What we learned

Happy New Year. To use Pitino-parlance, I wish we could bridge-year this bitch all the way to 2012 when this whole ship goes down anyway and we all go the way of the dodo. Did I mention I don't take losses well?

Here's a few things I learned yesterday in nihilsitic, qui gives a shit, what's-the-point-anyways order. Did I mention I don't take losses well?

So what did we learn...

* That blogging for 18-hours straight breaking down the minutia of the matchup is pointless. Every Rivalry Game for the forseeable future will play out the exact same, no matter the court, no matter the faces. The script goes thusly...

In the first 6 minutes both teams will play hard and cancel each other out with moments of madcap action and mistakes. Then the game will settle in, players in the Louisville uniform that have made shots all season will brick a new addition onto whatever building the game's being played in. Kentucky will play poised despite a few turnovers and build a slight lead while UofL does stupid things like miss a dunk or turn it over while bringing the ball up the court uncontested. A UK stud-of-the-season will then make a play, a 3 or dunk, causing me to say: "Dammit. Let's just get into the locker room within striking range".

But coming out of the locker room, nothing changes. Louisville will continue to shoot itself in the foot for the first four minutes, making the routine look difficult. The Cards will be on life support, but will spring to life for one segment of action and make a few consecutive shots. But then they'll overplay on defense, trying to make up the deficit in a single possession, which will lead to uncontested Wildcat points at the rim. Then they'll be tucked into bed.

That's the dynamic. Done and done.

*  And that will be the dynamic so long as Pitino is the coach at UofL. Don't misinterpret, I'm not blowing a gasket or calling for his resignation or anything. I have no doubt that Pitino will regroup this squad, and that UofL will knock off some teams with numbers next to their names during Big East play.

But that is the dynamic for the Battle of the Bluegrass; the prospects for the forseeable future are grim. If this is a "bridge team" for UofL, it's likewise for UK. This was the most beatable Wildcat team we're likely to face in near future. I don't think Pitino's washed up, but playing his former team every year takes a toll on him.

He doesn't get up for it at all, he just wants to get it over with.

* Siva's potential is very much in jeopardy. Though talented, he's small. And he plays smaller the bigger the matchup.

* The home court advantage in our new digs is borderline embarassing. When CBS cut back to start the second half it looked like a third of the primo seats being caught by the camera were still empty.

* If Louisville doesn't want to be called Little Brother they need to stop playing the part. By my count only two guys played the game, Preston Knowles and Gorgui Dieng.

Don't get me wrong, both had moments of suckitude, but at least they played without fear. After scoring the first points of the game, Knowles forced and flustered his way through the rest of the first half. But at least he wanted the ball in his hands. True to form, he kept shooting and sparked the brief "comeback", the only stretch of basketball the Cards don't have to be embarassed about.

And Gorgui was the other, his foreign-ness a benefit. He had mistakes too, a blown open dunk and a couple turnovers. But at least he was playing basketball, bringing energy and life to the game, not getting the pre-game memo that this game is so intense it can't actually be played with finesse.

In sterotypical, borderline-offensive but meant in a complimentary-fashion, I can envision the half-time talk going something like this...

Gorgui: We always play this 'gainst these guy?

Siva: Yea, pretty much.

Gorgui: Why we no make shot?

Siva: There's always next year.

Gorgui: OK. Their coach fat.

The point is, Dieng at least played like a guy unencumbered by the burden of the rivalry. Until we get more guys like him, all we have to look forward to is more of the same.

Lil brother plays its role, gets toyed with 78-63

It was a Mayweather fight. After an brief flury at the beginning played to a tie, before long the big dick flexed its muscle and the other side took it. Like Mayweather, UK never delivered a knock out blow, instead toying with Louisville and prolonging the agony.

I haven't been this ashamed, in a non-sexual situation, in awhile. Since I'm a UofL fan, I do acknowledge an objective reality: UK owns the Cards right now, and it's not even close. Anyone that tries to argue anything otherwise is either delusional or intellectually dishonest.

Calipari's in Pitino's head. The gaudy Scout and Rivals ratings of UK's freshman are in the players' heads. And they're so far in their heads that UofL can't shoot the ball without hands quivering until deep into the second half. They're so far into Louisville's heads that they turn a run-a-the-mill player like Josh Harrellson into Tim Duncan.

They may say the right things before the game, but UofL is scared of UK. It goes against every molecule of my DNA to type it, but it's true, and will remain so until I see visual evidence that shows otherwise.

There were stretches in the game when Louisville couldn't dribble the ball, couldn't complete grade-school passes. Forget shooting at a decent percentage, there were possessions when getting a shot off was a success.

And like most scared teams, by the time UofL remembered that they could actually play the game of basketball, the contest was over.

Right now I'm spent, but somehow Cardinal Laws will push on and we'll take it like men. Tune in tomorrow as Cardinal Laws takes the Walk of Shame.

But for today, fuck everything. I'm getting coma-drunk.

Happy fucking New Year.

...and predictions

Zero hour is upon us. The circle is complete. Let's do this. Beat UK.

The Cards will stumble right out of the gate, surrendering quick baskets in succession and trailing behind the Cats for most of the first half. As we all feared, Terrence Jones will exploit Rakeem Buckles' injury by dominating in the early minutes. Nothing will work right and we'll wonder what exactly this team was practicing all week long. Remember those opening minutes against UNLV? That's what we'll see. Remember how that game ended, Cards fans? Take heart.

Midway through the first half, George Goode will energize the Cards with stellar defense and rebounding. His blocked shots will finally ignite the Louisville transition and allow Peyton Siva to develop the needed rhythm and begin to create in transition. Gorgui Dieng will also fuel a mini-run toward the end of the half with impressive rebounds and putbacks. After some timely three pointers from Preston Knowles and Kyle Kuric, the Cards will enter halftime down 5 but with clear momentum.

After a weak start to the second half, the Cards will take off with a super-run characterized by steals and threes. Terrence Jennings will prove the unlikely hero by providing the defensive heroics down low. But it will be Preston Knowles who steals the show -- literally. After forcing multiple steals and hitting contested jump shots in transition, Knowles will help put the Cards up by 10 with 10 minutes remaining.

So long as the Cards do not relent in their full-court pressure defense, and despite some late-game offensive struggle if Kuric and/or Chris Smith can hit from beyond the arc to keep the Cats at bay or even pull away, then call this one for the Cardinals over the Wildcats, 75-60. Player of the Game: Preston Knowles -- 25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists.

GO CARDS!

Quote of the Day

"I wouldn't say hate them personally, but I'd say hate the name on the jersey. I mean, that is our rival and we all bleed Louisville.”

- Louisville's Chris Smith

Predictions, predictions...

Well, I'm almost fresh out of input. I'm not sure what we accomplished in the last eight hours, but we did manage to solve the age-old question, "If two bloggers type furiously in the darkness, but there's no one there to read it, do they make a sound?"

The answer is no. Crickets.

But it's almost time, and as author Rick Bragg would say, "It's all over but the shoutin'".

