Still another game against a top 10 team, another game against a No. 1 team.
University of Louisville fans are still thawing out from the great ice storm of 2009, and the economic and emotional challenges accompanying all of the emergency situations. Many fans making it through some dire times, buoyed only by assistance from friends and strangers, and the heroics of their basketball team. Little, if any, time, however, to savor what has been accomplished, too many challenges await.
The observer recalls a conversation over the water cooler with a UConn fan a dozen years ago, marveling that Connecticut was considered a national contender in anything sports-related. Those folks should stick to being a financial center, you know, taking care of the banks and the housing industry, ensuring that the economy is on a firm footing. Well, apparently they have become distracted by basketball, allowing the economy to go south.
Nevertheless, UConn arrives as a perennial power, the top team in the country. Conference standings are more important to Louisville and Connecticut than the national implications of this game. But the rankings are important, don’t let anyone kid you.
The structural integrity of Freedom Hall will be put to the test in another game of epic proportions.