Headed to Cardi Gras...

After being down the entire game, the UofL Cardinals Men's Basketball team rallies to punch their ticket to the Final Four with a win over 7-seed Florida. They seal the deal with a pair of free throws. Somewhere in Central KY, 16 McConnell Scholars listen with bated breath, willing those free throws into the basket. "And it's good!" wails out the radio announcer, and the small band of students erupts with happiness. The seniors in the group don't attempt to contain their excitement. I couldn't give that moment justice... The small group of us were on a camping trip with Dr. Kleber and our only way of tracking the game was by listening to the radio in our 2 15-passenger vans. The Cardinals had not had a very promising season but had turned it around in the post-season: winning the Big East conference tournament and now making it much further in the tournament than any SportCenter commentator would have predicted. And now we are going to play in arguably one of the most anticipated rivalry games of all college sports. The Bluegrass is engaged in civil war over UK and UofL facing off for a chance to play for the National Championship. I would consider myself a pretty die-hard Cards fan, but I am not even on the same level as some of my fellow McScholars. And I cannot begin to fathom how much the Cards' success thus far means to the current senior class of scholars. But it is because of our intense school spirit that so many of us will spend tomorrow night glued to our TVs, or better yet... In New Orleans. I am writing this post from a car traveling south towards "Lou Orleans." No matter how slow the traffic flow or how torrential the downpour of rain, my hopes for the Cards venture to N'Orleans. This Cardinal basketball team is something special. They have proven with this season of play that circumstance doesn't have to dictate success: they've played with several notable players having sustained injuries and difficult losses at the worst times. But in and through it all, they have found a way to win. They play with more heart and tenacity than any other team out there. They've given us students at UofL a team to rally around. And so I say... Go Cards. Beat Kentucky.