Cats Illustrated writers have shared their takes on the best Kentucky basketball and football wins of the last decade.

With the 2010's winding down, now we're reminiscing on some of the worst losses.

First up, Kentucky football.

Travis Graf

1. Vanderbilt (2012)

2. Southern Miss (2016)

3. Auburn (2010)

Justin Rowland

1. Vanderbilt (2012)

2. Florida (2017)

3. Tennessee (2018)

Jeff Drummond

1. Vanderbilt (2012)

2. Arkansas (2012)

3. Florida (2017)

A popular choice for the worst loss of the decade was Vanderbilt's 40-0 thrashing of the Wildcats back in 2012, Joker Phillips' final season, which was almost as embarrassing for the lack of fans in attendance as for the final score. That Vanderbilt team was not a bad squad, 5-4 at the time, but being on the losing end of a game like that against the Commodores was a reality check if there ever were one.

The 2016 loss to Southern Miss was the result of a second half collapse. UK could not slow down the USM ground game after Drew Barker lit up the scoreboard in the first half. UK would be blown out by Florida in Gainesville the next week but Stephen Johnson would rally the team for a 7-6 season from that point on.

The 37-34 loss to Auburn in 2010 was devastating but of a different nature than the first two losses listed here. The Wildcats led the No. 8 Tigers late in the game but Cam Newton marched his team into Kentucky territory for a field goal to win it as the game clock expired. That dropped Kentucky to 3-3. Auburn would go on to win the national championship.

Kentucky's 2018 team was arguably the Wildcats' best of the last 40 years but they came out flat in Knoxville and found themselves down 24-0 before scoring a late touchdown. That was one week removed from losing the de facto SEC East championship in a game in Lexington against Georgia. UK would rebound to win its last three games of that season including the Citrus Bowl against Penn State. But had Kentucky defeated Tennessee they could have secured a berth in a New Year's Six bowl game with a chance at 11 wins.

Kentucky had some heartbreaking losses to Florida during the Gators' 31-year streak against the 'Cats but one of the worst was in 2017, when Kentucky squandered a 13-point fourth quarter lead because not once, but twice the Wildcats left UF receivers completely uncovered for touchdowns. The silver lining is that the streak ended the following year.