State of '08: Kentucky

Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

Up today: Kentucky. For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

KENTUCKY

KENTUCKY - Obviously one of the top programs of all-time, Kentucky has amazingly made the tournament every since 1991. I say amazingly, because one would have thought that Tubby Smith drove the program into the ground. Then again, its been 10 years since their last Final Four trip, one of the longest droughts in the programs history (at least post-Rupp).

LOUISVILLE - Last year was the first time in over a dozen years that Louisville topped Kentucky in the RPI. The Cardinals finished 13th in the computer poll, and advanced to the Elite Eight.. while UK was a questionable at-best at-large bid with an RPI of 57. In 2005, while both teams had similar regular seasons, Louisville advanced to the Final Four, while UK just missed out due to an epic double-overtime loss. A couple more seasons where Louisville surpasses their Lexington rivals, and perhaps they will sit on top of this ranking.

WESTERN KENTUCKY - In the past eight years, WKU has made the postseason six times, including four NCAA Tournament trips. This is nothing new for an underrated program that historically never goes more than 3 or 4 seasons without competing for a postseason bid. However, now that Darrin Horn has bolted for South Carolina, and Courtney Lee is off to the NBA.. perhaps one of those postseason gaps is coming up?

Last: Iowa - Next: Louisiana

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)