The college basketball rankings are released on Mondays at 1 p.m., both of them, the Associated Press and the Coaches polls.
The University of Louisville will probably be in the top five again, based primarily on a 9-0 won-lost record and the number players returning from a team that over-achieved last season. Certainly not based on the strength of this year’s schedule, although Vanderbilt, nowhere to be found now, was a top 10 pick in pre-season polling. Too high too soon?
We’ll take any higher rating that comes U of L’s way but, as Rick Pitino would say, it might be “fool’s gold” at this point. With all the injuries recurring this season, this team is nowhere near being a cohesive unit. Offensive consistency has been sorely lacking, thankfully offset by defensive intensity.
The challenge is that some players will take the rankings seriously, disregarding the fickle, often unrealistic, nature of the polling. Opponents will definitely take note, taking their game to higher levels. Sometimes a team has to lose for a coach to get his players’ attention, get tougher, more focused. That doesn’t seem to have been an issue with this team, at least not yet. Would a loss make UofL better offensively? Maybe, maybe not. Who among us wants to sacrifice a win to find out?
Louisville has not yet been surprised by an inferior opponent, as has occurred during recent seasons. Rick Pitino is blessed to have a group of players who not only play together but pay close attention to the his demands. He knows their weaknesses, how to exploit their strengths, employing them to his best advantage. Equally important, he usually knows everything there is to know about every opponent, many times enabling UofL to prevail over superior talent.
U of L is about to have a target on its back, with the schedule becoming much more difficult in the immediate future. Teams like Memphis, Georgetown, Western Kentucky, Kentucky, St. John’s and Notre Dame straight ahead. We’re going to find out very soon whether this team is worthy of special status.
We’ll appreciate any respect that comes UofL’s way, recognizing that lofty rankings are often meaningless, especially at this time of year.