Morning Kickoff | Early college hoops rankings released
CBS Sports' Gary Parrish tweeted the final score of Monday's national title game and followed four minutes later with the release of his early top 25 poll.
It had to serve as quick relief for disappointed University of Kentucky fans, because Parrish and a number of others again have gauged the Wildcats as a preseason top 10 team with the ability to return to the Final Four.
Parrish ranks UK seventh and the University of Louisville 21st. A pair of other college basketball experts followed with similar listings.
1. Duke
2. Arizona
3. Wisconsin
4. Kansas
5. Florida
7. Kentucky
21. Louisville
1. Arizona
2. Duke
3. Kentucky
4. Wisconsin
5. Wichita State
12. Louisville
Bleacher Report's Early Top 25:
1. Wisconsin
2. Arizona
3. Kansas
4. North Carolina
5. Duke
6. Kentucky
21. Louisville
1. Arizona
2. Kansas
3. Duke
4. Wisconsin
5. Florida
7. Kentucky
14. Louisville
IN THE C-J
• There's too much UK-UConn content on The Courier-Journal's website to link to in this space. Check out our Wildcats page for more. (http://cjky.it/1i08Vsu)
• Meanwhile, it was a season of frustration for Indiana. Hoosiers coach Tom Crean looked back at the year in a recent Q&A, saying his team will return with hunger. (http://cjky.it/1jYNTgZ)
• What happens to the UK fan with the 2014 national champions tattoo? He won't change a thing, according to ESPN sports business reporter Darren Rovell. (http://cjky.it/1mUaXQI)
AROUND THE WEB
• Miss One Shining Moment? For Cards fans, you've got appearances by Montrezl Harrell and Luke Hancock. Aaron Harrison stars for the Cats. (http://bit.ly/1g1RjOu)
• Former U of L point guard Peyton Siva earned praise from his Detroit Pistons teammates after a 15-point comeback victory. The Pistons finished with three 20-point scorers, but it was Siva who was the subject of a story headlined "Just a Winner" despite playing just 15 minutes and missing all three of his shots. (http://on.nba.com/PLxFMZ)
• Wayne Blackshear has played in two Final Fours and won a number of academic awards. Still, his high school coach calls Blackshear's decision to attend U of L terrible. "We told him that at the time," said Morgan Park (Ill.) High School's Nick Irvin. "They shouldn't have rushed it." (http://bit.ly/1g3TxJR)
Jonathan Lintner can be reached at (502) 582-4199; follow him on Twitter @JonathanLintner.