Basketball fans in Kentucky have to be proud

With high school basketball coming to an end a couple of weeks ago, I’ve found myself with much more time to watch and enjoy the final rounds of NCAA basketball games – and considering that my wife, Janie, is guarding the television receivers and remote controls and not allowing anything else to be viewed when a game – any game – is being played (yep, she’s a college basketball junkie).

That being said – who would have thought back in December that us roundball fans in this great basketball Commonwealth would be gearing up for a game on this approaching Final Four weekend with not one, but two teams from Kentucky being involved.

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of the Wildcats, and also of the Louisville Cardinals – something that I developed the day it was announced that Rick Pitino would be taking on the head job for U of L.

I catch a lot of flack for that stance, with some of my roundball fans – and even family members – feeling you can only be loyal to one program in Kentucky.

Not at my house, but this weekend, we’ll have to make a decision. So here’s mine. I’m going to root for Kentucky, but I’ll not pull against the Cardinals. In other words, I’m hoping for a great, down to the wire contest that is cleanly played and ends with a single-digit UK victory and trip to the Championship game.

You can pull for, and support more than one team, especially when you live in a state that is as basketball rich as we are in Kentucky.

I’ve enjoyed the season rooting for Kentucky, Louisville, Western Kentucky, Morehead and even made a trip south of the border to yell for Murray State when they narrowly took on the Eagles of Tennessee Tech.

Did I leave any team out? Oh yeah, as has long been the case, I’ve also rooted for any team that is playing the Colonels of Eastern Kentucky University. You can take the boy out of Western, but you just can’t take the Western out of the boy.

Should be a fun weekend and a great way to enjoy the ending of yet another fantastic basketball season.

A rule change for the game?

One side note – and I have made this observation on both the high school level and especially on the college level this season, and it’s been even more noticeable during the post-season runs of both.

The officials have apparently been so overwhelmed from having to watch for so many infractions, that they have adopted a new policy for the game of basketball.

“Dribble – if you want to.”

It’s March in Kentucky – and I’m busy, don’t call me until April.