This 'n' that, here 'n' there....
Now that two weeks have passed since the end of the college basketball season, I believe I've developed enough perspective to assess what I saw from local teams. First, what a joy to welcome two new Kentucky members to the exclusive society of national champions -- Pikeville College (NAIA Division I) and Bellarmine University (NCAA Division II). They join Kentucky, Louisville, Kentucky Wesleyan, Georgetown College, Kentucky State and Sullivan University as knowing the exhilaration of finding themselves the last men's team standing in their divisions in a given year.
Now a look at my principal rooting interests:
Louisville men
Some bridge year, wasn't it? Before the season, the Cardinals were a team full of question marks. With only one starter returning (who played a grand total of zero minutes in 2010-11), I thought this team would struggle to win 20 games and reach the NCAA tournament field. Instead, U of L delivered a third-place finish in the Big East, reached the conference tournament championship game, and earned 25 victories and a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament.
That said, a shocking first-round loss to 13th-seeded Morehead State left a sour taste in the mouth of Planet Red, as much for the way it came about as for its happening to begin with. A team which had found a way to win so often in the regular season instead found ample ways to lose -- defensive lapses, shoddy passing and ball-handling, and atrocious free-throw shooting.
On the bright side, though heart-and-soul senior leader Preston Knowles departs, along with reserve center-forward George Goode, next year's Cardinals should be loaded. One hopes the nonconference schedule will stiffen somewhat, as head coach Rick Pitino's charges shouldn't lack for confidence.
Louisville women
Coach Jeff Walz led his Cards back to the NCAA tournament after a one-year absence, and U of L played on the second weekend for the third time in Walz's four seasons. Unlike their male counterparts, the women can't jump to the WNBA after one season, so Cardinal fans can safely anticipate watching freshman All-America guard Shoni Schimmel continue to get better and better.
And her kid sister may be coming to U of L -- and with a very similar skill set. Walz has a stellar recruit class headed for campus in the fall, and with starting center Keshia Hines the only significant graduation loss, Louisville should return to the national rankings and once again contend for a high finish in the Big East.
Kentucky men
Coach John Calipari's Wildcats looked less talented on paper than the 2009-10 team that won 35 games before losing to West Virginia in the NCAA Elite Eight -- especially when five Cats became first-round NBA draft picks. Things looked especially gloomy (by Big Blue Nation standards) when this season's squad lost twice as many Southeastern Conference road games as the '09-10 team lost any games at all.
But a regular-season-ending romp at Tennessee doused the Cats with new confidence, and they stormed through the SEC tournament and the first two weekends of the NCAA tournament to reach UK's 14th Final Four.
There, a game filled with mental lapses and bad foul shooting against an even hotter Connecticut team left the Cats two victories short of the championship the UK fan base so desperately wants -- and for what seemed the umpteenth time, at the hands of a team from hated Louisville's league.
Unlike Louisville, the Cats' prospects for next year hinge to some extent on who jumps early to the NBA and who stays. If both Brandon Knight and Terence Jones go pro, UK should be a Top 15 team. If both stay, the Cats could find themselves the preseason No. 1. If one stays and one goes, somewhere in between. UK will miss Josh Harrellson, but like U of L, should not lack for veteran leadership.
Kentucky women
All-American and WNBA first-round pick Victoria Dunlap leaves a gaping hole to fill, but UK coach Matthew Mitchell has plenty of talent loaded up for next season. I expect the current trend of national relevance to continue.
Bellarmine men
With the luster still on the NCAA Division II national championship trophy, BU coach Scott Davenport should find himself in an enviable position; his team should rank among the prime contenders entering next season. The Knights welcome back most of the major contributors from the title run, and if Jeremy Kindle wins his medical hardship appeal and returns for a senior season, Bellarmine should begin 2011-12 as a Top Five team.
I love being a college basketball fan, especially in Kentucky....
Now that two weeks have passed since the end of the college basketball season, I believe I've developed enough perspective to assess what I saw from local teams. First, what a joy to welcome two new Kentucky members to the exclusive society of national champions -- Pikeville College (NAIA Division I) and Bellarmine University (NCAA Division II). They join Kentucky, Louisville, Kentucky Wesleyan, Georgetown College, Kentucky State and Sullivan University as knowing the exhilaration of finding themselves the last men's team standing in their divisions in a given year.
Now a look at my principal rooting interests:
Louisville men
Some bridge year, wasn't it? Before the season, the Cardinals were a team full of question marks. With only one starter returning (who played a grand total of zero minutes in 2010-11), I thought this team would struggle to win 20 games and reach the NCAA tournament field. Instead, U of L delivered a third-place finish in the Big East, reached the conference tournament championship game, and earned 25 victories and a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament.
That said, a shocking first-round loss to 13th-seeded Morehead State left a sour taste in the mouth of Planet Red, as much for the way it came about as for its happening to begin with. A team which had found a way to win so often in the regular season instead found ample ways to lose -- defensive lapses, shoddy passing and ball-handling, and atrocious free-throw shooting.
On the bright side, though heart-and-soul senior leader Preston Knowles departs, along with reserve center-forward George Goode, next year's Cardinals should be loaded. One hopes the nonconference schedule will stiffen somewhat, as head coach Rick Pitino's charges shouldn't lack for confidence.
Louisville women
Coach Jeff Walz led his Cards back to the NCAA tournament after a one-year absence, and U of L played on the second weekend for the third time in Walz's four seasons. Unlike their male counterparts, the women can't jump to the WNBA after one season, so Cardinal fans can safely anticipate watching freshman All-America guard Shoni Schimmel continue to get better and better.
And her kid sister may be coming to U of L -- and with a very similar skill set. Walz has a stellar recruit class headed for campus in the fall, and with starting center Keshia Hines the only significant graduation loss, Louisville should return to the national rankings and once again contend for a high finish in the Big East.
Kentucky men
Coach John Calipari's Wildcats looked less talented on paper than the 2009-10 team that won 35 games before losing to West Virginia in the NCAA Elite Eight -- especially when five Cats became first-round NBA draft picks. Things looked especially gloomy (by Big Blue Nation standards) when this season's squad lost twice as many Southeastern Conference road games as the '09-10 team lost any games at all.
But a regular-season-ending romp at Tennessee doused the Cats with new confidence, and they stormed through the SEC tournament and the first two weekends of the NCAA tournament to reach UK's 14th Final Four.
There, a game filled with mental lapses and bad foul shooting against an even hotter Connecticut team left the Cats two victories short of the championship the UK fan base so desperately wants -- and for what seemed the umpteenth time, at the hands of a team from hated Louisville's league.
Unlike Louisville, the Cats' prospects for next year hinge to some extent on who jumps early to the NBA and who stays. If both Brandon Knight and Terence Jones go pro, UK should be a Top 15 team. If both stay, the Cats could find themselves the preseason No. 1. If one stays and one goes, somewhere in between. UK will miss Josh Harrellson, but like U of L, should not lack for veteran leadership.
Kentucky women
All-American and WNBA first-round pick Victoria Dunlap leaves a gaping hole to fill, but UK coach Matthew Mitchell has plenty of talent loaded up for next season. I expect the current trend of national relevance to continue.
Bellarmine men
With the luster still on the NCAA Division II national championship trophy, BU coach Scott Davenport should find himself in an enviable position; his team should rank among the prime contenders entering next season. The Knights welcome back most of the major contributors from the title run, and if Jeremy Kindle wins his medical hardship appeal and returns for a senior season, Bellarmine should begin 2011-12 as a Top Five team.
I love being a college basketball fan, especially in Kentucky....
posted by Alan at 11:49 AM
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