A little of this, a little of that....
First, a note on our neighborly rivals down I-64.

I really have no idea what to make of the University of Kentucky men's basketball team. Inside Rupp Arena, the Wildcats look invincible; on the opponents' floors, they look more like the nightly special at the Roadkill Grill.

I mean, seriously: Arkansas?

Unless UK finds a way to close out a game on the road, it may be a very short postseason for Big Blue Nation. The last time I checked, neither the Southeastern Conference nor the NCAA has any tournament games scheduled for Lexington. Even though Cat fans flock to neutral-court games in large numbers, it's not the same as having 22,000 of them supporting the team to their last breath.

I hope UK sorts it out. Life improves greatly around the Bluegrass when both the Cats and the Cards are doing well.

* * * * * * * * *

As for the University of Louisville, I have to confess I didn't see this level of success coming. I believed U of L head coach Rick Pitino when he characterized this season as a "bridge year" -- it appeared the Cards would struggle to escape the middle of the pack in the Big East, and without winning the conference tournament, might have to sweat a bit come Selection Sunday. When Jared Swopshire's groin injury failed to heal promptly, Louisville looked painfully thin on the front line, and after player after player got hurt in December and January, a slide toward the .500 level seemed inevitable.

Hasn't happened. Give Pitino a large slice of the credit.

He has made an art of juggling the pieces available for every game to make them fit into a working machine. Some of those available pieces have proved more valuable than expected, as well. Who knew Gorgui Dieng would develop so quickly? Or that Stephan Van Treese would prove so stalwart on the front line? Or that Kyle Kuric would contribute so well as an undersized power forward?

Several times this year, these Cardinals have come from behind to win simply because they would not accept defeat. That has made them fun to watch, easy to like, and hard to play against. If you're an opposing coach, how do you game-plan for this bunch, when even Pitino doesn't know in advance what will work on a given night?

Senior guard Preston Knowles has been the key to this season, but the Cards still have won games without big numbers from him. Knowles and Peyton Siva have driven opponents berserk, especially lately, with the ball pressure and disruption they bring to bear on enemy backcourts. Dieng and Terrence Jennings have become formidable shotblockers, and with the return of Rakeem Buckles, the Cards have an inside presence I certainly didn't anticipate.

I expect an exciting postseason.

* * * * * * * * *

A quick note on women's basketball....

The U of L women have been up and down, but notched a big win last week when they knocked off No. 7 DePaul at the KFC Yum! Center. They also have a budding star in freshman point guard Shoni Schimmel -- I hope to see her in person sometime soon. Schimmel strikes me as the most disruptive player U of L has had (and by that, I mean disruptive to the opposing team) since Stephanie Edwards 30 years ago. Thank heaven women hoopsters don't leave early for the WNBA; otherwise we wouldn't have Schimmel to watch for three more years.

Jeff Walz continues to impress as a coach -- he habitually pulls the most from his players, helping them become a team that can beat just about anyone. Anyone except Connecticut, that is; we haven't seen anything comparable to what Geno Auriemma has done at UConn since John Wooden's UCLA powerhouse of the '60s and '70s. In women's college basketball right now, there are the Huskies, and there's everyone else.

Someone else doing a bang-up job is UK women's coach Matthew Mitchell. He has brought the Cats to a level of relevance they haven't seen in ages, and in Victoria Dunlap, UK has a talent not seen in Lexington since the days of Valerie Still.

Midterm exam time: Cards earning a solid 'A'

And I'm inclined to give their coach an A-plus.

As a nearly lifelong fan of University of Louisville basketball, I feel qualified to say that rarely has a U of L team achieved more with less. In a season where expectations were modest even before a rash of injuries hit the team, head coach Rick Pitino's Cardinals passed the midpoint of the Big East schedule at 17-5 overall and in a three-way tied for third place in the league at 6-3, a half-game behind second-place Notre Dame.

Considering Pitino hasn't had the luxury of the same roster three games in a row all season (or so it seems), to my mind it would constitute a miscarriage of justice for him not to receive the Big East Coach of the Year award. Indeed, he should at least get votes for the national award.

What with Samardo Samuels jumping to the NBA and two front line recruits never making it to campus, U of L has struggled for an inside presence. Jarod Swopshire's yearlong absence due to a groin injury hasn't helped, either; nor has the broken finger suffered by Rakeem Buckles. Freshman Gorgui Dieng has proven surprisingly adept at blocking and altering shots, but lacks the bulk and strength to hold his ground against the linebackers and tight ends that pass for forwards and centers on other Big East teams -- and he has lost time to leg injuries and a concussion.

Now top scorer and senior leader Preston Knowles has tweaked a hamstring and will miss the next game. That's the bad news; the good news is, U of L should handle a hapless DePaul team without him, playing at home. Knowles is the eighth different Cardinal to miss at least one contest due to injury -- if you're keeping score, that's more than half the team.

I submit Pitino is doing his best coaching job since Kentucky's "Unforgettables" in 1991-92. The current Cardinals have that squad's dogged refusal to accept defeat, and they have bought into Pitino's system lock, stock and barrel. It doesn't seem to matter to these guys who scores the points, as long as collectively they have more than the opposition when the clock runs out.

In a landscape thickly populated with one-and-dones and stat hogs, that's a refreshing attitude -- one worthy of a nickname.

How about "The Team that Wouldn't Die"?

* * * * * * * * *

A brief football note: I was very disappointed to see Seneca High School star quarterback DaMarcus Smith renege on his verbal commitment to U of L to sign with Central Florida -- as a Seneca alumnus, I was looking forward to seeing Smith don the red and black.

Nevertheless, Charlie Strong's recruit class has garnered Louisville's best ratings ever. Provided everyone passes the NCAA Clearinghouse and arrives on campus eligible, Strong should enjoy a level of flexibility in deciding whom to play and whom to sit or redshirt that hasn't happened at U of L in several years.

Bravo to him and his staff -- Cardinal football appears on its way back to prominence.