Louisville wins because of four things: 1) they're better shooters 2) UK turnovers 3) these Wildcats aren't nearly as good as last years, though few have come to terms with that yet 4) these Cardinals are much better than last years, though few have come to terms with that yet.

My prediction is that despite recent history it's the Cards that punch first. Gorgui is the star of the first 6 minutes, frustrating UK in the lane and forcing them into bad shots. The Cards keep a hot hand from the field and sprint to an 8 point lead. After going back and forth, trading points and sloppy play, the Cats make their push before halftime with back to back 3s from Terrence Jones. UofL is down 4 at the half.

Pitino calms his team down at the break: Breathe. Relax. Keep your focus on defense, the offense will take care of itself.

And he'll be right. In the second half a renewed effort in half court defense will dip UK's field goal percentage. A strong showing by George Goode on the offensive glass gives the Cards second chance opportunities that they make the most of. Louisville's up eight with 8:00 to go. Being in the unenviable position of "do we start using clock or keep playing our game?" leads to agonizingly-sloppy possessions. UK takes advantage and cuts it to two before Knowles puts the team on his back with a 3 and a steal that leads to an easy bucket. Cards find a way. 74-66 UofL. Player of the game: Preston Knowles. Unsung hero: George Goode. Book it.

See you on the flip side.

Go Cards.

Question: Part II

Is Peyton Siva going to lead the Cards today?

Under the best of circumstances, I see Peyton having a low-scoring but high-assist type of ballgame. If he can convert on some early drives to the basket, he'll be well established to penetrate in transition and kick out to the open man. Like so many of his teammates, his offensive production will also rest on his defense. Steal, drive, create... that's been Siva at his best this season.

Any chance this game ends up at a slow pace?

If we end up with slow-ball it will be for two reasons: 1) Kentucky made a tactical judgment that a half-court game favors them, and 2) our defensive traps aren't forcing any turnovers. If the latter scenario comes to pass, it will be up to Pitino to try different defensive sets until he finds the right combination to befuddle the puddycats. If the story of the game is ball control, however, it could be a long day.

Does Terrence Jennings make a sizable contribution?

I'm not optimistic, but I'm hoping like hell that he might. Rebound, young man rebound! Pull down 10-15 boards, and you're the starting center tomorrow.

This might sound stupid, but is there any chance we see Elisha Justice in the ballgame?

Not stupid. So far as I have been able to glean, Pitino has not definitively ruled out playing Elisha. And man you know that Elisha, being from the hills of Eastern Kentucky, wants to play against UK. I think the official last word from Pitino was that he probably won't play given the time he's missed. That sounds soft to me. I don't know that you can consider Justice to be Pitino's ace in the hole for this game strategically, except to say that it adds back to our depleted depth which was originally one of our strengths before the injuries. At any rate, you know how much Pitino loves that kid. I wouldn't be surprised if maybe we see him play.

How is Preston Knowles going to fare in all this?

My prediction is that Preston will be the Cards' MVP. Besides being persuaded by Mr. Red's analysis of the favorable head-to-head matchup with Doron Lamb, four other factors strongly suggest that Knowles is primed for a big game: 1) Knowles is the senior leader, and Pitino is old-fashioned in the sense that he looks to empower his veterans during big games, 2) besides TJ, Preston is the only player on either team who scored significantly at all last year, giving him that critical Battle of the Bluegrass experience (in that sense I guess I'm the one that's old-fashioned), 3) with Elisha Justice out, Preston is the one U of L starter originally hailing from Kentucky (Winchester) -- he knows this rivalry and karma has a funny way of working out like that 4) Preston is the one player that can hit those threes or long twos with two hands and a picnic basket in his face, the one guy who can make you shake your head and wonder, "why the hell did he take that and how the hell did he make that?" We'll need some of that today.

So how do we beat Kentucky?

Outrebound them. Stroke the three -- doesn't have to be consistent throughout, but has to be enough to power a super-run like what we saw against Western Kentucky. Hang around during the first half, and build a slight but sizable enough lead in the second half that you can still make mistakes here and there without squandering it all. Hang on for dear life at that point, but at no point do you stop playing to win.

How much ya bench?

With the injuries suffered by Justice, Marra, and most importantly, Rakeem Buckles, a significant advantage for the Cards has been downgraded to slight advantage. But in a close matchup, I'll take any plus there is; I still think depth will factor into a Louisville win.

And for the record, I suspect Elisha Justice will play in this game. For chrissakes, even football players take only a week to recover from a concussion. Earlier in the week, when rattling off the inactives Pitino mentioned Justice's name. Yesterday he did not. Why he's being so coy about it is anyone's guess. I love Bullet's game, but even so, if he rises from the bench tomorrow it won't exactly be a Kurt Gibson-moment.

Depth isn't about fatigue (UK won't be) and it's not even about being immune from foul trouble, not directly anyway. It's more about the intensity that deeper teams play with.

Their focus is just a little sharper, none of the guys want to get yanked from the game. But they also gauge risk and take some chances to make a play and make their presence felt; again, not wanting to get yanked from the game.

If UofL pulls this off in a few hours, it'll be at least in part because of that edge, that heightened intensity brought on by competition and communion within your own team. It's tough to find that in teams that only play seven guys.

And if you're as punchy as I am, you'll greatly enjoy this old stroll down SNL memory lane. David Spade steals the skit...


How much ya bench?
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Question: Part I

How do we make up for Rakeem Buckles' injury?

That the pressure is on for Stephan Van Treese is undoubted. However, I see George Goode having a surprising game, especially on defense and rebounding.

If we get down early, are we screwed?

Far from it -- one of the biggest differences between this season and last year has been the current squad's ability to come from behind after stumbling out of the gate, UNLV being the most prominent and convincing example. This team understands how to keep the focus necessary to make up a deficit. It's the final-minute scenarios that I find more intimidating. But make no mistake, these Cards know how to come back (it's been a motif for their entire season).

Is Kyle Kuric going to be able to hold down the 4 position defensively?

UK's size advantage position-by-position has been exaggerated, Kuric being a case in point. Since we always stuck him in at forward last season and moved him back to forward this year, the fact that he has to defend a bigger player is nothing new. Best-case scenario, Kuric spreads UK's defense by drawing out Kentucky's forwards further from the basket than what they're used to. Worst-case scenario, we move Kuric to the 3 defensively and do our best with Goode or Van Treese.

How's Gorgui Dieng gonna handle this game?

I expect that he'll make a lot of mistakes offensively. Defensively, I have greater confidence that Gorgui will find his rhythm. With Rock injured, it's absolutely imperative now that Gorgui hits the glass hard -- I'm looking for 10+ rebounds. What I worry about are blocked shots, Dieng's bread and butter. Amped up for a big game like this, Gorgui may get to eager and prove susceptible to head-fakes. Pitino's always touting how intelligent and eager to learn Gorgui is (knowledge of five languages will do that). Today is Gorgui's chance to demonstrate the progress of his basketball IQ.

