George Goode on inspirational talk

Asked what Pitino said to him before sending him into the game: "George, get in."

Also some interesting observations between last year and this year, but I'll let you see those for yourself.

Siva: "I think George [Goode] was playing here when Coach P was at Kentucky... he's so old"

Man everyone's in a good mood today. Well, not UNLV.

Pitino: "Mike's thinking. Preston doesn't think. That's shooting."

On Bullet, specifically talking about his one-on-one drive: "That kid just surprises me every single time I watch him in these games."

Asked why the Cards shot such a bad percentage in the first half and high percentage in the second: "Well because Mike Marra went o for 9. Do the math." (cue laughter)

On Kuric: "I knew he'd give us a Syracuse type of game. I was positive." (cue laughter)

On the schedule: "I really think the schedule is helping us to become a good basketball team. This team more than anything else needed confidence."

On whether his expectations have changed: "I think its a bridge team, like I said. We're building something for the future. But I told you the future could be this year... This team probably has the best attitude of any team since I've been here."

On the team's chemistry: "It's all about "Louisville" on the front [of the jersey]. All these guys are thinking about is playing for Louisville. there's no agenda for them down the road. It's just playing for Louisville... This is the first team I've had where I've seen that. Where the total objective is to put that Louisville uniform on and give the best effort you can give. It's really a lot of fun to coach them."

After waxing poetic about U of L's tradition and describing a new intro piece, he turned to Kenny Klein: "Am I saying this correct? Don't just nod like a puppet."

And for good measure: "They say when you could give up coaching, you need to get out. When you could live without it, you need to get out... Very few actors could live without acting. Frank Sinatra couldn't get off the stage. I was thinking about that, and I want to come back as Kenny Klein. Sit at the scorer's table, with a Maker's Mark and soda, thinking its in a cup with a Diet Coke. That's what I want to come back as. See ya everybody."

Oh Ricky.

Big time win: Cards over Rebels 77-69

I'm ready to say it. These guys are for real.

Down 9 points to UNLV early in the second half and just a possession away from fading completely -- which is what we would have seen last year -- the Cards found a way to battle back. In the space of seven minutes, against a high-octane pressure defense, they transformed a 9-point deficit to a 6-point lead. Pretenders don't do that. This team is legit.

The Cards stumbled badly out of the gate. Mike Marra missed his first nine shots, each one worse than the one before. Pitino mercifully removed him from the game to avoid long-term mental damage. Throughout the first half, to say the Louisville offense was out of sync would be an understatement. TJ was a no-show. Preston Knowles was kept off the scoreboard. Only one starter, Peyton Siva, scored in the first half. The Cards kept the game close with good defense, but one had to wonder where the points were going to come from to win this game.

Enter Kyle Kuric, Chris Smith and Preston Knowles. Back from injury, Kuric played the second-best game of his career, scoring 17 points and knocking down 5 three pointers when no other Cardinal (except Smith) seemed even familiar with the concept of ball into basket. Kuric also pulled down 5 rebounds and made 2 steals. He played with poise and knew to hold the ball at the end. In my opinion, he was the smartest guy out there. Chris Smith also furnished big-time offense, hitting three 3s and scoring a career-high 17 points. Those two guys almost single-handedly kept Louisville within striking distance. They also helped change the pace of the game from physical half-court to frenetic full-court attack. (The fact that we played overwhelmingly better in the latter scenario should be lost on no one.)

But what happened next was the game-changer. In the span of maybe five minutes, Preston Knowles took the game over. By the eight-minute mark in the second half, Knowles went from scoreless to having scored 17 points off of three-pointers and creative jump shots -- in the process causing me to have to rescind a number of critical written comments. Today the senior confirmed Pitino's continuing faith despite rumblings among some fans (myself included) about his shot selection. We would not have won this game today without Preston's fearless shot-selection. That was hard to type, but true.

(One final note: five turnovers and another foul-out may draw the ire of some, but I thought Peyton Siva played a good game. He created shots for others and was the obvious playmaker, not to mention that he had to advance the ball up the court almost completely by himself, two and sometimes three defenders in pursuit -- for those who saw the first half, anyone else a bit concerned about our press break? I also think he jammed his hand, which might explain the unsteady dribbling and bad free throw shooting.)

Full box score here.

Today was a big victory. From what I saw, UNLV is a tough, tough team. A team with veteran leadership, a ferocious attack and talented players, especially Oscar Bellfield. Last year, we would have had no business winning this game, the way it began or when we found ourselves down 9. Comeback victories were few and far between.

