. Sure they earned a berth in the Big Dance but they came nowhere close to an SEC title. They lost in embarassing fashion in the SEC Tournament to Missisippi State after a lane violation in the dying seconds let Jamont Gordon in for a game tying 3 and an overtime loss for the Cats.

Then came the Big Dance, though for the Cats it was more of a small shuffle, after beating out Villanova in the first round they took a sound beating from Kansas in the next to miss out on the Sweet 16 and throw more disillusion the way of the Wildcats faithful.

So when the news came in that Tubby was gone it was a feeling of relief; it's the best for everyone. Tubby gets to move on to another, low-stress job, where the nickname "Ten-loss Tubby" would be a compliment. Theres no pressue at a team that went 9-22 and 3-13 in Big Ten play.

Kentucky gets to bring in fresh blood and move on from a dissapointing previous few season. The moving on didn't start well when Randolph Morris signed with the New York Knicks and headed straight from the Big Dance to the NBA.

Since Tubby left, the story of who will be the next coach has been big news everywhere. Speculation lists a million names, many crop up again and again -- Rick Barnes, Tom Izzo, Billy Gillispie, John Thompson III, even Rick Pitino,  like that was going to happen.

However, theres only one name anyone is talking about right now: Billy Donovan. No chance, right? Why would anyone leave a program that has won the last two national championships, where he is loved, paid well and adored. All fair points but there are many reasons if you scratch the surface.

Lets begin with an easy one, Donovan was an assistant to Pitino at Kentucky, so he has ties to the program.Then lets move on to why he would want to leave Florida. For a start, Florida is and always will be football country. Donovan could twelve-peat at Florida and they still couldn't fill their 12,000 seat arena for non-conference games. He's never going to be loved as much as Urban Meyer, he's never going to get the respect. Add to that the whole of his team is 95 percent likely to head for the NBA this summer, and Gainesville doesn't sound so good now.

Then there are the reasons to come to Kentucky. Sure the Wildcats are in a fallow period but the program isn't on life support as many people exaggerate it to be. A couple of years of decent recruiting and the end of Tubby's tenure will be forgotten quickly. The reasons though are that Kentucky IS basketball. (Having lived here since August I've worked out four things come above all else in the Bluegrass: Cheerleading, Horses, Whiskey and BASKETBALL).

Kentucky has the tradition, the dynasty, the fans, the arena, it has everything aside from the right players, something Donovan could sort out in a heartbeat. You think Patrick Patterson and Jai Lucas would be umming and aahing if Donovan comes to town? No way. One of Donovan's recruits for Florida has already said he will follow Donovan if he moves.

Rupp Arena might be nearly double the size of Florida's stadium but theres no problem filling it out for non-conference games. Heck Rupp was full for Midnight Madness, a glorified spring practice at midnight. This is the setting Billy Donovan should be in, not fighting for love and headlines in Footballtown, Fla.

A raise probably won't harm things either, I'm sure Kentucky's boosters will have no problem dipping their hands in their pockets for Billy's paycheck, and rumor has it that if Florida increases Billy's paypacket it will eat into the football budget. Do you think that would go down well with the Gator Nation? Err, NO.

In the end it's probably going to be a close run thing; let's not pretend Donovan doesnt have it rosy in Gainesville with a big contract, success, settled family. But right now it seems 50-50. Lexington is brimming with rumors, probably mostly false, but Donovans wife has supposedly been seen house hunting in the area, they are buying a horse farm, etc, etc.

The best though, especially if it is true, is that William Donovan III has been enrolled at Lexington Catholic High School. Now that's a mighty commute from Gainesville isn't it? Donovan to Kentucky? I believe it's going to happen. We'll see you at the Final Four in 2009.

After me........ WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH.... C.......A.......T......S.......CATS.......CATS........CATS.