Enemy Dossier: DeAndre Liggins

NAME: Liggins, DeAndre

HOME: Chicago, Illinois

SIZE & STATS: 6'6'', 210lbs, 10.3 ppg, 4.4 rebs

CARDINAL COUNTERPART: Chris Smith

POSITION ADVANTAGE: Push

MR. RED'S TAKE: I thought when I began typing this post that this one would be ad-Cards for sure, because I think very highly of Chris Smith and his all-around skill set.

But I dunno, the more I read about Liggins the more impressed I am with his game. He brings the reputation of a lock-down defender, and based on this picture which was taken moments before scratching his foot without bending over, it's not hard to see why.

But his offense is impressive as well, or at least it is from a statistical perspective. He's shooting slightly better than 40% from 3. He also has bursts in other statistical categories--a 9 rebound game here, an 8 assist game there. What's strange is that he never seems to put it all together into one game, it's like he only has a certain amount of statistical productivity in him per game, and whatever numbers he puts up in one column comes out of another.

Chris Smith, meanwhile, has been the most pleasant individual surprise of the UofL season. And get this, did you know that he has a brother? One that played in the NBA? Crazy, I know. I do have this wildly off-base pop psychology take on Chris Smith and how the large footsteps of his older brother molded his game.

The long and short of it is that the years and years of being asked about J.R. Smith have made him a patient man. The CJ recently even did an article highlighting the fact that Chris is always hounded by the same questions and comparisons to his brother. I think he's trained himself to keep his cool and answer the same things over and over and over again with politeness and a smile.

And that patience is reflected on the court. In a good way, it's a quiet confidence in his ability, waiting for the right moment to showcase it without forcing. The psychology might all be bullshit, but I really like Chris Smith nevertheless.

But it's late, and maybe I'm getting paranoid. Something about Liggins' abilities scares me a little bit, and if he ever puts it all together, I won't be the only one. I'm calling this one a push as well. Don't worry, ballsier predictions are on the way.

Bullseye as a fashion choice

So at the Morgan State game the other night, about midway through the first half, a kinda goofy looking dad and his kids stood up to go sit somewhere else (I think they were sitting in someone else's seats to begin with).

When his teenager stood up to make his way to the aisle, something became apparent: he was wearing a bright blue University of Kentucky hoodie.

This was Louisville versus Morgan State.

As I said, the dad was a little strange, and soon it was apparent that he and his family, including his blue-hooded adolescent, were in no hurry to remove themselves from the premises, causing several of us to shift left and right trying to see around them.

Finally they were out of the row, but the kid kinda lingered in the aisle, in so doing making his fatal mistake -- blocking the view directly in front of our neighbor season ticket holder, a construction worker type who, shall we say, tends to be a little more vocal and opinionated than the rest of us.

Without missing a beat, our neighbor fan, with no trace of humor, says to the kid (in a way that all could hear), "Hey boy, why don't you get that ugly-ass sweatshirt out of my sight so I can watch the game. We'll handle you on Friday."

The kid froze, shocked a bit, I think, by how fast he'd been targeted and engaged. The dad turned to our neighbor fan, sized him up, and rushed his family out of the section.

Personally I think we should try to live and let live and not bother others who aren't bothering you. But I didn't feel too sorry for the kid. If I had gone into Rupp Arena wearing a red Louisville hoodie for an unrelated game, I probably wouldn't be here typing this right now.

Tan-ging out the Intangibles

HOMECOURT: For this matchup, I don't anticipate home floor to be a large advantage. One benefit of playing freshman is that they're too dumb or inexperienced to feel the pressure that's on them. They just play ball.

UK also has several players back from the tournament run of last year and they've already played at Chapel Hill this season. I doubt we'll watch anyone fold.

But that's not to say that the Kayefseum won't be formidable. My lil' sis was at the UofL-UK womens' game this year that was attended by 22 plus, and when the Cards made their run she said she'd never heard an arena so loud. The walls, she said, seemed to reverberate.

Rest assured, they'll be no trips or breaks to the Evan Williams Bar during this one. Homecourt advantage may not have much affect on the Wildcats, but it will be influential is supercharging the Cards, their press, their halfcourt defense. I can't wait to hear it.

MR. CLUTCH: Every team needs a go-to guy, even on a roster as balanced as Louisville's. There are two Cardinals that embody the Jimmy Chitwood spirit: Kyle Kuric and Preston Knowles.

Kuric is almost too easy. The corn-fed white boy from Evansville is, of course, an obvious choice. But the comparison is more than skin-deep. Kuric has a knack for seizing the moment; the higher the stakes the calmer and more composed his play. If I were a UK fan....ugghghgh...ughghgh...okay, I can't finish that sentence. Let's just say, for UK fans, if the game is coming down to the wire, the sight you should fear most is Kyle Kuric spotting up from his spot in the left corner.

The other choice is Preston Knowles. I've been frustrated at times with Knowles in the past, but he's won me over completely with his blue collar ethic and flat-out unbelievable shooting. Whether he's off balance, off one foot, off the dribble, or off his rocker, Knowles can knock it down from any spot on the court. The second you shout "No!" the more likely it's nada but net. He's embodies the true shooter's mentality; he has a short memory and keeps his unshakeable confidence that the next shot will be pure. He's good and he knows it; Knowles has earned his green-light, it's that simple.

Enemy Dossier: Darius Miller

NAME: Miller, Darius

HOME: Maysville, Kentucky

SIZE & STATS: 6'7'', 228 lbs, 9.4 ppg, 5.2 rebs

CARDINAL COUNTERPART: Kyle Kuric

POSITION ADVANTAGE: UofL

MR. RED'S TAKE: A holdover from the Gillispie Era, Darius Miller has had an underwhelming career at UK. Much like Kuric, he's been chided by his coach for his passivity on the court at times. His physique is more impressive than his production, and brings to mind Tubby Smith's classic line: "Looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane".

"Jane" is an overstatement though, statistically speaking he's having his best season by far and is coming off what Calipari described as his best, most all-around performance versus Coppin State. Miller is also dangerous because of his experience; he's been around the block, and is one of UKs guys least likely to be intimidated by the environment.

But Kuric is a better shooter and a fine rebounder in his own right. When he decides not to be passive, his ceiliing is just a little higher than Miller's, especially when playing at home where Kuric seems to relish "the moment" and feed off the crowd. Kuric enters the game with great confidence and is seeing a very big rim right now.

Miller is down the list of the weapons the Cards need to worry about. But knowing the sick sense of humor of the Basketball Gods, that may be something to worry about in itself.

Oh captain which captain?

Both coaches certainly have faces that can launch a thousand articles. There's no shortage of controversy, opinion, or vitriol for John Calipari or Rick Pitino.

But the often overlooked question is the simplest and most important: Who's the better college basketball coach?

To be honest, neither man is likely to go down in the annals of basketball history for his in-game coaching prowess. Both prefer to work their magic before the ball is tipped in the form of recruiting, conditioning, and motivation.

For big games under Rick Pitino I've come to expect at least one stretch of bizarre substitutions that will cause me to wonder aloud: Who the hell is supposed to score the ball here? (My pick for this years what-the F#&K is he thinking!?! moment is a first half appearance by Tim Henderson).

