The Bearcats ended their regular season with an exclamation point Saturday evening, flattening the St. Louis Billikens 84-41 and completing the first perfect conference season since collegiate hoops came to Clifton in 1901. Those who could fail to appreciate this feat have no sense of proportion and no idea of the difficulty of beating Louisville in Freedom Hall. No, Saturday's stampede did not guarantee a spot in the Final Four, nor even a reprieve from a tournament rematch against Temple. Yet in the course of two convincing hours at Shoemaker Center, the Bearcats completed their Conference USA campaign at 16-0, regained the dominant look they have lately been lacking and resoundingly reclaimed their No. 1 position in the national polls. Savor it, because you may never see it again.
All systems are again go.
If Martin does not win all the national Player of the Year awards, they should melt the trophies for scrap metal. Conference USA is one of the top three or four conferences in the country. For them to run through the league the way they did, that's a special, special, special year for them. Because the Bearcats have been tested so infrequently, there is a natural tendency to minimize their majesty. Dominant teams often require the validation of ultimate victory before they are fully appreciated, while teams that struggle for success are sometimes seen as more heroic.