This year, the Cards stuck to the script that has defined their entire season to this point, finding a new way to win. This time around it was Kuric, Smith and Knowles. Who knows who will step up next game, but with these Cards, it will be someone. The criticisms will now shift to the fact that Louisville has not been tested away from home; at this point now it's a valid charge. But until proven otherwise, I will say it again. These guys are for real.

Rodney Purvis commits to Louisville

Another Purvis! Talk about Christmas coming early, last evening 5-star guard Rodney Purvis verbally commited to the Cards. He's the second ranked guard in the 2012 class and hales from Raleigh, North Carolina.

ESPN describes his strengths thusly...

Rodney is a slasher supreme. He is impossible to keep out of the lane at times. He is very strong and a very good athlete. His quickness, strength, size and solid handle allow him to get where ever he wants on the court, whenever he wants. Purvis is very good in transition and is a big finisher. His jumper is respectable to 15 feet and Rodney is a solid rebounder with his strong body, excellent leaping ability and aggressiveness. He is an excellent passer and often finds his open teammates on his drives into the lane. He is wired to score and simply gets buckets when on the floor.

He was offered scholarships by every school under the sun, and holy crap, can this kid take it to the hole...

Cards soccer team headed to NCAA Final!

In every sense of the phrase, the men's soccer team seems to have a date with destiny. Another incredible win in the game's final moments:

The Cardinals struck again for the second goal of the half as Horton broke past the Tar Heel defense receiving a pass fromRyan Smith. Horton was able to lob the shot over the keeper to put Louisville up 2-1 with 0:51 remaining in the game. The goal was Horton's third goal of the season and the second game-winner in a row in the final minute of the game.

Louisville was able to hold on as the final few seconds ticked away sending the Cardinals to their first ever National Championship game.

Louisville finished the game with an 11-9 shot advantage, along with a 7-1 corner kick advantage. Boudreaux finished the game with two saves, while Goodwin finished with one.

The Cardinals will be back in action on Sunday, Dec. 12 to face the winner of the Akron/Michigan game in the National Championship at 1:00 p.m. PST.

Full story here.

One win away from a storybook ending... one that could have a transformative effect on men's soccer at U of L, and the athletic department as a whole. Go Cards!

"Bandwagon, all aboooard!"

I won't pretend to be the biggest soccer fan, but I'll watch Louisville play backgammon in a blizzard with national implications at stake.

Live stream here.

Go CARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bullet's biceps talk UNLV

Bad stats and Charlie

I'm doing my best to keep a finger on the pulse of Florida's coaching search. So far I've been relieved/surprised to read that while Strong's name pops up on the proverbial short-list of potential hires, most of the juice surrounds current Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen.

In a completely unscientific Florida blog poll for Urban Meyer's replacement, Mullen is the runaway winner amongst fans with 57% of the vote. Our old friend Bobby Petrino is there too with 10%, while Charlie Strong is only logging 6% of the tally.

None of this matters, of course. But unless a quick hire is made, I expect Strong's name to come up more and more when he travels back to Gator Country for the bowl. Fan sentiment does play at least some role in the hiring process, if only as an indication of the zeitgeist of the program.

So if the Gators strike out on their first choice, Strong's name will likely gain speed as a safe, proven, well-liked figure to re-bring in.

For this brief moment, pray that Charlie Strong flies under the radar.

God I hate this feeling.

Quote of the Day

"I let everyone know I am 100 percent all U of L. I have my mind totally on Louisville now."

-DaMarcus Smith

Click here for a good read on how the local phenom is changing schools to enter an accelerated academic program so that he can enroll at Louisville in January and go through spring practice.

The effin' Rebs

In a few short seasons, the dial on the UofL-UNLV rivalry has been turned up to Patti Swope Level hot. And currently, the Cards are getting the short end of the stick losing two in a row.

These games have all been intense, Freedom Hall was rocking like a tournament-game two years ago, and UNLV returned the favor last season with an intense atmosphere. Something about the Rebs really gets under my skin, I don't know if it's former Wildcat Derrick Jasper continuing to hang around, or their bush league fans, but I really want to beat this team.

I suspect the Evan Williams Bar won't be getting quite as much in-game business tomorrow.

Watch below to get your blood boiling and remember the UNLV crowd chant a deafening "OVER-RA-TED" as the clock ticked down last year. They defeated the then #16 ranked Cards. Then they stormed the court.

Morons.

