Photo Credit: Chet White/UK Athletics

(LEXINGTON, Ky.) – Last night, during the first half of the Kentucky–LSU game, I learned something important about myself.

I am apparently one missed layup away from emotional bankruptcy.

When the Kentucky Wildcats fell behind the LSU Tigers by 18 points, social media did what social media always does: it declared the season dead, the coach clueless, and the program in urgent need of a full historical makeover.

The Cats weren’t just losing. According to X, this team had never played basketball together. Ever. Dribbling was new, passing was theoretical, and shotmaking was a distant rumor.

Coach Mark Pope went from “confused” to “fraudulent” in roughly six possessions. I saw posts that looked less like basketball analysis and more like grief counseling sessions—except no one wanted counseling. They wanted Pope’s head on a platter.

And then something deeply inconvenient happened.

Kentucky didn’t quit. They started making a run, chipping away at the lead.

The misfit parts didn’t suddenly become perfect. They didn’t magically turn into the ’96 “Untouchables.” They just… kept playing. Kept guarding. Kept taking shots that started finding their targets. Kept believing the game wasn’t over just because the internet said it was.

Slowly, painfully, improbably, the deficit continued to shrink. Hope tiptoed back in like a thief in the night. And just when everyone had emotionally hedged their bets, Malachi Moreno hit a buzzer-beater that flipped despair into delirium in one glorious, heart-stopping moment.

Same team, same coach, same players—but with a vastly different ending.

That’s when it hit me—this wasn’t just a basketball game. This was a metaphor for life—a sermon illustration delivered by way of a jump shot.

We fans are spectacularly bad at patience. We see a bad half and assume a bad season. We experience a bad season and assume a bad future. We mistake “right now” for “forever.” We confuse temporary struggle with eternal failure.

And when things don’t go according to plan, we rush to assign blame instead of framing perspective.

Spiritually speaking, we do this all the time.

We stumble out of the gate early—financially, relationally, emotionally—and decide the game is over. We stop running our offense. We quit boxing out. We panic and doom-scroll our way into despair. We forget that growth is rarely linear and redemption almost never arrives on our own schedule.

Last night, Kentucky reminded us of something simple and profound: momentum can change on a dime.

One stop. One run. One decision not to quit.

Twenty-four hours ago, Kentucky was being slotted into last place hypotheticals and tournament anxiety threads. This morning? They’re within a game of first place. Hope has returned. Faith in Pope is back. The same fans who were writing eulogies are now quoting analytics again.

Here’s the crazy thing. Lose in Knoxville on Saturday, and you’ll see the same cycle repeated.

The lesson isn’t “never criticize.” Believe me—I’ve made a second career out of constructive whining. The lesson is don’t confuse adversity with identity. Don’t bury something just because it’s struggling. And don’t assume God—or basketball seasons—are finished when the scoreboard looks ugly at halftime.

Whatever your current struggles—whether health, finances, or relationships—just persevere. Reach out for help when needed, hug your dog, and never quit.

Sometimes the miracle isn’t the buzzer-beater.

Sometimes the miracle is just staying in the game long enough for it to matter—because halftime is a terrible time to quit.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” –James 1:2-4

Dr. John Huang is a retired orthodontist, military veteran, and award-winning author. Currently serving as a columnist for Nolan Group Media, he invites readers to follow him on social media @KYHuangs. Explore his latest, Whining For Posterity, and all his books at Amazon.

Discover his next scheduled teaching event here: Man Up – Men’s Ministry Retreat – St. Luke Church | Lexington, KY