Springtime surprises

As I was growing up, it often seemed there were no college sports to get excited about after the NCAA basketball championship game.  After a few days of acute withdrawal, I reset my sights to major league baseball.

I don't do that any more -- especially not this year.

University of Louisville women's softball and University of Kentucky baseball have exploded into dominance, so much so that an otherwise fine U of L baseball season has flown pretty much under the radar -- except for two poundings of top-ranked UK.

The softball Cards, as of this writing, have produced a credulity-straining 44-2 overall record, 14-2 in Big East play.  That's right -- 44 wins, two losses.  Ace senior pitcher Tori Collins is 21-1, and pulled a Johnny Vander Meer when she tossed back-to-back no-hitters against Longwood two weekends ago.  U of L is poised to claim the top seed in the conference tournament, and barring a total collapse, should find itself playing some NCAA games at home in Ulmer Stadium.

UK baseball, meanwhile, has run roughshod over every team on its schedule not named Louisville -- the Cards are the only squad that has beaten the Cats more than once.  Kentucky has spent most of the season atop at least one of the three major polls, and has won every series is Southeastern Conference play this year.

The baseball Cards swept UK this season for the first time since 1999, and their 12-0 win at Cliff Hagan Stadium on Apr. 10 marked their first shutout of the Cats in Lexington in 78 years.  Heading into this weekend's home series against Connecticut, U of L stands 29-12 overall and tied with the Huskies for the Big East lead at 10-5.

And oh, by the way -- U of L men's tennis has repeated as Big East champions.

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I'd like to add big props to UK basketball player Terrence Jones, who ran over a U of L cheerleader in pursuit of a loose ball during the Cats' 69-61 win over the Cards in a national semifinal.  When informed the young lady had received stitches due to the collision, Jones said he would bring her flowers by way of apology.  Last week, he did.

Classy.

Of unexpected pleasures and coronations

Anyone who says he or she foresaw the University of Louisville's run to the Final Four back in January lies.  Big time.

I didn't see it coming, and I'll put my belief in the Cardinals -- and Rick Pitino -- up against anyone's.  However, I do recall telling several of my friends who were ready to bail on the Cards that we've seen this movie before.  Not only Pitino's teams, but also some of Denny Crum's, have gone through awful-looking stretches in January, only to emerge as world-beaters come March.

I had U of L pegged as a Sweet Sixteen team before the season -- I thought given the talent on hand, that was a reasonable expectation.  I must admit I've never been happier to be wrong.

At midseason, a noisy chunk of Planet Red started howling for Pitino's head, claiming the game had passed him by.  Pitino silenced the doubters by crafting a terrific postseason run.  The Cards caught fire in the Big East tournament, and carried that championship momentum into the Big Dance, riding a suffocating defense into the last weekend of the season.

Looking forward to next season, if the Cards can avoid the epidemic of injuries that plagued them last year and this year, they could be scary good.  I don't recall seeing a U of L team improve as much over the last third of the season as this one did.  Kyle Kuric and Chris Smith will be missed, but if Mike Marra returns from his injury and Wayne Blackshear gets healthy, they along with transfer Luke Hancock should provide additional outside firepower.

On the inside, Chane Behanan continues to refine his Rodney McCray impression, and if Gorgui Dieng delivers on his vow to add 20 pounds of muscle in the offseason, he will become a beast on the glass.  Throw in a healthy Stephan Van Treese and an improved Zach Price, and the Cards should rebound with anyone on their schedule.

I'm not yet ready to make this a prediction, but next season marks the 30th anniversary of the only back-to-back Final Four appearances in U of L history.  Just sayin'.

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Now a thought or two on the University of Kentucky's national championship.

First, it looks like John Calipari can coach a little.  It's one thing to assemble a collection of talent like this;  it's another to mold them into a group that values collective success more than individual achievement.  We've seen teams nearly as talented implode under the weight of clashing egos -- North Carolina in 2009-10 comes to mind.

But Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones and the rest of the Cats truly played as though the "Kentucky" on the front of the jersey mattered more than their own names on the back.  And even though my Cards twice fell victim to their virtuosity, I applaud the Cats and was thrilled to watch them validate a season's worth of sky-high expectations and cut down the nets in New Orleans.  It probably will make Big Blue Nation's lunatic fringe a bit tough to deal with for the next few weeks, but I'm extremely happy for the team.