Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  Here in the bluegrass, it will be remembered for another reason.  If everything goes the way it should, I think Big Blue Nation will be celebrating the entrance of our beloved basketball team into the Top 25 polls.  It’s taken over a year adn a couple of tough defeats (GW, SD, VMI, Vandy) along the way, but I think this is the week it will happen.  Now, before you attack me for saying this, take a look at my reasoning.

Tuesday night was a coming out party for Jodie Meeks, but it was also a great tool to convince the national media and voters in the polls that this team is better than people believe.  They went into a hostile environment and handled a fiesty Tennessee team that most everybody had picked to win the SEC this year.  Oh, and by the way, it was all over Sportscenter all night and all of Wednesday thanks to Mr. Meeks’ performance.  Talk about getting a product out there for everyone to see.  What better way to let everyone see how our boys are playing than have everyone on ESPN talking about them all week.  Thanks ESPN, for once I’m not totally pissed at you.

Another key factor in my thinking was the way our in state rival has played over the last week and a half.  I know everyone on here, including me, wants to see Louisville lose every time they step on the court but what most don’t understand is that UL beating Villanova on the road, and then beating Notre Dame and Pittsburgh, both highly ranked teams, at home actually will help the Cats later down the road.  Why, you ask?  It’s pretty simple.  The Cats almost pulled off the improbable upset earlier this month in Freedom Hall if Sosa hadn’t made that heave at the end.  Now compare those final scores to the ND and Pitt scores from this week and you will see that the Cats lost by less than either of those highly ranked teams. 

So, as much as you may hate ESPN or Louisville, this week, they helped the Cats solidify their NCAA Tournament resume big time.  Thanks to those involved!