Calipari's in-game history is also spotted. He was outfoxed by Bob Huggins in the Elite Eight last year, unprepared and unable to adjust to WVU's 1-3-1. And a small but persistent problem that's followed Cal throughout his coaching career is poor free-throw shooting teams. Many of his squads don't do it well, and more importantly, don't improve. To be fair, however, this UofL team has also struggled from the line at times, though they've been better of late, and the entire team's average is dragged down about 9% points from the ungodly awful stroke of one player, Stephan Van Treese.

But who's the coach you'd rather have tomorrow? That's the question.

For this game, I'd go with Pitino, if only because he's coaching the kind of team he's most comforable with. He has a group of guys with no egos; practice rats and overachievers that he can mold, belittle, and brainwash all he wants. He can threaten guys to play defense or face the bench; and he can mean it.

This UK team doesn't seem like quintessential Calipari, though I admit that except for overwhelming freshman talent, I'm not really sure what "quintessential Calipari" means.

The dribble-drive eludes me; I think I understand it in theory, but rarely recognize it even when it's on display. I'm not entirely convinced it even exists, it's like the Shangri-la or female g-spot of basketball strategy.

But if it does exist, from what I can gather, it requires slashing ability from every perimeter position; four guys that can threaten to take their man off the dribble. By my count the Cats have only two that fit the bill--Knight and Jones--though maybe you could throw Lamb in there if he continues to progress.

Holdovers like Liggins, Miller, and Harrellson don't seem to quite fit the bill, and if their two studs aren't on, their half-court offense can look painful at times.

Thus far, I think Louisville has shown better chemistry and overachievement. That's coaching. So this year, for this game, I think Rick Pitino gives his team a larger advantage than his counterpart.

Programming note: Till the breaka breaka dawn

The combination of the Buckles injury and the noon tipoff has thrown things all out of whack around here. There's still way too much to cover and we're running out of time.

So put on a pot of Folger's and then Irish it up, because Cardinal Laws is pulling an all nighter. Check back in at midnight and beyond to continue the Cards-Cats breakdown all the way till tipoff.

Yep, that's right ladies, Cardinal Laws can go alllll night long. Go ahead and make a "Fifteen Second" joke here, trolls can't faze me at this point. Time to dial in.

"I still think we can win"

My mother-in-law came through with an awesome stocking stuffer this year, the legal masterpiece "A Few Good Men", which had somehow fallen through the cracks of my DVD collection for all these years.

When Mr. Black and theHoff were hanging out at my place earlier in the week we popped the movie in to watch for the umpteenth time. This time around, I was re-struck with just how annoying Demi Moore's character, Lieutenant Commander Galloway, was in the movie.

No matter how many legal missteps she takes, no matter how many things go wrong at the trial, no matter the fact that she didn't bother to check with her own client whether or not Downey actually heard the Code Red authorized, Galloway remains steadfast and stubborn in her naive belief that: "I still think we can win."

I'm not sure if it's hit everyone how major the Buckles injury is. He was the one that had to stop Jones, he was the one that had to lead the Battle of the Boards. His loss is tough to overstate.

But I'm channeling my inner Galloway on this one. I don't know how, I don't know why, but I still think the Cards will win. So what the Cards are going to have to overachieve to succeed, that's been the case all season, it will be so tomorrow and beyond. I do think there's a certain spartan-ness to the squad; a man goes down another picks up his sword and goes at it twice as hard.

I still think we can win. But it's Code Red time, that's for sure.

Enemy Dossier: Brandon Knight

NAME: Knight, Brandon, AKA Shakespeare

HOME: Coral Springs, Florida

SIZE & STATS: 6'3'', 185 lbs, 17.4 ppg, 3.6 rebs

CARDINAL COUNTERPART: Peyton Siva

POSITION ADVANTAGE: Push

MR. RED'S TAKE: Another laughable example of UK fans struggling to come to terms with their new standing as NBA-AAU was the hyperbole surrounding freshman point guard Brandon Knight and his supposed affinity for Shakespeare.

They're in a rush, you see. Since they only get these guys for about 7 months, and because they don't want to relinquish the special affection that college bball fans have for their players as opposed to pros/mercenaries, they have to fastforward the mythmaking process.

So when Knight's high school English teacher innocently says that Knight reads Shakespeare well, meaning, like, when he's called upon in class to do so, Big Blue nation goes beserk. He's a quiet genius! A savante! The greatest Shakespeare scholar since...I don't know any Shakespeare scholars, but you get the idea.

Knight, to his credit, seems like a nice enough kid and has tried to distance himself from the attempts to turn him into Gore Vidal. But Lord what fools these wildcats be.

On the court Knight is a fearsome prospect. From a one-on-one standpoint, the Siva-Knight matchup is the most important of the game. Save for one turd of a game against UConn, Knight has been a reliable and efficient scorer all season, even against the better opponents on their "murderers' row" nonconference schedule (which is seriously overblown, looking at their season thus far, is it the Notre Dame win? Is that the marquis victory? Yawn. Note to UK fans, you don't get participation points for getting your ass kicked by UConn on a neutral court).

There's not much Knight can't do with a basketball in his hands. The good news is that he can, at times, be careless with it. I think Siva can pester him into some turnovers, but the question is whether he can do so without picking up quick fouls. Today's article in the CJ hinted that Siva may be taking a more cautious approach on D, recognizing his importance to his team and the necessity of staying on the court.

But most of the debate this week has centered around Knight's defense, and how the 6'3'' guard and excellent defender will frustrate the shorter Peyton Siva with his length.

It's maybe the question of the game. It's entirely possible that Siva has trouble getting his jump shot off, but fortunately for the Cards, shooting the ball isn't really what UofL needs him to do; his jumper falling is just an ancillary benefit.

In my opinion, Siva will have little trouble getting past Knight, simply because his quickness is off the charts. What he does with the ball after getting passed his man and into the lane is the more important question. Sometimes Siva pushes into the lane without having a full plan of what he wants to do when he gets there.

Yes, I realize this is a Brandon Knight breakdown. But it's my way of saying that Knight won't be able to "shut down" Siva as some have claimed. Both are talented captains playing excellent basketball going into the game. It's a push.

Beat Kentucky

For Rick Pitino, his players that we adore so much, and the basketball program as a whole, tomorrow is a crucial, important test. A challenge to overcome. The stakes are high on this one. Beat UK.

For Rick -- Beat UK, and silence once and for all those who asserted the end of the Pitino era -- that your best days were behind you -- the minute Cal and his Final Four-stripped pedigree touched down in Lexington.

Beat UK, and even your record against Calipari at Kentucky to 1-1. Beat UK, and improve your overall record against Calipari to 9-6. Beat UK, and raise your overall record against Kentucky to 5-5. Beat UK, even the score, and give yourself all the momentum. Not bad given the apparent desires by some that Calipari's arrival would drive you out of the state.

Beat UK, and for the next year you'll own the state.

For the players -- Beat UK, and show the world that your outstanding season thus far played is no fluke.

Beat UK, and prove how ready you are for the brutal, unrelenting realities of Big East play. That the preseason 10th-place-in-the-conference prediction grows more and more distant. Beat UK tomorrow, despite your mounting injuries, and it'll be virtually indistinguishable, as vacant as Cal's Final Fours.

