Dick Vitale is once again in Lexington, calling Saturday’s regular season finale between Florida and Kentucky. Plenty is on the line, at least from the Wildcats’ perspective. Winning would help them earn a double-bye in the SEC Tournament, while also avoiding a 0-2 record against a rival.

A bigger picture topic came up during the first half, though. Vitale decided to call out Kentucky for its performance throughout the season. Reports have indicated a lot of money was spent by head coach Mark Pope on the roster. Not everything has gone well for UK, with Vitale saying better players could have been acquired.

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“I’ve done several Kentucky games,” Vitale said. “Win or lose, $22 million this team, reports are, in terms of the NIL for their players. I think at $22 million, they could have put together a better roster than they did. I really do.”

Losing in Rupp Arena on Senior Day would mean Kentucky finished the regular season with less than 20 wins. While the upside of beating Florida is an SEC Tournament double-bye, losing places them in the bracket’s first round. That has not happened since before conference expansion in 2009. Wednesday at the SEC Tournament has never seen Kentucky, meaning a potential first is coming.

So, no matter how the roster shook out, many feel as if Kentucky has performed poorly. Fans have been through a lot of ups and downs because of the on-court action. It’s something Vitale believes should be much better, given how widespread the support is.

“I think a lot of schools would like that and the support,” Vitale said. “Not only the money, they’ve got great support here. These Big Blue Nation fans are so passionate. They deserve better.”

On3’s James Fletcher currently places Kentucky in the field safely in his latest Bracketology, coming in as a seven-seed. This would mean a second-round NCAA Tournament game would come against a two-seed. Fletcher projects Michigan State as the potential matchup, setting up a classic between two blue-bloods.

Either way, Vitale appears to believe some underachievement has come from Kentucky this season. Support is clearly evident, whether or not the number Vitale threw out there is true. Pope had plenty of resources to put together a roster capable of competing at the highest level in his second season in charge. Some might feel differently if Florida turns into a win, but not Vitale, sticking to his thoughts no matter what.