Three traditional college basketball powerhouses in our region are 1-2-3 in a major preseason ranking. Indiana, Louisville, and Kentucky appear set to have outstanding seasons and contend for national championships.
From Thursday's USA Today:
Indiana University has the best college basketball team in the nation, according to the newly released USA Today/coaches NCAA Pre-Season Basketball Poll.
The University of Louisville is close behind at No. 2. and the University of Kentucky is at No. 3.
Rounding out the top 5 are Ohio State and Michigan.
IU coach Tom Crean seems ready for the challenge that comes with being No. 1.
“I think it’d be crazy to try to shy away from it,” he told USA Today Sports.
“If we were, our kids would look at us and roll their eyes. We don’t talk about it much. We talk about living up to the standards that we need to live up to on a daily basis to have it that way at the end of the year.
“I think it says a lot about our fan base and how they’ve stuck with us.”
Louisville holds the No. 2 spot, its highest preseason ranking since USA Today began administering the coaches poll in 1991. Defending NCAA champion Kentucky will start the campaign at No. 3. The Cardinals and Wildcats each picked up five No. 1 votes.
Indiana heads a group of five Big Ten teams in the top 25, the most for any conference. That includes three in the top five with Ohio State checking in at No. 4 and Michigan No. 5.
