CLEVELAND — There are loaded years and reloading years, but the concept of Kentucky suffering any truly long years is pushing the envelope. Granted, there were a few seasons, after the money for Chris Mills’ dad accidentally fell out of the envelope, when the concept of sanctioned and humbled Kentucky may have applied.

But that was a decade ago. And with two NCAA championships in the last four years, the idea of The Cats playing The Dog is such a reach, you’d need the slingshot to reach it.

Yet, here was Tubby Smith yesterday, playing first chair in the heartstrings section. “All the things that have gone on have created a bond,” said the Kentucky coach. “It’s been very few of us against a lot. Even though people may look at us as Goliath, we are looking at ourselves as David right now.”

Kentucky had two guys, Wayne Turner and Scott Padgett, leave for the NBA, and Heshimu Evans graduate. Six days ago, starting guard Desmond Wilson was arrested, charged with driving under the influence, and suspended.

Nobody knows the trouble Kentucky has seen, except of course, practically half the teams in the field, who keep talking about NBA defections, graduations, injuries and losses as “adversity” when all these items come with the territory. As Jim Boeheim, whose Syracuse Orangemen face the Wildcats this afternoon here in a second-round Midwest Regional game, noted with one of his characteristic smirks: “They have some pretty big Davids there.”

In fact, even Smith yesterday was explaining how he has one of the few teams that might have a favorable match up over Etan Thomas, the shot-swallowing Syracuse center, and power forward Ryan Blackwell.

“We got a pretty formidable front line ourselves,” said the Kentucky coach. “[Jamaal] Magloire is a talented post player, very aggressive, in my opinion one of the best defenders in college basketball. It’ll be a challenge, but I like our front line against theirs because I think we have a little more depth in the post in Marvin Stone and Jules Camara.”

Thus, sing no sad songs for Ol’ Kentucky, which, but for a 3-pointer by Tayshaun Prince at the end of regulation in its double-overtime win over St. Bonaventure Thursday, would be at home right now. The Wildcats still have plenty of talent to extend a run in a tournament in which they are starting two sophomores and a freshman.

When these two schools met in the 1996 NCAA Final at the Meadowlands, Syracuse was the overachiever and Kentucky the overwhelming favorite, but the three key seniors (Thomas, Blackwell and point guard Jason Hart) Syracuse will start today to Kentucky’s one (Magloire) notwithstanding, it would be an exaggeration to say the roles are reversed from four years ago.

Michigan State, looming next weekend in Auburn Hills, will likely put the winner of this game to rest, but not before two of college basketball’s most glamorous and successful programs play a compelling second-rounder.