Return of the Cardinals

By Piet Van Leer Sports Central Columnist

The top four teams in the country according to both major polls are Duke, Arizona, Connecticut, and Alabama. I don't know about you, but none of these teams has the aura of invincibility surrounding them. As we have learned in years past, anything is possible come tournament time.

But usually, the impossible becomes possible (as Don Cheadle so adamantly points out in Candlestick Park occasionally) against one of the major heavyweights, usually Duke. And that's when Duke is fully-loaded. This year, Duke really isn't that good, and neither is anyone else. Which makes the Louisville Cardinals that much more dangerous.

The Cardinals are 8-1, their only loss coming at Purdue in an early-season, two-point rivalry defeat. Louisville has beaten Ohio State and stomped on Kentucky. The Wildcat faithful grows nervous with every whiff of Rick Pitino's club getting stronger, and well, they should.

Pitino is arguable the greatest coach in the college game. That might raise a lot of eyebrows considering Coach K's existence and all, but Pitino resurrected a Kentucky program that was officially dead. Within six years, they were national champs, and Tubby Smith won another one two years later with Pitino's players. Since, Kentucky has not made it back to the Final Four.

Regardless as to whether or not Pitino stinks as an NBA coach (which he does), his ability on the collegiate level cannot be under-appreciated. It's only a matter of time before the Cardinals are NCAA champs, and it could happen this year. Why not? No one else seems unbeatable.

As for Mike Davis, his petulance on the court should not be new to anyone that watched him last year. Whether he was crying about his own player fouling Jay Williams or being inconsolable for weeks on end after losing to Maryland, Davis has always been incredibly emotional when it comes to his team.

Indiana fans know this. They also appreciate the terrific job he has done. They should have also clamored at their Athletic Director for relying on the Big 10 to punish Davis for his on the court semantics against Kentucky.

If the call was missed, and Davis acted like this, his actions would have been grossly negligent. But the refs made the correct call, which makes his behavior that much more inexcusable! But come tournament time, Indiana will be one of the schools that will have a chance to win the title.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.