UL basketball does not need to take a backseat to any College Program in our country. For example, Kansas and Kentucky each enjoyed most of their tradition in basketball by playing in conferences that treated basketball as a “step child” to football. Conversely, UL have played in conferences that included schools like Marquette, Drake, Dayton, Cincinnati, Memphis and Wichita State State that emphasized and succeeded at the highest level. Since those early days, our association in the Big East and ACC has only increased in terms of quality basketball and tradition.
Kansas and Kentucky struggles right now are far more about the increased level of competition within their respective conferences, than it is about their own performances. The Big12 and the SEC are each far better now than what they were 20-30 years ago when both of those school were amassing so many 20+ regular season wins, while feeding on football schools that treated basketball more like a non-revenue sport.