Siva steps up

There wasn't much pretty in Louisville's win last night. But that's OK. We know Peyton Siva can do pretty, but we haven't seen him consistently produce the gritty. Last night he did, displaying the leadership fans had hoped he developed in his off-season Chinese adventure, and spurring the sluggish Cards with his defense. Defense without fouling, which is always key for Siva.

In a frustrating night on offense, it really was something to watch him enter "screw this, I'm taking this thing over" mode. When I watch Siva play, I'm always reminded of a finely-tuned car, the way he can change speeds and go from 0 to 60 in moments. He doesn't play full-throttle all the time, instead seeming to put it in cruise control, trying to get the entire team involved on offense. But when the team is faltering, (and to completely wear this metaphor into the ground) it's good to know he has that extra gear he can drop it into when the team needs a burst.

A few other things...

* Terrence Jennings is quickly becoming one of my favorite UofL dunkers. Not in their variety, but in their metronome-like similarity. The way he always slams it home with two-handed authority, a brief stylish moment of rim-hanging, and then the shoulder-swagger as he hustles back down court like his torso can't move. Cracks me up.

* Mike Marra is a strange sharpshooter. He's either deadly accurate or wildly off. It's bizarre, but he's still our most dangerous offensive weapon.

* After beginning his Louisville career with flourish, Elisha Justice has taken a step back in his last two outings. I know he hangs his hat on being a distributor, but you gotta shoot the ball Bullet! I counted at least three open looks he passed on. Pretty much the entire offense at this point seems designed to get those good looks. Maybe it's freshman jitters, but he's too good a shooter to pass them up. Pitino's offense isn't for the trigger-shy. Just hang out with Preston Knowles more, he'll show you the ropes.

That's all. Not much more you can take from that game I don't think. But if you had told me preseason that the biggest complaint for this team would be about its scheduling because they were blowing everyone out, I'd have been thrilled. No one saw that coming from this squad.

Bring on the Rebs.

Bozich and Louisville's strength of schedule

Rick Bozich is starting to wear me out. From his blog:

Tonight is another example of the different scheduling philosophies being employed by Kentucky coach John Calipari and Rick Pitino of Louisville this season.

UK returns to Freedom Hall to play unbeaten Notre Dame, which is ranked 36th nationally in the latest Pomeroy computer rankings and 23rd in the human polls. Louisville remains tucked in the KFC Yum! Center, where the Cards have played every game this season. The opponent Wednesday night is 3-4 San Francisco, which is 226 in the Pomeroy ratings.

And then he runs through a bombardment of statistical comparisons depicting UK as fearless and U of L as chicken. Because that's what matters in college basketball -- not schedule strength at end of year, but schedule strength following seven games. Because that's what the NCAA is always on the fence about come tournament time -- the relative level of a team's strength of schedule during its first seven games.

It would be cliche for Cards fans to again point to how difficult is the Big East conference schedule (thus encouraging Louisville to build balance into its schedule), except that Bozich's line of argument doesn't leave much choice but to point out (what I thought was) the obvious. You wouldn't know it listening to Bozich on his soapbox -- and he's been up there a lot as of late -- but our schedule is tougher than Kentucky's. Bozich doesn't mention it, but we actually play Notre Dame this year -- at their place. We play Wildcat-slayer UConn, too -- twice.

Bozich either doesn't get this, or is ignoring it. Yet if he tuned in to his own comments section, fans of all stripes are making the same point over and over, with such frequency that even Dr. Bo couldn't miss it:

David Fox -- And yet, at the end of the year, UofL will have played a tougher schedule. Coach Cal has yet to prove he can win in a premier league.

Willie -- Agreed. what is the point in comparing schedules now, compare them at the end of the year and see who has played the toughest schedule. I will take all bets that U of L schedule has a higher RPI at the end of the year than UK’s.

Anotherguy2010 -- Why not compare the schedules after the SEC/Big East Season starts? This is clearly slanted to say that UK will have the toughest schedule which everyone in the nation agrees is false. UK has to play these games because they are in a league that is just a step up from Conference USA (even that can be debated)

Sean -- I think it’s silly to compare schedules and BE vs SEC. Who cares? All that matters is who wins the UL v UK game and then after that its how far you go in March.I am a UK fan and I could care less who UL plays and how strong BE is. I just want to beat UL and be in contention for the Final Four in March.

John Bowman -- Of course, two of the fantastic teams UK has played are in Louisville’s conference and the Cards will face both more than once. And, of course, Rick Pitino is directly responsible for Butler’s unexpected shortcomings. And of course, one reason UConn is unbeaten is that UK lost to them. And one reason Butler has disappointed is because Louisville beat them.

