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Burning Questions: Who is the best team in Kentuckiana?

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Real, live college basketball games start on Friday, and with all of our glorious preseason content finally finished, this week we will be providing you with water cooler fodder as we roll through a series of Burning Question. You can read them all right here.

Who is the best team in Kentuckiana?

Indiana:


  • (Daniel Martin): Louisville is coming off of a Final Four run and Kentucky plays the role of the villain on the national scene, but Indiana is the best in this trio. Take perhaps the best player in the nation in Cody Zeller, add that to a stellar freshman class, including point guard Yogi Ferrell, and you’ve got legitimate reason to be No. 1 in the nation. The special thing about Indiana being so nationally renowned is that when the Hoosiers are good, it raises the quality of college basketball itself. It’s one of those historic programs like Kansas or Kentucky or UCLA that draws the casual fan because of its connection to the very roots of the game.
  • (David Harten): As a lifelong resident of the area, these three teams have consumed my life since birth. Since I moved away, there’s still no way I can escape them, and I don’t want to. Not with this year being the greatest year for basketball in the Bluegrass and the Heartland. Indiana brings back a the National Player of the Year Candidate in Cody Zeller and a cast of role players. Louisville’s defense is some of the best in the nation and they rode it to the Final Four last season. Kentucky, well, Kentucky has John Calipari, who is the nation’s best recruiter and has developed into a solid X’s and O’s coach. This year should put all three in the Final Four.

Louisville:


  • (Raphielle Johnson): As much as I like Indiana and agree with the picking of them as the top team in both preseason polls, when it’s all said and done I’ll take the Cardinals due to their interior depth. Gorgui Dieng, Chane Behanan, Montrezl Harrell and more. On the perimeter while it remains to be seen how much Peyton Siva’s improved his jump shot, the addition of Luke Hancock should not be overlooked. He’ll be another facilitator that Rick Pitino can call on, and will help counteract the occasional craziness that comes with Russ Smith. Add in a healthy Kevin Ware and Wayne Blackshear and Louisville has an embarrassment of riches at every position.
  • (Eric Angevine): Because, really, who wants to read five identical paragraphs about Indiana? When comparing three top-5 teams, the margins are razor-thin, so I’m going back to first principles to make my selection. College basketball is a guard’s game, and an experienced, quality point guard is crucial to season-long success. Therefore, I’m giving Louisville and Peyton Siva the nod. The fact that they’re loaded at every other position and have Gorgui Dieng as a mistake-eraser seals the deal.

Kentucky:


  • (Rob Dauster): Since no one else here wanted to pick the Wildcats, I guess I’ll be tasked with making the argument in their favor. Neither Louisville nor Indiana are complete teams. The Cardinals were downright bad on the offensive end of the floor for much of last season and lost their two most efficient scorers to graduation. Indiana struggled on the defensive end of the floor, and many of those same issues look like they could end up arising for the Hoosiers again this season. Kentucky certainly isn’t a complete team right now, either, but they are more of a clean slate. John Calipari will have a ton of talent to mold and blend and turn into a title contender. If Alex Poythress and Archie Goodwin can develop into 15 ppg scorers and the trio of Nerlens Noel, Willie Cauley-Stein and Kyle Wiltjer can find a way to effectively rotate through in the front court, Kentucky has as much raw talent as any team in Kentuckiana.