Beat UK, and avenge last year's loss, Cousins forearm, Cal's trash talking.

Beat UK, and show the country that this basketball squad is no bridge year. You're talented, you play exceptional and unselfish team ball, and you will have just defeated a very arrogant group of individuals -- one who "ain't even worrying" about losing to you. Humble them, send 'em scampering back to Lexington with their tails between their legs.

For the program -- Beat UK, and -- hard though it is to believe given Wildcat rhetoric about Louisville's decline -- you will have beaten the Cats 3 out of the past 4 meetings.

Beat UK, and demonstrate that the most exciting brand of basketball in this state is played in its largest, most dynamic city.

Beat UK, and reclaim the mantle as the premier basketball program in the state.

Beat UK, and remind everyone that it was LOUISVILLE that fielded the last Kentucky squad to reach a Final Four, that it's LOUISVILLE that belongs to a better basketball conference, that it's LOUISVILLE that plays in the newer, fresher, grander arena, that it's LOUISVILLE that feels re-energized this season and has the talented incoming recruiting classes who'll stick around longer than an NBA prep year and that it's LOUISVILLE, not UK, that feels like it's on the verge of basketball excellence.

Beat UK.

***Breaking*** Rakeem Buckles OUT against UK with fractured finger

Well, dammit. The man expected to most be charged with slowing Terrence Jones, the man that's been UofL's best rebounder all season, the man that's been been shooting an unconcious percentage from beyond the arc of late is OUT versus the Wildcats. Rick Pitino confirmed today that forward Rakeem Buckles has suffered a spiral fracture in a finger and will undergo surgery.

It goes without saying that this is devastating news 22 hours from tipoff. And since he'll be joining Elisha Justice and Mike Marra, all key contributors this season, on the inactive list, it's safe to say that Louisville's vaunted depth has been nullified.

And the Cardinal backs get pressed a little closer to the wall. Dammit.

A few stats notes in relation to last year's game

The top five Louisville scorers from the game last season -- Samuels, Swop, Smith, Sosa, and Delk -- will not play in tomorrow's game. The high among those five players from last season was 11 points, so let's not kid ourselves that that represents a major deficiency.

Nor have Kentucky's top scorers from last year's game returned -- since season-to-season player development is not exactly embedded into the UK's DNA at this point, that's to be expected. Not a single player who scored last year will play in tomorrow's game. It's a whole new ballgame.

Last year, Preston Knowles scored 7 points. The year before, 3 points.

Last year, Kyle Kuric saw time but didn't score. The year before, he scored 3 points.

Last year, Peyton Siva saw just a little bit of playing time and did not score. Same with Buckles.

Last year, Terrence Jennings managed 5 points and 4 rebounds.

Box score from last year, for what little it's worth, is here if you're curious.

Again, a whole new ballgame tomorrow. Our guys know the rivalry, they've been in the trenches, but this year they have something to prove.

Quote of the Day

"I just don't want it to get dirty. It doesn't need to get dirty. It doesn't need to be amped up anymore."

-John Calipari, on his hopes for Friday's matchup 

Sorry Johnnie Boy, but your pleas for sportmanship just don't carry the same weight after you decided to get in on the action during your own team's mental meltdown last year. Calipari's threat to Delk remains the most controversial, but least discussed, part of the entire melee.

No physical violence, obviously. But when Cal waddles his freshly fattened ass into the Kayefseum tomorrow, it's time to give him the reception he's richly earned.

Let 'er rip Cards fans.

Zoned out

I don't see any reason why either team would resort to zone defense on Friday.

After going to a 3-2 for a portion of the Coppin State game, one that the Cats controlled from the tip, Calipari hinted that UK may want to look at playing zone, slowing the game and the Cards down, just as Drexel did. From his postgame...

What did it (the zone) do to the game? Slowed it down. I don't like coaching that way. That's what it did. They had to pass. They almost had shot clock violations and I don't want that. I want them to shoot it in 15 seconds so we can come down and play. I don't know if there were people here that said, 'Boy, this is fun to watch them pass the ball 22 times.' I don't know. I wasn't one of them. And what I told my staff was, 'Now you see why I don't like playing zone'. But we have a game coming up Friday. Maybe we want to be slower; do what Drexel did. So maybe we play zone. But we'll see.

That, guys and gals, is a bluff. It's a thinly-veiled attempt to goad Pitino, a known preparation-freak, to waste practice time preparing for a zone defense. I seriously doubt that Pitino will fall for it, almost as much as I doubt that UK will actually employ a zone defense on Friday.

Sure, there'll be wrinkles, but you play zone when you admit that the opposition has a distinct and obvious advantage in some position on the perimeter. Neither team, rightfully, will concede that.

This is a man-to-man and may the best man win game. Someone tell Billy Clyde to tune in.

Zone is for pussies.

Perspective from Lexington

Enjoyed this column by John Clay of the Lexington Herald-Reader. On John Calipari's incredible amazing redefining balance-tilting Elite Eight finish last year:

Cal's first Blue go-around ended 35-3. It boasted John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson and Eric Bledsoe. UK heard its name called by teams drafting 1, 5, 14, 18 and 29 in the NBA's first round, on a day Calipari called the "greatest in school history."

It wasn't, of course. After hitting all the right notes in his first year, that Cal hyperbole fell flat. Final Fours matter to the Big Blue Nation. Titles matter most. And Calipari's youth movement came up short, losing to West Virginia in the Elite Eight. The Cats missed a brick load of three-pointers. They were bothered by a 1-3-1 zone. They played their age. They went pro.

And on Louisville's season thus far:

Meanwhile, the Ville boasts a feeling of unexpected optimism. The Cards are 11-1. They are running, pressing, scoring, doing things Pitino's teams did back when he was "A Man Possessed."

Now, Pitino appears driven to prove critics idiots. It has been a tough year for the coach, highlighted by the summer trial that exposed the embarrassing details of his sex scandal. But as a business problem, there was also Calipari down the road, rejuvenating the program Pitino himself once rejuvenated, signing talent Pitino currently coveted.

But the Big Blue Nation's gleeful wish that Traitor Rick fade into the darkness hasn't come to pass. Pitino played it smart. He hired Tim Fuller, a new assistant with Nike connections, to spearhead recruiting. He fed off the gleam of U of L's new hoops palace. He dialed back to a style that made the game fun again.

I bet Clay receives great feedback and fan mail from Cat Nation after this one.

That isn't to say that Clay penned a love letter to Louisville. He, like others, still have many questions about how "real" we are this year. We look forward to beginning to address those questions on Friday.

Punk upgrade

In my recent breakdown of UK forward Terrence Jones, while I expressed my distaste, I wrote that I didn't consider him worthy of Cousins-Bledsoe level hatred.

Well, wouldn't you know it, just in time, we have a PUNK UPGRADE! Because new information reveals that there's a low-budget movie documentary, "Becoming Legendary", based on Terrence Jones' "career" that is set to be released this summer (Hat tip: KSR).