Chris -- C’mon, man! Have you been reduced to writing hack-job articles to get everyone to read them. If you’re going to compare the schedules, compare the whole schedules. You can skew the numbers of anything to prove a point. It doesn’t mean it’s correct. I know the OOC schedule of U of L is weak. Everyone does. The fact of the matter is that the Cards play many more ranked opponents than UK overall. The Cats play one in-conference ranked team. That is way worse then meaningless OOC schedules. Win the weak SEC and have a great record and seed. Finish middle of the pack in Big East and suffer the consequences, with or whitout a great OOC record. I expected you to write a better piece than this. You sound like a Cat fan even though I know you are not. I’ll tell you what, I’d rather go to terrible OOC and Big East home schedule we have than the OOC and home schedule that UK has with the weak SEC. GO Cards !!!

Look, I'm not opposed to discussing the merits of a tougher early season schedule. Someone in the comments section made the argument that other Big East squads are playing fiercer competition; why can't Louisville? Fair enough, though I would point out that that Butler game looked like suicide when we scheduled it, and 19th ranked UNLV is coming to town on Saturday.

Another comment contrasted between the Pitino era and Denny Crum, who was famous for a demanding non-conference schedule. There's a legitimate debate there -- whether the best way to prepare for March Madness is by facing the fiercest competition early or late. But the above innuendo is disingenuous. I like Bozich, I really do. But his arguments as of late have been analytically shallow.

Cards struggle early but dispose of SanFran soon enough

Cards win 61-35. Story here, Box score here. I didn't see the game, but the gist of what I'm hearing is that they got off to a hot start, then went ice-cold for most of the first half, led by only a point at intermission, then held the Dons to 11 points in the second. Mike Marra shot horribly, 1 of 9 from the field. Eric Crawford tweeted that this was the first game that Siva's presence or absence on the court was the real game-changer. Probably not for the last time.

And now comes a true test. UNLV.

Charlie, resist!

Card Chronicle is reporting that Mike Goodman of the Miami Herald said that Florida considers Charlie Strong a candidate. In a separate development, the Miami Herald's website sucks. Florida has a press conference scheduled at 6 p.m., not sure if that will shed any further light on its candidates or not.

This is all moving too fast. Each time I catch up on the details of one development, another ensues. And all I wanted to do this afternoon as write about friggin' Big East awards. Dammit.

There's a basketball game tonight, right?

Damn you Mr. Red (and congrats Strong and players)

Heading back from class, I was in genuine good spirits and looking forward to posting on all the football accolades awarded to the program today thanks to the newly installed Big East Co-Coach of the Year Charlie Strong. Then I opened my laptop and saw Mr. Red's post below and realized that he and Urban Meyer are conspiring against me. USA Today has already mentioned Strong as a potential candidate and Bozich and Crawford are commenting.

Then again, it could be a blessing. Could be. As it relates to jobs that could lure Strong, Florida was always the one we feared. But I don't see Strong leaving here after only a year. Too much class and cares too much about these players. Don't think he would do that to Tom Jurich. If Florida advances (and that's a big "if" too) and Strong resists, Florida will have to go elsewhere to fill the job and then you can take Florida off the year hopefully for a long time to come. Hope I'm not wrong. Of course I'm trying to stay optimistic. Crisis negotiators, meanwhile, are on standby to handle Mr. Red if anything further happens.

At any rate, I signed on to perform a happier function and dammit that's what I'm going to do. From the athletic department statement:

The University of Louisville received two of the top awards within the BIG EAST Conference when head coach Charlie Strong was named the Co-BIG EAST Coach of the Year and red-shirt freshman Hakeem Smith was tabbed the league's Rookie of the Year...

Picked to finish last in the BIG EAST by the media, Strong earned BIG EAST Coach of the Year accolades after guiding the Cardinals to a 6-6 record and a 3-4 record in the BIG EAST Conference -- a two-game turnaround for overall wins and in the league. Louisville was 4-8 and 1-6 in the BIG EAST last season. Strong is the first Louisville head coach to win the award since the Cardinals joined the league in 2005.

As for Hakeem Smith:

Smith won the Rookie of the Year Award after leading the Cardinals in tackles with 80. He is the first Cardinal to win the award since Victor Anderson was tabbed in 2008. Smith, who also earned second team All-League honors, had five games of seven or more tackles, including a career-best 13 in a win over Syracuse.

