Many people, this week, will be writing about the epic showdown between the Cards and the Cats in the Final Four on Saturday. My take, however, is a bit different. Perhaps even greatly unexpected of me by my 11 loyal followers and my ehhem (throat clearing) hundreds of other readers. I do not hate this Kentucky basketball squad. I have always been (and always will be) an unwavering supporter of my Cardinals. But Kentucky is our state school and I have tried my best to support them through the years as well. Recently, it has just been much more difficult.
See, "fan" is short for fanatic. People are absolutely nuts about their teams. As a result of this craziness, most fans are so blinded by the team / school they cheer for, they cannot possibly offer an objective opinion. My father (love you dad) for example, hates all things UK. He says it is because of their fans, but to me, that makes him no better than them. I like to think that I am a pretty rational fan, though. I can provide an honest evaluation of the team I root for, but also for our most bitter rival. If our team is awful, I will say it. If their team is great, I will say it. The problem with being a Louisville fan in the state of Kentucky, though, is that we are so vastly outnumbered. It is the voice of the obnoxious few that drowns the large number of respectful fans from both fan bases. When you draw from the entire state as UK does, by default there are many more obnoxious supporters.
I have never liked John Calipari. This distaste dates back to when he was the coach of our second most hated rival, Memphis. Regardless of his shady past and the personal animosity I feel towards him, I have learned to respect him as a coach. Even if they had the talent, there are very few coaches that could have done as much as Calipari has with it. It is very difficult to cater to all of those egos. To get that many great players to buy in for one season is pretty remarkable. Many people will continue to dismiss his actual coaching ability. I used to be one of them. But the last two years have changed my mind.
That ties into why it is so hard for me to hate THESE Cats. You look at a roster with six potential first round NBA draft picks and it is easy to appreciate their raw ability on the basketball court. What has most impressed me though, is the way they conduct themselves off of it. With the exception of maybe Terrence Jones, this seems to be a very humble group. They may know how great they are (and they should), but they never appear to come across as arrogant. That was not true of the DeMarcus Cousins / John Wall squad, in my opinion.
Again, you may say it is easy to win with all of that talent, but I think the character of this Kentucky team is demonstrated through their defensive intensity and unselfish play. They are the number one team in the country in field goal percentage defense and they have six guys that average double figures in scoring. They have great individual talent, but without great team play, you won't get very far. Just ask Connecticut.
Obviously as a Cards fan, I would want nothing more than to beat Kentucky, especially on college basketball's biggest stage. I am a realist, however, and know that it would be a monumental upset. I will not concede anything. The game still has to be played. But losing to this Kentucky team would be much easier to accept than those of years past. Both because they are clearly the better team on paper and because they conduct themselves much more maturely than previous versions of youthful Kentucky squads.
Don't get it twisted though! I love the Cards more than almost anything in my life. I may have respect for the Cats and appreciate their excellence, but I rarely experience greater joy than when my Cardinals beat Kentucky. If we win on Saturday I will probably cry. If we lose, I will not throw myself off of a cliff. Can you say the same, Kentucky fans? Sorry, couldn't help it!
Go Cards!
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