I just hope they don't edit out the part when wittle Terrence weeps when he just can't make up his mind. Cause that's gangsta, becoming legendary personified.

God, this thing looks terrible. In the words of TO, getcha popcorn ready.

Enemy Dossier: Josh Harrellson

NAME: Harrellson, Josh, AKA Mother Hen, AKA Jorts

HOME: St. Charles, Missouri

SIZE & STATS: 6'10'', 275lbs, 5.4 ppg, 8.9 rebs

CARDINAL COUNTERPART: Gorgui Dieng/Terrence Jennings

POSITION ADVANTAGE: Push

MR. RED'S TAKE: Josh Harrellson is a poor man's David Padgett. He's an intelligent player, communicates well on the court and plays within himself. But he doesn't command from a leadership position like David Padgett, and he has no offensive skills to speak of. Harrellson often fades into the backdrop for stretches at a time.

But he has a big body and puts himself in good position to rebound; he's been solid on the glass all season. He's not athletic and will be outclassed from a physical standpoint by either Jennings or Gorgui. But there is a lot to like about Harrellson; he's the unheralded type that you won't miss until he's gone. He knows his role and pursues it doggedly.

I think Gorgui and Jennings are both better athletes that can take the ball straight at Harrellson in the post, but since I agree with Mr. Black in that rebounding is paramout in this matchup, I'll call this one a push. Harrellson has been a more efficient rebounder than Jennings, and he's more experienced than Gorgui. If Harrellson logs double digit rebounds, it will signal a long day for the Cards.

Go small or go home

Don't tell Jay Wright, but small ball is sweeping the bluegrass.

Both the Cards and Cats are using guard-laden lineups to jump start their offense. To begin the second half against Coppin State last night, UK went centerless, opting for a four-guard lineup and 6'8'' Terrence Jones.

The Cards have also employed a small lineup, riding Kyle Kuric, three guards and a Gorgui monster to recent success.

It's setting up to be an interesting chess match. For now, it looks like both coaches are sticking to their guns, unwilling to alter their lineup based on what the other side wants to do. Both want their guards, and both are claiming to want a fast tempo and to get out and run.

But personally, I think Pitino is going to have to blink first, if for no other reason than Kyle Kuric simply can't guard Terrence Jones. And Jones is too good in space for Gorgui. Buckles, on the other hand, can slow him down.

And, frankly, Pitino has more chess pieces to work with here. He needs to get creative to find favorable matchups for the Cards. The Louisville frontcourt, for instance, has a significant advantage if only because UK doesn't really have one. If Cal sticks with his four-guards, UofL will have a fine opportunity to turn a possible weakness, rebounding, on its head in this game.

The Cats are only about 7 deep. If you hear the name Eloy Vargas early, things will be looking very good for the Cardinals.

Enemy Dossier: Doron Lamb

NAME: Lamb, Doron

HOME: Laurelton, New York

SIZE & STATS: 6'4'', 195lbs, 14.2 ppg., 2.1 rebs

CARDINAL COUNTERPART: Preston Knowles

POSITION ADVANTAGE: UofL

MR. RED'S TAKE: Do not be fooled by his elfin' looks, Doron Lamb is perhaps the only one that can look at UofL's 3-point prowess and yawn. The freshman blew up in his last outing versus Winthrop, setting UK freshman records going 7 for 8 from beyond the arc, 11 of 12 from the field for the game.

For most of the season, he's come off the bench, relied upon for sixth man energy. But he's averaging more minutes than most of UK's starters. Preston Knowles made his bones as sixth man, they do a lot of the same things, and since Knowles will likely be guarding Lamb when he's on the floor, I lumped them together.

Only a frosh, it's difficult to tell if Lamb's last outing was flukish or a sign of things to come. Since statistical evidence can't point to either, I'm giving Knowles the nod in being able to handle the task. Doron hasn't shown that he's able to affect the game in ways other than shooting the rock, which Knowles does.

While a fearsome prospect if set up for shots, for this matchup, I'm taking Knowles' experience over Lamb's potential. Knowles is the Cards' best perimeter defender; though Lamb has four inches on Preston, I think the savvy senior can make him forget, for forty minutes anyways, that he could probably get the shot off if he wanted to.

**UPDATE**

This post was written before UK's win over Coppin State last night. Lamb logged 17 points on 6/11 shooting, 2 of 5 from beyond the arc. The analysis remains the same.

Battle of the Bluegrass is Battle of the Boards

Stepping into the devil's shoes: If I were Kentucky and scouting how best to defend against the Cards, I'd forget about Louisville's red-hot backcourt and focus on shutting down it's frontcourt. Target us with bruising, abusive, aggressive play down low.

That may seem like a counterintuitive approach given our guard play as of late. But if the Drexel game taught anything, it was that you beat the Cards by punishing them on the boards -- which then allows you to dictate the pace of the game.

And if there were weaknesses or glitches in Louisville's otherwise impressive victories over Western Kentucky and Morgan State, I'd say they came when our big men let up on the glass and afforded those team second-chances. The Golden Bears were so bad they couldn't take advantage of their 13 offensive rebounds, but we gave them too many second chances all the same. And Kentucky won't be bad.

In my mind, the most critical contributions will have to come from the players who still have the greatest question marks hanging over them: Rakeem Buckles, Gorgui Dieng, and Terrence Jennings. Buckles still hasn't earned back his (!) from the Drexel game -- sometimes he just loses focus -- though I'm hopeful he'll restore order to the force with a sensational performance this Friday.

Like Buckles, Gorgui registered 6 rebounds and 5 turnovers against the Golden Bears, but I'm more forgiving of his mistakes. Since he entered the starting lineup, Gorgui's growing pains have been predictable but he plays like he's most interested and focused on what we desperately require down low -- rebounding and defense.

And then there's Terrence Jennings. Mr. Red may still be wrestling over who to go with between Jennings and Dieng, but at this point my mind is made up. Jennings scored a career-high in points last game, but he also pulled down only two rebounds. Against Gardner-Webb, Dieng had 11 boards, Jennings only 4. And of course, he could only manage that single rebound against Drexel.

That may be being too selective (TJ still averages more rebounds than Gorgui overall), but those are the recent performances that stand out. It's bewildering too, because Jennings has the most potential of any big man out there. (And his ticket to the next level will not be punched with 15 point, 2 rebound outings). To borrow from Mr. Red, he runs the floor like a deer. His athleticism is through the roof. But rebounding is what we need, and too often he isn't focused.

Hope TJ proves me wrong against Kentucky. Do you know how much satisfaction I would derive if Terrence Jennings bullied the Wildcats with a 10 rebound, 3+ block performance? Imagine a game like that to back up his now famous scowling after a dunk. He'd be Ellis Myles reincarnated.

Frankly, I don't care if we get 5, 15 or 50 points out of the 5 spot; what's important to me is rebounding, because that's how I see Kentucky beating us. We have to out-hustle and out-tough them. In my mind, the Battle of the Bluegrass comes down to the Battle of the Boards.

