UK this year, IU next year

Andy Katz: Indiana Hoosiers will continue moving up in 2012-13 - ESPN


This ESPN article has Indiana University as its late season pick for the number 1 spot to start next year.  I agree totally.  IU played Kentucky tough 2 games and won the first meeting.  UK handled everything the Hoosiers could throw at them this year but it was painfully obvious that IU was the second best team in the tourney.  Louisville is picked second and I have no argument with that.

I don't know if we will ever see another team able to dominate the way Kentucky did with Freshmen players this year.  I did not think it possible even this year and I am surprised to see teams with upperclassmen unable to meet UK's challenge.  It just points up the incredible talent on the team and the coaching job of Coach Cal, who was robbed of the coaching award.  Not that Bill Self did not deserve it but that Cal took a bunch of Freshmen and molded them into a championship team in the space of one season.  Winning an NCAA championship requires much more than just having good players, although that certainly helps.  It requires a team that will give up individuality for a team goal.

The Hoosiers under Tom Crean played as good a game as I have seen played but were simply overpowered by this collection of Wildcats.  Cody Zeller is going to be a beast in the post and the rest of the team has bought into Crean's plan.