Never Thought It Would Happen. I'm No Longer Cool.

I've always thought of myself as a guy in the know. I'm down with pop culture. Jay-Z even said 30's the new 20. So at the tender age of 33 I still thought I was cool. But then I had a rude awakening at the Cards practice in Dayton on Thursday. I'm in the locker room interviewing the UofL players when all of a sudden I hear a cacophony of screams and chants coming from the bathroom. My first thought was is everyone OK? But as I walked closer I realized it was Terrence Williams leading several of his teammates in a dance and song routine. They were doing the "stanky leg". I thought to myself "what is this "stanky leg" these young lads are talking about?" I can't even describe the dance but based on the way Terrence Jennings was gyrating it has something to do with moving your leg in sort of a limp fashion.

Most of the players were having fun doing the "stanky leg" and breaking out into a chorus. It was sort of surreal but yet a sobering dose of reality at the same time. I used to be the one that knew all the new dance moves. I knew the latest hip-hop cuts. I was the one people turned to for the latest in trends. But looking at these 18-22 year-old's I realized....no more. I'm not that cool dude I used to be, I drive a Toyota Camry. I have a wife, two dogs and a cat. My wife and I have a baby on the way. No longer am I the envy of the college age crowd.

I had heard briefly about the "stanky leg" before. Ironically it was with UofL women's basketball players Candyce Bingham and Monique Reid. during an interview I asked them what kind of pre-game ritual they have. Monique told me listening to music and dancing. I opened up Pandora's box when I asked, "What kind of dance moves do you do?" She proceeded to do the "stanky leg" right in front of me. I still didn't understand it. I thought, "Oh well I don't have to worry about seeing that ever again." Until Thursday in the Cards locker room. It's a site I'll never forget and one that made me realize I'm no longer cool. My cool points have definitely dwindled.

Cards Deserving of a One Seed

No matter the outcome of Saturday night's Big East championship game between Louisville and Syracuse, the Cards deserve a number one seed in the NCAA tournament. Their resume over the last two months may be the most impressive in the country. They're 19-2 over their last 21 games with wins over Villanova (twice), Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and West Virginia (twice). Sure they didn't play at UConn, or at Pitt but you can't fault them for the Big East schedule. Their only losses in the last 21 games have been to Connecticut (nothing to be ashamed of) and by 33 at Notre Dame (I chalk that up to just one of those nights. It was a perfect storm for the Irish).
If Louisville is not a number one seed I challenge you to give me the four teams ahead of them.

North Carolina deserves a top seed. I'll even say Pitt should get a number one seed. Throw in UConn as well because they've beaten a number of top 50 teams. But after that the discussion becomes muddled.

Who else deserves a one seed ahead of the Cards? Memphis? Yeah right. They've played one team of note (Gonzaga) in the last two months. Conference USA is weak and it's not like they had the strongest non-conference schedule. The only NCAA tournament team besides the Zags that they've beat is Tennessee and the Vols lost to UK twice so I can't call that a quality win. Memphis should be a two seed.

Oklahoma has regressed since Blake Griffin's late season injury. Since his return they're 2-2. Michigan State may have the best argument to be a one seed but they did lose at home to Northwestern and Penn State.

That's why the Cards deserve a number one seed. They are the regular season champs of the toughest conference in the country and they're poised to win the Big East Tournament title. What more can they do?

P.S. Join me for a live chat during Saturday night's Big East title game between the Cards and the Orange. We go online at 8:30 with tip-off set for 9:00. Just hit up whas11.com.

Realistic View on the State of UK Basketball

Who would have thought the Kentucky Wildcats season would come to this? Going into the SEC Tournament the Cats don't even look like a glorified NIT team, let alone a team with a shot at the NCAA Tournament. In their last 11 game they've been downright awful. They've lost 8 out of their last 11, and four straight. Instead of playing like a team fighting for their postseason lives, this bunch of Cats have played like they're ready for the season to be over. Where are the smiles? Where are the high-fives? All missing with this Kentucky team. This after starting off the year 16-4. There's no doubt this team has some flaws, but there's also no doubt it has two of the top player sin the country in Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson. With that said here's an honest assessment of the Cats.

They lack the overall talent to be a serious Final Four contender. Patterson and Meeks are legitimate stars but UK is lacking that consistent third scoring option. If Patterson and Meeks don't have stellar games the Cats struggle. Darius Miller could be that third option but he seems to lack confidence to pull the trigger. Ramon Harris showed some fight at Florida Saturday but does he have all the tools? Kentucky is also suffering by not having a serious point guard. Michael Porter is more suited as a backup two guard, playing off the ball. He's being asked to do too much on a nightly basis. But the lack of depth, a third scoring option, and a starting caliber point guard is not enough to excuse the Cats losing at home to VMI, and to Georgia on senior night. Those are embarrassing loses which brings me to my next point.

Coach Billy Gillispie is not getting it done. He may have been SEC Coach of the Year last season, but this season he's struggling. He's been unable to adapt to other teams and his offensive sets are stale and stagnant. This was most evident against the Gators zone on Saturday. Instead of attacking the middle of the zone UK just passed the ball around the perimeter hoping for an opening. CBS analyst Greg Anthony was imploring the Cats to attack the middle. Why not throw Perry Stevenson in the high post? Or even Darius Miller? That would force the defense to react. Earlier in the season it seemed like Stevenson and Patterson were effective working the high-low action. Coach Gillispie didn't switch things up on Saturday and what resulted most times was a bad shot or turnover.

There are a number of things which have contributed to the Cats struggles this season. There's enough blame to go around. Tubby Smith didn't leave the cupboards stocked when he left. Coach Gillispie hasn't pushed the right buttons with this team. The players aren't showing confidence in their own abilities. With all that said there's no doubt the Wildcats are underachieving this season.

Let me know what you think.