And don't forget Bilal Powell, Cameron Graham, Johnny Patrick (Don't F@#k with Johnny) and offensive guard Mark Wetterer, all of whom were named to the Big East first team:

Wetterer earns first-team honors after starting 12 games at guard, while spearheading a rushing attack that ranks second in the BIG EAST Conference and had one of the nation's top rushers. Wetterer has started 28 eight games in his solid Louisville career.

Powell was named to the first team after posting one of the top rushing season's in Louisville history. The 6-0 senior ran for a career-best 1,330 yards and 10 touchdowns and ranks second in the BIG EAST Conference and tenth nationally in rushing at 120.9 yards per game. A native of Lakeland, Fla., posted a pair of 200 yards games, running for 204 yards versus Memphis and 209 against Cincinnati. He tied a school record with seven 100-yard rushing games and has eight in his career. Heading into the Beef O'Brady's Bowl, Powell needs just 100 yards to break the school's single-season rushing record.

Leading the BIG EAST Conference in receptions among tight ends, Graham earns first-team accolades after tallying a team-high 37 receptions for 439 yards and four touchdowns. He caught a pass in every game this season, including a career-high six receptions for 95 yards versus West Virginia.

Patrick had his best season at the cornerback position, recording 47 tackles and a career-high five interceptions. He registered two interceptions, including returning one for a touchdown, in the 40-13 win over Rutgers to help the Cardinals become bowl-eligible. Patrick is tied for 15th nationally and third in the BIG EAST in interceptions. A three-year starter at cornerback, Patrick is leads the BIG EAST in passes defended with 16.

Hakeem Smith and Byron Stingily were named to the Big East second team. Congrats all, especially the seniors.

Urban Meyer stepping down at Florida...

Per ESPN. Commence firestorm surrounding Charlie Strong and his pending return to St. Petersburg in 3...2...1...

A Kuric fan grows restless

Obviously there's not much I would change about the way we've started this season. Out of the gate, the Cards have played about as well as you could possibly ask -- comparing to last season they pass better, they run better, they get more steals, they hit more threes, and players who didn't contribute consistently before (Marra, Van Treese, Buckles! before the NCAA game) are now our most consistent contributors. Each of the players listed above have been the best player in at least one of the Cards' six wins thus far. That's remarkable.

That being said, Kyle Kuric's relative absence is a concern. Sure, the last two games he's been out with a concussion. But even before that he was having difficulty finding rhythm when he played -- this was particularly true in Louisville's offensive scheme. And I don't buy Pitino's reasoning that other teams are scouting against him. (I KNOW I disagree with his "remember he was a walk-on" perspective).

Comparisons between Kuric and Mike Marra are inevitable -- they both shoot threes, they both do highlight reel dunks, and they both had their ups and downs last season. (Anything else?). Obviously Marra has completely overshadowed Kuric this season, and I don't mind that given how well Mike Marra is playing. Right now he is arguably the best player of the team, even despite that he always starts hot then cools in the second half (which he dealt with the right way against South Alabama). But imagine a squad with both guys playing well. That's the dream.

Here's my take on Kuric's problems: despite his heroics against Syracuse and his dunks and alley oops last year, Kuric has always been a bit timid, especially when he enters a game. The problem this year, ironically, is because his teammates are playing so well, if Kuric doesn't step up early he falls out of the offensive flow.

Once Kuric hits his first shot or makes a steal or otherwise does something good, you can almost see him relax and start to become more assertive. For my money, the best thing Kuric can do is to hit the offensive glass. I remember some of the most spectacular plays last year were Kuric putbacks and dunks on the offensive glass. Like I said, once he gets on the board somehow, it's like night and day in terms of his confidence.

It's a shame he won't play tonight against San Francisco. He needs to log minutes and find his game rhythm, and that would be easier to do tonight than to start working him back in against UNLV on Saturday. He did start to shine during the Chattanooga game, making good decisions on the break and finally locating his three point shot. Then came the concussion. Whenever he comes back, I hope he finds a way to break out of his funk. Everyone else is playing great, but at some point we're going to need a Kuric highlight reel.

Moving up

The Cards check in at #24 in this week's AP poll. I don't care what coaches say, rankings matter! Seeing that little number next to your team warms my heart more than a hundred Christmas mornings.

Quote of the Day

"Me, personally, I've never been to a bowl. I'm 38 years old, so I think it's about time."