Rick Pitino's "Red Alert"

In case Mr. Red's rebuttal of Jeff Goodman wasn't enough, Rick Pitino himself addressed Goodman's recent campaign to prove that Pitino's decision to coach the Puerto Rico Olympic team is -- well, something really bad and evil. On his web site this past Monday, Pitino posted the following message (below). Besides underscoring the fact that Jeff Goodman is an idiot, Pitino noted that Asst. Coach/Director of Operations/Bench Decoration Ralph Willard likely will move on after this season. Interesting.

One of our good friends, Jeff Goodman, seems to be confused on why I became the coach of the Puerto Rican National Team. Jeff is a guy most of us in college basketball like and respect, as he provides us with great insight into college basketball. However, because he did not ask me why I took the job prior to posting several of his articles, I will now explain it to the Cardinal nation…

5 Reasons why I took the Puerto Rican National Job:

1) Ralph Willard, my best friend and close associate, brought this idea to me as he is close friends with Joel Katz, the Director of Basketball for the Puerto Rican National Team. Ralph will more than likely be moving on to a new challenge after this season. We both felt this would be a great deal of fun to do together and experience something new in our lives.

2) We were scheduled to take a foreign trip to Australia next year. Now we will go to the Bahamas instead and play against the Puerto Rican National Team and Puerto Rican Junior National Team. This will be a much shorter trip and provide great competition for our team.

3) The Puerto Rican National Team and organization honors us with this challenge of having to qualify for the Olympics by having to finish in the top two in the Tournament of Champions of the Americas.

4) Recruiting – This gives me the opportunity to evaluate young players who someday could play at the Division I level. This reason is extremely remote as we have already finished recruiting in 2012 and almost done for 2011.

5) Finally, meeting great people and having new experiences at my age is something that I will treasure. I just purchased all five levels of RosettaStone. Also, at my age learning a new language is something special.

Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Coach P

I think Ricky would be better off focusing on Kentucky this week -- let Kenny Klein push back instead. Then again, we all know how excruciatingly irritating Jeff Goodman can be -- the man, the writer, the mind-reader. Pitino's post available here.

Scaredy Cats: Dream Game revisisted

(Hat tip to loyal reader Mike W. for the link)

There's a whole generation of new Cardinal fans that may only recognize Denny Crum as the kindly grandfather of Louisville basketball.

And though you couldn't ask for a better ambassador for our program, it's always fun to relive Denny's edgier days when he was a brash, young coach. The coolest card in the room...

January 4th, 2010: A Retrospective

Old Timers on both sides will tell you that there was nothing like the original Dream Game in 1983.

I have no doubt that they're right, but I wasn't a sentient-being then. Whatever the zeitgeist was on that fateful day, that same spirit must have been tapped into last January 4th, 2010.

Last year "fan hate" bled over into "hate hate" and I've never experienced anything like it.

It was a culmination of factors, but to reduce it into five syllables, it was one John Calipari.

He was the catalyst.

UK had been down, you see, suffering the consequences of a disastrous hire in Billy Gillispie. But in bringing aboard a controversial coach, a man even the most dyed-in-blue UK fans had despised mere hours before, all the sudden...they were back.

And not just back, they were going to be dominant, putting together a freshman class that will be tough to ever equal.

To Cards fans like myself, it seemed like cheating, a word that's followed Calipari throughout his career. Aren't team's supposed to suffer when they rebuild?  Doesn't basketball-karma mandate that?

Not so under John Calipari. Admittedly, he changed the rules and raised the bar. And UK fans went from suffering to insufferable in the span of a couple months as top player after top player chose the Wildcats.

And we Cards fans were already embattled. Hurricane Karen had blown through the city--wait, poor word choice--had dominated the discussion 'round these parts as our proud coach became a laughing-stock as quickly as Calipari became an instant-legend.

It felt like the red rug had been pulled out from under us. Fresh off an Elite Eight run as the overall #1 seed, all the sudden Cards fans were fending off preposterous questions about our future...

There was talk about Calipari "wiping UofL off the map" and "taking over the state". It was hyperbole that sounds kinda silly now, but at the time it was all fresh, emotions were raw, and it seemed deadly serious.

And what's more, there was a game to be played.

By the time January 4th rolled around, things had reached boiling point. A proud UofL team that had defeated the Wildcats two years in a row was being casually dismissed, the words junior and senior being hurled towards Cardinals like insults.

Or at least so said the new thinking among UK fans, those blessed with no long-term memory. Four-year players were schmucks, jokes, career college players that were mockworthy despite the success or history they'd had.

And there was still a game to be played.

In the week before the game things were getting nasty and the matchup was taking on a hyper-importance, much more than the usual, annually-heated matchup.

As always, it reflected geography; urban v. rural, and the seemingly eternal struggle between the city of Louisville and the rest of the Commonwealth.

But now, it also included Pitino v. Calipari. Rick's embarrassing carnal cheating vs. Calipari's spotted-history of professional cheating. Pitino's old(er) school approach versus cool Cal and his starstudded band of buddy-players.

And the Cards, or at least the fans, had been soaking up every slight, every insult, every hypocrisy from UK  like a sponge.

I hosted the game at my apartment that day for a small crowd of die-hards. For all these reasons, it felt like a last stand.

On the court, in the first moments of regulation things got out of control. It was chippy to say the least; Eric Bledsoe was a madman, cursing and damn near wetting himself with rage over a foul by Reginald Delk. He had to be restrained and taken out of the game.

Calipari, mature as ever, also got in on the action, threatening Delk: "He'll kick your ass after the game! You fucked with the wrong guy!"

Then the Cousins-Swopshire melee, which has since been broken down like the Zapruder film. To UK fans, it was the moment Swopshire artlessly threw his knee into Cousins. To free-thinking individuals, it was the moment that hothead Demarcus Cousins forearmed a prone player and should have been chucked from the game.

But, that's neither here nor there. Cousins stayed in the game and killed the Cards with 18 and 18 once the dust settled.

But that's not what I'll remember. I'll remember fearing for my then-Christmas-new-flatscreen after Cousins' forearm when projectiles started flying around my place.

I'll remember a friend, who's not quite as die-hard, showing up a few minutes after tipoff and telling us that when he arrived he could hear our small party yelling from my 3rd floor apartment while parking his car on the street. With his windows rolled up.

I'll remember the silence during the first half as the Cards clanged their way out of the gate and into a hole, the gritted teeth and the feeling of helplessness.

I'll remember smoking furiously on the porch during halftime and the flustered stammerings of the faithful: "WE PLAYED LIKE SHIT, BUT WE CAN BEAT THESE GUYS!"  UK's supermen, it turned out, were still freshman, after all.

I'll remember nearly breaking my hand slapping fives when the Cards willed their way back and took the lead with under 8:00 left.

I'll remember watching in futility as John Wall controlled the game from then on, artfully guiding his team to a win.

I'll remember the post-game reactions from my Cardinal brethren. Most were quiet. A few chattered away about how UK wasn't that good, and how the Cards played like crap. A couple left the apartment without a word spoken.

I was somewhere in between. I felt a measure of pride in the Cards gutty if unskilled performance, and a healthy respect for the class of Cats that seemed destined for great things.

