Floor Burns: Big Blue Stands Alone

A weekly column on college hoops.The best dance-related shot from Saturday wasn’t Chandler Parsons perhaps shooting Florida off the bubble and into one of the last slots the NCAA Tournament field.

And it also wasn’t Digger Phelps’ boogie with Clemson cheerleader Mallory Mitchell to the tune of Kelly Clarkson’s “Walk Away.”

It’s the Big Blue fans who are doing the John Wall Dance that should be highlighted after this weekend. They deserve to flex now more than ever, because, once more, Kentucky is on top of the college basketball world.

The JWD’s popularity has mushroomed since our first post (11,200 YouTube results!) because Kentucky has risen, but they’re not quite a juggernaut. The ‘Cats are still young, and still prone to letting teams hang around in games that shouldn’t be close: See Georgia at Rupp and Auburn on the road. There’s a loss coming, likely either at Vanderbilt or Tennessee, and the team going undefeated in the regular season is probably a fever dream brought on by too much exposure to Kige Ramsey.

But the Wildcats’ awesome potential is being fulfilled, and you could see it in the rout of Arkansas. John Wall’s great. We knew that. DeMarcus Cousins, though, is a revelation, as tough as Patrick Patterson and a better rebounder to boot. Eric Bledsoe gives the team another dangerous wing player. The bench is full of spurts of brilliance. This is a team that can run with anyone and score with anyone. It’s a team that should make the Final Four, and I say that even though their early-season wins (North Carolina, Connecticut, and Louisville) look far less impressive now.

So dance, ‘Cats fans. You have an easier road to glory and fewer questions to answer than most.

Texas needs a go-to point guard; Kansas needs Cole Aldrich to be what he was on Saturday more often; K-State needs to sustain prosperity. Tennessee needs to not lose gimmes; Duke must build on road success. Villanova and Syracuse have to survive a crowded Big East. Michigan State needs to extend Saturday’s second half to the second half of their year.

And Kentucky? Kentucky just needs to play their game. It might be enough.

The Northwestern Note. These Wildcats had a big win on Saturday, too, toppling Illinois for the first time in five years. Word was that the game might have been the first in a long while to fill the gym in Evanston. Those things matter: Injured star Kevin Coble’s shot is just cool.

What else do you want to see from this column? Suggestions are more than welcome.

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