by Alan B. Gibson

The “March” to the Sweet 16 comes to an end (for high school),

on to Houston for the CATS

With high school roundball over, of course my main focus shifted to that of every other roundball fan in this basketball crazed state – the “other” tournament that’s going on right now, the Road to Houston and the NCAA tournament.

How ’bout them CATS!

Thanks to Calipari and Company, basketball season for UK fans goes on longer this year than it has for more than a decade – 13 years to be exact.

Vegas odds and Barkley (Charles) both have Kentucky picking up the big trophy in Houston next Monday night – which might be the only intelligent statement Barkley has made during his new career as a host with the CBS team of experts.

This Kentucky team, having gelled and grown as a team – just as Coach C had hoped they would – has become a very, very fun team to watch and follow. Last year’s group was fun, but as of late, this year’s team has more heart, play better team basketball, and are much easier to for Kentucky fans to pull for simply because of that.

They were underdogs at the start of the season, and only in the past week, have they shaken that roll – at least as far as the odds makers are concerned.

No, there’s not a starting lineup – plus – of first round NBA draft picks, but to their credit -they don’t play like that either.

As the clock ran out on Sunday’s game, and with Kentucky beginning to celebrate their upcoming trip to the Final Four while North Carolina realized its season had come to an end, a thought came to my mind.

The only thing that could have made the outcome sweeter than the win against North Carolina for a trip to the Final Four, would have been – (and with apologies to Myra Honeycutt – not really) if that win could have come against Duke.

Gotta luv this year’s team. If it all comes to an end on Saturday, it’s been a great run and regardless, UK hangs another banner in Rupp.

It’s (still) March in Kentucky – don’t call me until April