There's been a lot of speculation as to the status of Kentucky basketball coach Tubby Smith -- most of it negative.

For his part, Wildcats athletic director Mitch Barnhart tells The Associated Press that "Tubby's our basketball coach," and that Smith has "done a great job of representing the platform of Kentucky basketball."

But Barnhart stopped short of saying Smith would remain in charge of the Wildcats. He did, however, say that fans had misinterpreted a previous statement as meaning a coaching change was near. He's referring to his urging of fans to wait until the postseason before making judgments on the state of the team.

Barnhart points to Smith's .700-plus winning percentage and says the two will sit down at the end of the season to discuss changes. He declined to say whether any assistants might be replaced.

The 21-and-11 Wildcats are a number-eight seed in the N-C-A-A
tournament for the second straight year and will play Villanova in the first round on Friday.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)