Kentucky ink: 2014 title or bust
— -- Odds aren't great the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team will win the national championship.
But don't tell that to Tyler Austin Black.
The 22-year-old machinist said he walked into Vice & Virtue, a tattoo parlor in Berea, Ky., on Thursday and got a tattoo on his right calf that proclaimed the team "Nati9nal Champions," with the nine signifying what would be the team's ninth title. A "2014" was tattooed above it.
"I'm not delusional," Black said. "I know we've had a rough season. Big Blue Nation is down and the majority of people have no faith in us. But we have faith in ourselves."
ESPN.com also spoke with the tattoo artist, who asked not to be named but verified the tattoo's authenticity.
Kentucky started the year as the No. 1 team in the nation, but a 22-9 overall record with a 12-6 mark in SEC play has them out of the Top 25.
Black said he hopes his confidence in getting the tattoo will be seen by the players and give them a necessary boost.
"My friends are loving it," Black said. "They know it's typical me."
Black said he has no plan to cover or erase the tattoo should the Wildcats not win it all.
"It's part of my story," Black said. "If we don't win, I'll remember it as the year so many thought we could do it and we didn't."
Black is hoping to be the second sports fan this year whose predictive tattoo came true. Earlier this year, Seahawks fan Tim Connors celebrated when his team won the Super Bowl. Connors got a "Super Bowl XLVIII Champs" tattoo on his arm in August, before the 2013 season began.
The Wildcats are at 30/1 odds to win the title, according to the Las Vegas Hotel.
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