A projected lottery pick, Indiana’s Tyler Zeller will not be available for the NBA draft.

“I grew up hoping that one day I would get the opportunity to play in the NBA, but at this point, I’m not ready for my college experience to be over,” Zeller said in a press release.

What curious logic for a 19-year-old – not ready for the college experience to end.

Zeller projects a clear difference in how basketball is revered in Indiana and how it is seen in Kentucky. Hoosier fans love their game. In part, it’s why cable television airs Hoosiers over and over through all seasons.

In large numbers Indianians continue to support and take pride in the summer series with Kentucky. Hoosiers take pride in being chosen to the team. This side of the river the two-game series goes begging for support and participation. That even a few Kentucky high school seniors decline to even try out to represent the Bluegrass State is outrageous.

Says here, fans in Kentucky have fallen under a John Calipari hypnosis, embracing an attitude that winning regular season games, even going to SEC’s springtime party, is little more than an aggravation, on the way to Final Fours.

A sad thing, seems to me, that Big Blue Nation has come to celebrate UK’s one-and-done and quickest way to “show me the money!”

Kind of makes Indiana’s Tyler Zeller a young man of vision, doesn’t it?

THUMBS UP FOR CUBAN … sort of

From vantage point of NBA franchise owner, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban weighed in on college basketball’s one-and-done issue recently.

Three years, Cuban told ESPN.com, “before a kid can declare for the NBA draft would prevent players from making poor decisions that affect the rest of their lives.”

And, here’s logic you haven’t seen lately.

“I just think there (are) a lot more kids (who) get ruined coming out early or going to school trying to be developed to come out early than actually make it.

“For every Kobe (Bryant) or (Kevin) Garnett or Carmelo (Anthony) or LeBron (James), there’s 100 Lenny Cookes.”

A New York high school star Cooke wasn’t selected after declaring for the 2002 draft and never played a minute in the NBA.

Cuban: “What about the kids (who) aren’t college material or whatever? We just put them in the D-League for three years, then they become draft-eligible with their class.”

Mark Cuban’s ideas here are logical and sound. His business approach to profit the NBA is of no interest here. If the NBA as it is today, collapsed tomorrow, it would be a blessing.

College basketball’s style is unfortunately, more NBA-like every season. Greed-driven NCAA administrators aren’t fooling anybody. They should have courage enough to embrace Cuban’s approach. Make college basketball a game for its fans again instead of CBS Sports and NBA industries.

BALL COACH POLL NUMBERS

A general election year, 2012, reminds us we live in an era when poll numbers and approval/disapproval ratings are high on television news’ food chain. And, rating professions from the bottom up (lowest of the low in credibility), numbers are popular too. Least believable?

• Bottom, politicians.

• Second from bottom? The media.

• Third from the bottom? FOX News. (just kidding).

• And, in dead heat with politicians for first place, college ball coaches.

In Fayetteville last week, the squint-eyed red-haired man captured inside a neck brace with a redder-than usual red face, was Bobby Petrino. Ex-Arkansas coach will not contest his firing as football coach. Why?

In a clever connect to Rick Pitino’s suit versus Karen Cunagin Sypher, and under this headline: Lessons From An $18 Million Affair: Why Rick Pitino Survived a Scandal and Bobby Petrino Couldn’t, one internet writer, Allen St. John, explained:

“The issue was not whether Petrino would get his job back–no chance of that–but whether he could collect some or all of the $18 million buyout provided for in his contract. Sleaze aside, he violated university regulations–and probably state law–by putting (Jessica) Dorrell on the payroll. In short, her $55,735 a year job cost Petrino $18 million, plus the collateral damage to his career prospects.”

Indeed.

So, Petrino is latest ball coach who became candidate for a Wall of Shame … alongside Kelvin Sampson, Hal Mumme and Billy Gillispie, Clem Haskins at Minnesota, and the guy who ran Bountygate in New Orleans, Sean Payton.

Ball coaches who, well, moved their lips.

Thing about Petrino, if his motorcycle incident, sun burned face and clunky damage control effort weren’t so pathetic, he would be more fun to spew disgust at than firing high hard ones at Billy Packer, Bob Knight, Dick Vitale and pick-a-politician, all rolled into one.

THE PITINO LINE

Richard Pitino as new head basketball coach at Florida International University looks a good fit. A good idea to go with it: Pitino signs a good faith one-year contract with FIU, renewable next spring by mutual agreement. No buy-out, no problem.

The new coach goes recruiting Joe the Aircraft Carrier and Johnny Jump Shot with: “I will commit 100 per cent to make you the best basketball player you can be … in one year. Because, if he/we win big, neither or both of us might be at FIU next year.”

Pitino line. Impressive, the 25-man list of Rick Pitino assistants become head coaches. From John Kuester in 1981 at Boston U. to son Richard the Pitino line includes two with national championship rings – Tubby Smith and Billy Donovan (2).

Richard Pitino is a head coach at 29, his father was 26 when he took a job at Boston University in 1978.

NERLENS NOEL

Newest Wildcat basketball prodigy Nerlens Noel arrives in Lexington at a moment in time when he will be test case for John Calipari’s notion “… Kentucky isn’t for everybody.”

Noel will try and play his way out of long shadow, Anthony Davis.

Last week a media-dot-com hoops analyst asked the kid if he expects to break Anthony Davis’ shot block record?

“Of course,” he said.

Wrong question and child-like reply.

A better inquiry: So, kid, think you can replace Anthony Davis, college player of the year who won the award because of his team-first personality, poise and satisfaction with eight shots a game?

Noel is under the gun. Kentucky isn’t for everybody.

And so it goes.