Never take this most wonderful time of the year for granted.
University of Louisville basketball fans, rejoice. Enjoy March Madness’ opening act of conference tournament action before being immersed in the real deal next week. Feel the anticipation of Selection Sunday.
Dream of the possibilities. Imagine the best-case scenario. Get silly, if you must.
The Cardinals rolling through the NCAA Tournament, defeating Duke, Virginia, North Carolina or [insert your most hated Atlantic Coast Conference rival here] along the way. A Commonwealth Armageddon title game: Louisville taking on Kentucky for the ultimate in bragging rights. Think about the Cardinals’ winning on a last-second shot. Delight in Louisville’s No. 1 celebrity fan Jennifer Lawrence laughing maniacally right in the face of Drake, Kentucky’s No. 1 bandwagon fan.
Who knows how giddy this guy will feel:
Mood: Drunk Papa John pic.twitter.com/2KZTTFrOR7
— Beconcé (@beccacutiegirl) February 6, 2017
If you’re going to dream, dream big. And after March Sadness 2016, Louisville fans have learned to cherish March Madness. When you don’t have a particular rooting interest – like yours truly – other people’s passions for their college sports teams stand out.
Last season was a year without Christmas for Louisville. The parents warned you that Santa wouldn’t be stopping by. They sealed up the chimney with concrete and titanium plates. Still, you held out hope. Somehow, some way that Ol’ Saint Nick would squeeze his way inside your home and bring you the joy of the season.
Nope. Never happened. There was no joy in Louisville.
Once the University of Louisville used the nuclear option of a self-imposed postseason ban due to NCAA violations, nuclear winter covered this town. The season ended with a thud in early March. It was a regular-season loss 68-46 at Virginia (yet again) in a game where it seemed like the Cardinals were trying to give up baskets for Lent. (27.6 percent shooting from the field. Yikes!)
That evening at the Granville Inn – a popular Louisville fan hangout – even the diehards looked emotionally exhausted. Nothing to do but nurse their disappointment away with their libation of choice. What would the future hold for their program, winners of three NCAA championships, including the 2013 title?
In case you haven’t guessed, college basketball is a big deal here. The TV ratings in Louisville for the sport are the highest in the nation. The Cardinals play in a NBA-quality facility in the KFC Yum! Center. The program is a cash register.
College basketball is the soul of this city.
“It sucked the life out of the entertainment of the tournament,” University of Louisville fan Steve Flores said of the Cardinals’ absence. “I watched it, but it wasn’t as fun and interesting.”
Right now, the future is about as bright as it can be. These Cardinals are legit contenders. They are ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press poll and finished in a three-way tie for second place in the ACC. If Louisville wins the conference tournament, it could make a case for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The team will most likely be sent next week to Indianapolis – just a two-hour drive from Louisville.
The Cardinals could go from out of the tournament to outta sight.
“They can win the whole thing. They’re good enough to win the whole thing,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas told the Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal.
Louisville is No. 8 in the Pomeroy Ratings, thanks to the No. 6-rated defense. Sagarin.com has the Cardinals at No. 7 overall with 11 victories against the top 50. Only Kansas (14), Baylor (13), Butler (13) and Florida State (12) have more.
The Cardinals have a go-to player in sophomore guard Donovan Mitchell, a first team all-ACC selection who helped the team thrive when point guard Quentin Snider was out with a hip injury. Snider is a steady playmaker and Deng is a wonderful athlete. If Mangok Mathiang can build on his 18-point, 11-rebound game against Notre Dame last week, this will be a team nobody will want to face.
Rick Pitino has built a contender without a sure-fire No. 1 NBA draft pick. (Maybe Mitchell is that guy?) This is in stark contrast to the modus operandi East on Interstate 64 in Lexington with John Calipari at Kentucky. The Wildcats routinely reload with potential lottery picks. The Calipari formula (2012 NCAA championship) and Pitino formula (2013 title) have both worked.
Vegas oddsmakers like North Carolina, UCLA, Kansas to win it all.
Latest @BovadaLV odds to win the national title: Kansas, Oregon up, Gonzaga, Louisville slip pic.twitter.com/0StY3jWKRu
— Eric Crawford (@ericcrawford) March 6, 2017
But in a one-game elimination format, anything can (and usually does) happen. There is no overwhelming favorite. Everyone seems to have their flaws. That’s good news for Louisville.
“I really don’t know what to think,” Pitino said of his squad. “I know they’re going to give me great effort. I know they’re going to try their best and anything can happen. The thing I’ve noticed always in my life, in every run for the roses, so-to-speak, to the Final Four, it’s always guys that you don’t expect that stick out.”
The NCAA Tournament sells hope. A few breaks and a favorable bracket is all you can hope for. At least Louisville fans have something to hope for.
“Optimism is high, maybe a little too high,” Flores said.
High expectations are fine with Mitchell.
“The theme this year was going in there and playing our butts off because last year we didn’t get that opportunity,” the guard told the New York Post. “We’re excited to be back and get ready to get to the national championship, hopefully.”
