The path to a college basketball title this season winds through Kentuckiana — from Bloomington, Ind., home of the top-ranked Hoosiers, to Kentucky, where the Cardinals want to bring a title to Louisville and Lexington, where the Wildcats hope to hold a championship parade. (
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In the basketball-crazy region of the nation known as Kentuckiana, Indiana, Kentucky and Louisville played exhibition games against Indiana Wesleyan, Northwood, Fla., and Pikeville, Ky.
More than 60,000 fans attended the three games — exhibition games we remind you.
“I’ve coached at Kentucky, I coached against the Pacers when I was in the NBA and I coach at Louisville,” Cardinals coach Rick Pitino said, “and it is impossible to explain to someone the passion that fans have for basketball in this area.
“They say football is a religion in the South. But here the religion is basketball. And everyone is a zealot.’’
Whatever your denomination — Hoosierism, Wildcatism or Cardinalism — there is one common ground: The dawning of a holy war is upon us.
For the first time ever the three teams from Kentuckiana — Indiana, Louisville and Kentucky — are ranked first, second and third in the preseason national polls.
Not only has Indiana coach Tom Crean embraced the No.1 ranking, he took the opportunity to tweak Kentucky and Louisville fans.
“It’s something we can share with our fans,” Crean said. “We’ll never know if Louisville’s or Kentucky’s fans would have stayed behind them the way ours did. I wouldn’t wish our first couple of years on anybody.”
Kentucky and Louisville fans were busy hanging Crean in effigy and could not be reached for comment, but you surely can fill in the blanks.
But Crean has four starters back from a 27-9 team and adds freshman point guard Yogi Farrell, who could tongue tie Yogi Berra with his dribble.
If the Hoosiers prove they can be a lock-down defensive team in crunch time, they will get to Atlanta the first weekend in April.
“I think it’s Indiana’s to lose,’’ said ESPN personality Digger Phelps, who knows a little about basketball-crazy Indiana from his days at Notre Dame. “But I’ll tell ya something: All three can get to the Final Four. I think they will.’’
Louisville has three starters back from last season’s Final Four team, led by point guard Peyton Siva. The addition of George Mason transfer, sharpshooter Luke Hancock, should help the Cardinals offensively.
Kentucky coach John Calipari, the Pied Piper of One-and-Done, has no starters returning from last season’s national championship squad. But once again he has the nation’s top recruiting class, led by shot-blocking phenom Nerlens Noel. No one would be surprised if Calipari is back in his fifth Final Four.
“I’ve heard some people compare John Calipari to a modern John Wooden because of his ability to recruit,’’ said ESPN studio host Jay Williams, the former New Jersey prep and Duke star. “I’m not ready to say that, but his ability to recruit and to get kids to play together is amazing in this day and age. They understand he’ll get them ready for the next level, but only if they do it his way.’’
This is the first time Indiana, Louisville and Kentucky have been ranked in the preseason Top 10 since the 1982-83. Louisville was the only team to get to the Final Four. N.C. State, a Final Four favorite this season, won it all that season.
“I think it’s great for college basketball,’’ lead ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said. “It’s like when you have Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson on top of golf, or the Yankees, Giants and Dodgers on top of baseball.’
“At a time when college basketball is so poorly governed and so poorly promoted, to have those three on top really sells the game nationally. They’re great, traditional programs that have never been this good at the same time. I think we’ll see all three in the Final Four.’’
Those 60,000 fans that attended the three exhibition games just might have a reunion in the 71,000-seat Georgia Dome.
lenn.robbins@nypost.com