INDIANAPOLIS - Thick, wintry clouds and the ghost of Adolph Rupp hung over this city all day Saturday.
Mr. Rupp lies in Section 45, Lot 677 at Lexington Cemetery, but his presence could be felt at the RCA Dome. Two coaches in the Final Four this Easter weekend have resurrected the old man's memory.
Dean Smith of North Carolina broke the legendary University of Kentucky coach's record for career victories this month. And Kentucky's Rick Pitino, not content to stop with merely rescuing the school's fabled basketball program from the ruins of NCAA probation, has taken UK to heights on a par with Mr. Rupp's glory days.
On Monday, Mr. Pitino's pursuit of Mr. Rupp's legend continues apace. He will try to become only the second coach in UK's illustrious history to win consecutive national titles.
The Wildcats won Saturday night, beating the Minnesota Gophers and proceeding to the championship game for the second year in a row.
On Saturday, bank vice presidents and tobacco farmers from all corners of Kentucky fretted and cheered as the 'Cats played.
''It was a great game,'' said Jim Fisher of Lawrenceburg after the 'Cats finished off the Gophers. ''The 'Cats are national champions.''
That remains to be seen. But just by taking the floor for their second consecutive Final Four, the 'Cats had their fans mentioning the man in the Armani suits in the same breath with the Man in the Brown Suit, as Mr. Rupp was known.
''That first year, I thought he was really just a young Adolph,'' said Al Robinson of Lexington, who played for Mr. Rupp in the 1950s.
Mr. Rupp is the only other UK coach to take a team to the finals of the NCAA Tournament two years in a row.
Hazel Porter, 80, of Frankfort, Ky., has seen more UK coaches than most. ''I even was around before Rupp got there,'' she said.
Mr. Pitino is her favorite.
''To me, he's the best we've ever had,'' she said. ''And I was there with all of 'em.''
Mr. Robinson, the former player for Mr. Rupp, couldn't help wondering what it would have been like wearing the uniform today. ''It would have really been fun playing for Pitino,'' he said. ''You could shoot any time you want.''
Darla Townsend, 35, a bank vice president from Crestview Hills, beamed with excitement Saturday afternoon at the prospect of the 'Cats winning a second consecutive national title.
''I never dreamt we'd do this,'' she said. ''So I'm really proud of them.''
Kentucky fans painted Indianapolis blue Saturday before the game, filling stores and restaurants and hotel lobbies.
Some fans opted to watch the game at Indianapolis bars. Many descended on the old Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University, which showed the games on two large screens. The championship scenes from the movie Hoosiers were shot there.
UK, the closest school to the site of the Final Four, clearly had the most fans in town for the big event. Many had come without tickets, hoping to buy from a scalper.
Lower-arena seats were going for anywhere from $2,000 to $4,000. For $425, you could get a top-row seat in a corner of the cavernous RCA Dome.
The euphoria of a second straight Final Four appearance was tempered for some by that gnawing question: Will Coach Pitino consider his work at Kentucky done?
''My fear is will he feel the need to go somewhere else to turn around another program,'' Ms. Townsend said.
''I'd like to see him stay around long enough to beat Rupp's and Dean Smith's records.''
At that, Mr. Barnett said:
''Well, we really don't care if he beats Smith's record. We just want him to beat Smith's team.''
That won't be necessary. It's the Arizona Wildcats the Kentucky Wildcats need to beat Monday.
Rob Kaiser is The Enquirer's Kentucky columnist. He can be reached at 578-5584.