ATLANTA – Kentucky basketball coach Tubby Smith got an idea of how tough his new job would be during his first radio show, in the fall of 1997.

A fan called in to wish Smith luck and told him there was an easy way he could remain in good standing with the demanding Big Blue Nation, year in and year out.

“Coach,” the fan said, “all you’ve got to do is beat Indiana, beat Louisville, and win the national championship.”

Smith did all right that first season in Lexington. Kentucky beat Indiana and won the NCAA Tournament, its second national title in a three-year span. The Wildcats finished 35-4 and 14-2 in the Southeastern Conference, also winning the league tournament. But alas, they lost to hated Louisville.

During Smith’s final radio show of the season, that same fan, who hadn’t been heard from all year, even during the Wildcats’ national championship run, called back. Smith remembered the voice instantly.

“Coach,” he said. “I guess two out of three ain’t bad.”

Over the next four seasons, Smith’s life became increasingly miserable as the Wildcats’ record steadily declined, to 28 wins, then 23, then 22. Fan criticism ran the gamut. Smith had won the national title with former coach Rick Pitino’s players. He was insane for trying to play son Saul at point guard. He couldn’t recruit. His style was boring. Worse, after a 22-10 meltdown in 2001-02 that earned his team the moniker “Team Turmoil” for various off-court transgressions, there were rumblings that Smith had lost control of his program.

Fast-forward to the present. Tonight, when the Wildcats (23-4) take the floor against Tennessee, they will be considered the overwhelming favorite to win their third straight SEC Tournament. Smith has this program on a roll, and if karma accounts for anything, the tournament venue will play a factor, too.

Atlanta (or “Catlanta” as proud Kentucky fans call it) and the Georgia Dome have been kind to the ‘Cats in the Smith era. In 1997-98, Kentucky won the SEC Tournament here, came right back a week later to mop up first- and second round opponents in the NCAA Tournament, and eventually won the national championship.

The next season, Kentucky returned to the Georgia Dome and won the SEC Tournament again. The Wildcats’ run of success in Atlanta was halted in 2000 by an upstart Arkansas team, but their luck returned last year with another tournament title. The streak should continue this week.

“Dominate” is a word used all too freely these days, but there’s no other way to describe the way Kentucky has pushed around its SEC brethren the last three years. Counting league tournament games, the Wildcats are 49-5 against the SEC. True, Kentucky has always been the SEC’s glamour program and almost always pushed around the rest of the league. But a .907 winning percentage against a power conference in an era of nationwide parity? No team in the country can match it.

Smith has built this program to last by sticking to the fundamentals:

* The Wildcats must defend or they will not play. Since adopting a tough, man-to-man half court philosophy three years ago, Kentucky has been the stingiest team in the league when it comes to surrendering points; the ‘Cats have allowed a league-low 61 points per game this season. Smith’s system works best with a big man to clean up mistakes with a blocked shot or two, but it doesn’t require one – last year’s undersized team didn’t have a true center or, for that matter, a true power forward.

* Find a leader and stick with him. Two years ago, it was Keith Bogans, who chafed under Smith’s stern hand for three seasons. Bogans and Smith put aside their differences to mutual benefit and an Elite Eight appearance. Last year it was Gerald Fitch, who stayed in trouble his first two years on campus. Smith resisted the temptation to run him off, and Fitch delivered with an All-SEC season as he helped win several games with his competitive grit and timely shooting.

This season, Kentucky’s leader is Chuck Hayes. Hayes is a solid citizen and a throwback to old-school basketball. He’s too big to be a small forward, too small to be a power forward. No matter. Hayes uses his 6-foot-6-inch, 242-pound body like a battering ram and gets his hands on a lot of rebounds. He also knows his limitations offensively, sticking mostly to the paint. And as a bonus, he can guard. SEC coaches chose him as their defensive player of the year this season, as well as a first-team all-conference player.

* Be unselfish offensively. Kentucky’s stat sheet tells the tale here: No player averages more than Kelenna Azubuike’s 14.5 points a game. Six others averaged between 4 and 11.4 points. The Wildcats are second in the SEC with their average of nearly 16 assists per game.

Smith likes to run an inside-out offense, which means Hayes and freshman center Randolph Morris get a lot of work (375 shots between them). Kentucky isn’t the best perimeter-shooting team, but when junior transfer Patrick Sparks is on his game, they make good use of the 3-point line. Azubuike can get a basket when all else breaks down; he’s a great leaper who can also shoot, making him a tough defensive assignment because he can get to the rim so quickly.

* Recruit players who buy into the philosophy. Smith had been criticized before this year for his inability to sign blue-chip recruits, but what mattered to him and his assistants was attitude, not accolades. Is a player willing to play defense, be selfless, cooperate, and learn? This year, the Kentucky staff found players who were willing to do all those things, and three of them also happened to be Mc-Donald’s All-Americans. The freshman class has provided two starters (center Randolph Morris and point guard Rajon Rondo).

Add these ingredients and you come up with a program that knows what to do in March. Kentucky’s loss last week at Florida probably cost the Wildcats a shot at a no. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but even if they don’t land that coveted spot, they figure to be putting off spring break for a while. In Smith’s first seven seasons, the Wildcats were 15-2 in the SEC Tournament and 18-6 in the NCAAs. Even Smith’s harshest critics couldn’t find much fault with that.

Mr. Dortch is the editor in chief of Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.