-Justin Burke, fifth year senior

Cards pummel No. 8 Kentucky 78-52

This has turned into quite a red-letter weekend for U of L. Yesterday the men's soccer team advanced to the NCAA final four, while the men's basketball team hardly broke a sweat while dominating South Alabama. But today the women's basketball team did something that tugs at the heartstrings belonging to every self-professed Cardinal fanatic: they rolled, chewed up and spit out 8th-ranked Kentucky. And they did it front of a packed house -- 22,152 fans at the downtown arena, the sixth largest attendance this season in college basketball, men or women's.

Like the soccer game, the Cardinals were led today by a freshman phenom. Oregon native Shoni Schimmel scored 26 points on 6 of 9 three-point shooting. Becky Burke added 21 points by sinking 6 three-pointers of her own. Sorry Marra, but the weekend's Best from Beyond the Arc shooting crown belongs to these ladies. Story here.

Way to go Cardinals.

Louisville football accepts bid to Beef O Brady Bowl

It's official. Louisville will play in St. Petersburg, Florida on Dec. 21 against historic rival Southern Miss. From the press release:

Louisville, led by highly acclaimed first-year head coach Charlie Strong, has accepted the BIG EAST bid into the 2010 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg, where the Cardinals will face Southern Mississippi. The game will be played at Tropicana Field Tuesday, Dec. 21, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. Owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television, Inc. (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg is in its third year.

"The Louisville and Southern Miss matchup is a big win for college football fans," said Executive Director Brett Dulaney. "These are two programs that have always played an exciting brand of football and the matchup features a defensive-minded Louisville head coach against a Southern Miss coach, who has his team scoring nearly 40-points a game."

Louisville head coach Charlie Strong said, "I'm very proud of this football team, but I'm especially happy for our senior class to get to a bowl game and have the opportunity to play one more game. Our team has worked hard and dedicated themselves to earn a bowl game, and I'm so happy for them. We are pleased to represent the BIG EAST Conference against Southern Miss in this outstanding bowl are looking forward to this outstanding opportunity."

Tom Jurich, Louisville Vice President and Athletics Director Tom Jurich, added, "We are thrilled to be traveling to the Beef O'Brady's Bowl. It's a great accomplishment to reach a bowl game in Charlie's first year here. He and our team have worked hard and done a terrific job getting us to this stage. I know our fans will be excited to follow this team to St. Petersburg. It's in the heart of a strong recruiting base for us and we have a very active alumni group in that area. Southern Mississippi has an excellent team and is an institution in which we have great respect. We have many friends there from the competition we've had over the years."

Okay, show of hands... who called a warm weather bowl for us at the beginning of this season? Anyone? Hello? Put your hand down Charlie, we didn't think you were being serious.

****UPDATE****

Here's a picture from 2008 when South Florida played Memphis.

Cards headed to NCAA Soccer Final Four

Louisville men's soccer willed its way into a whole new stratosphere last night, overcoming a 3-1 deficit to beat perennial power UCLA 5-4 and advance to the 2010 College Cup, all in the snow. In the final minute, freshman forward Aaron Horton dribbled through multiple defenders and scored the winning goal on an amazing play.

They now take on North Carolina this Friday in Santa Barbara. The victor will then play the winner of Michigan and Akron or California, who tied in their Sweet Sixteen match. No idea how the tiebreaker works.

Story here. Bracket, if you're curious, here. U of L Card Game also has great coverage.

We'll let Matt Hobbs round out highlights on this one too.

A sendoff for the soccer team is planned for Tuesday at 5 p.m. at the downtown arena.

Congrats Cardinals!

Highlights from Louisville-S. Alabama

"That's Coach Cal. These are little kids! In that situation, little kids more appropriate."

Bulletin board

I was enjoying this article in the New York Times (but from the AP) about the Big East's basketball resurgence. Perhaps indeed rumors of its demise have been greatly exaggerated. Then I arrived at this passage:

Maybe even some of the teams usually dumped in the second tier of the conference will find their fast starts can roll over into January and beyond — all the way into postseason play. The new coach Steve Lavin has St. John’s off to a 6-1 start with a Great Alaska Shootout championship. Entering Saturday’s games, Providence was 7-1 and Pitino’s Cardinals, picked eighth in the Big East’s preseason poll, were 5-0.

Maybe I'm being sensitive, but usually dumped in the second tier? Didn't we win this league two seasons ago? And finished second the two seasons before that?

Hopefully the comment refers only to preseason predictions for this season. If so, it's obvious the Cards still have much to prove. I hope they'll stay motivated to prove wrong the doubters.