NEW YORK — After Louisville blew out Indiana 94-74 in the Jimmy V Classic Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, Rick Pitino was asked where his team stood on the national college basketball landscape.
“I think Kentucky and Duke are at the highest level right now,” Pitino said of the No. 1 and 2-ranked teams in the nation. “We hope to get to that level….I think we have a very high ceiling, so I think we can get there…I think we have shot-blocking, we have a great backcourt so we hope to get there, I don’t think we’re in their class now.”
No. 5 Louisville hosts Kentucky Dec. 27. Both teams are currently unbeaten.
“I think we’re going to find out [how good we are] very soon,” Pitino said. “We’re going to play Kentucky pretty soon so we’ll find out, but I like the way we’re rebounding, I like the way we’re blocking shots, I like the passing tonight so I think we’ll get there.”
Indiana coach Tom Crean was asked where Louisville fits in with Kentucky and Duke.
“I think you have to put them in that conversation,” Crean said. “…They’re going to be hard for anybody to beat, I don’t care who’s out there.”
Louisville (8-0) looked pretty impressive in dispatching the Hoosiers. The Cardinals out-rebounded the Hoosiers, 52-34 and 26-10 on the offensive glass.
Montrezl Harrell dominated inside and went for 21 points and 11 rebounds, and guards Terry Rozier (26 points, 6 rebounds) and Chris Jones (24 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists) combined for 50 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals.
Pitino said he thinks Harrell, a projected lottery pick who calls to mind Kenneth Faried, “is the best player in the nation.”
“He plays every possession like he hasn’t eaten in a week, and it’s special,” Pitino added.
Added Crean: “I’m not sure relentless is a strong enough word [to describe Harrell]. I don’t know what the next adjective is.”
Of his backcourt of Jones and Rozier, Pitino said. “I thought Chris and Terry were both brilliant. I thought they were both great.”
Crean said of Rozier: “I think Rozier is a very underrated passer and shooter. He is one of the premier guards in the country.”
Pitino returned the favor about Indiana.
“They’re going to be an NCAA Tournament team, there’s no doubt in my mind,” Pitino said.
Pitino was also asked about a potential Louisville-Indiana series going forward.
“What I suggested to Tom is we do Lucas Oil Stadium for two years and we try to break the attendance record,” Pitino said. “We try to get 80,000 people, each team gets 40,000, whoever can’t sell the 40 returns it. I’m pretty sure we can bring 40 and I’m pretty sure they can bring 40.
“So we’ve got great respect for IU, we’d love to play them. I don’t think he wants any more home-and-homes, and we probably don’t want any more home-and-homes. We’d like to play in Lucas Oil and get 60-80,000 people and I hope we can do it.”