But mostly I just felt sick; filled with rage, beer, and the empty feeling of a fan that had no influence on the outcome.

But I remember reminding myself to remember: I HATE the Wildcats. With the burning heat of a supernova, I HATE them. In the most primal and pure form of the emotion, I HATE them.

And we owe them one.

Highlights from Louisville-Morgan State

Take it away, Matt Hobbs.

Among the gems -- "How about more from Kuric? All from the left side. He likes that side. It makes him feel happy."

Enemy Dossier: Terrence Jones

NAME: Jones, Terrence

HOME: Portland, Oregon

SIZE & STATS: 6'8'', 244lbs, 18.2 ppg, 9.6 rebs

CARDINAL COUNTERPART: Rakeem Buckles

POSITION ADVANTAGE: UK

MR. RED'S TAKE: I'm not the kind of fan that needs to belittle the opponent. In fact, I'm just the opposite; for big games I build the opposition up into some otherworldly force of nature, if for no other reason than for that wonderful catharsis when the ball is finally tipped, you remember that men are mortal, and you have a "F#%K these guys, they got NOTHIN!" moment.

Even so, when perusing the UK lineup, they just don't have the "Fear of God" type players that they did a year ago. The player that comes closest, however, is Terrence Jones.

The talented lefty will be the most NBA-ready player on the court on Friday. Averaging nearly a double-double, he's the one player that can single-handedly win the game for his team.

But he's streaky. If he doesn't score early in the game, he has a penchant of checking out mentally and going through the motions (though even going through the motions, he's pretty good). He can pick up dumb fouls; so the best way to neutralize Jones would be to send him to the bench.

He also has a deft shooting stroke. Buckles has to close out on the perimeter, because nothing seems to get Jones' motor going like making 3s. Contain him and the Cards still have a fine chance. Let him get his confidence up and he'll likely blow the lid off the place.

On a personal note, Jones is officially my least favorite player on the UK roster. His on-court body language is bad and he's a selfish player, the kind I can't imagine is fun to play with. I also can't get past his ridiculous "decision" moment, when he originally committed to Washington before immediately changing his mind and opting for UK.

Jones should go to any college he wants, that's not the issue, but when you schedule one of those stupid televised "decisions" to try and act like the next big shot, then crumble moments later and call Calipari weeping like a girl, well, you look pretty stupid. He's not Cousins-Bledsoe Level punk, but he's close.

They're ready

Last night the Cards showed the amps necessary to go full throttle with Kentucky.

As a rule I try not to fall into coachspeak. But exceptions can be made when it's true, and so it is with this team -- they have found ways to get better with literally every single game.

The shooting seen the past two games are not flukes, but the culmination of an entire early season of progress. Important as the victory was, the UNLV game in retrospect almost seems like an off-game, won with heart and home court advantage but before the Knowles-Siva-Kuric backcourt took flight. Since the Drexel disappointment, we've seen skill improvement and steadier execution. The Cards have built to this moment.

Enter UK. Pitino's right -- the Wildcats aren't going to give us those kinds of open looks. Nor will they be as reckless with the ball as the Golden Bears were last night. The Cards must perform and execute in other areas of the game. The Cards won the battle of the boards last night, but it wasn't the overwhelming show of force I was hoping for.

The passing, however, continues to be sensational. Shots are being created out of the offense. Sometimes the ball zips around the court without hitting the floor once before an open look is found. And this squad, unlike in years previous, hits those open looks with consistency. The Cards are 11th 7th in the country in assists per game. They've hit the 25 mark the past two. The defense is explosive, unrelenting, and creates more offense than any Pitino-era defense in memory. It's a game-changer we've never had.

They're ready.

Morning nuggets

* Expect a lot of downplaying of UofL's remarkable shooting today. Everyone from UK fans, cautious Cardinals, and especially Rick Pitino will try and distance themselves from it, explaining it as nothing more than open looks against poor opponents.

Not here, dammit. I'm not going to let pregame posturing take away from what we witnessed the last two games. Holy Hubie Brown, can these guys put it through the net!

Of course you can't bank on 74% from behind the arc every game, and of course the Cards won't find as many open looks against the athletes UK has. But, for the most part, the Cards are earning their open looks through crisp and unselfish passing. They keep that up and the shots will be there, even against good competition.

And look, you could cut UofL's 3-point percentage in half from the last two games and still be shooting at an efficient clip. That can't be tossed aside lightly. So let's not overvalue their accuracy from beyond the arc, but we shouldn't be in such a hurry to undervalue it either.

Soon, the UofL-UK game will go through the analysis wringer. My new father-in-law is an old school and opinionated fan that breaks things down quite simply: "Can you put the ball in the hole?"

Sometimes it is that simple. And these Cards are making it look easy.

* No real light was shed on the Gorgui-TJ situation, and my query over which would be favored come crunchtime. Gorgui outrebounded Jennings, but he also had mental gaffes with a couple 3-second violations and a pass flung to about the 15th row for some reason. I suspect Gorgui will start, but TJ will play almost entirely down the stretch if the score is close.

* No real progress was made in search for Peyton Siva's backup. Justice watched the game in street clothes, Russ Smith got some reps and looked good, but not Rivalry Game good, and Preston Knowles was too busy lighting the net on fire to handle the ball. I have no idea what to expect here.

* I have a love-hate thing with Bob Valvano. I've come to accept his obsession with breaking down game "segments". But last night he introduced some convoluted efficiency points equation that he kept coming back to, claiming that the way the Cards were shooting, and if there were no 3-point line, they would be shooting 120% from the field. Or something like that, I won't pretend to understand it.

Let's give that beautiful mind a rest, Bob, and just stick to what's happening on the court.

* Terrence Jennings spent most of his sophomore season in Pitino's doghouse because he used the previous summer working on his perimeter game rather than learning some reliable post-moves. That's all fine, and I agree with Coach, but nevertheless, every time I've seen Jennings take a face-to-the-basket jumper it's been pure.

Pitino needs to let bygones be bygones and start to use the weapons Jennings has, rather than punish him for not having the weapons Pitino wanted for him. He needs to start factoring TJ's jumper into the gameplan and design some plays for him.

Louisville trounces Morgan State with sizzling, gaudy, so-good-it's-stupid display of shooting, 104-74

If you hear a low hum outside your window, don't worry, it's just the sound of Cardinal basketball firing on all cylinders. Louisville could not have asked for a better tuneup than the last two performances against Western Kentucky and Morgan State.

I won't pretend that either opponent is formidable, but neither is as bad as UofL made them look.

Forcing 20 (!) first half turnovers against Morgan State, the Cards continued the blazing shooting tear, making 9 of 12 threes in the first half, 17 of 23 for the game. Kyle Kuric led the way early, making his first five attempts from behind the arc, and simultaneously making his Syracuse performance seem less and less an aberration. He's just a hell of a player.

When Preston Knowles (31 pts.) beat the buzzer with a 28-footer to cap a 61 58 point first half, that was all she wrote. I'd seen all I needed to see, and the rest of the game was spent praying against injuries.

Even after laying a complete turd against Drexel, this has been the most remarkable non-conference season of Pitino's tenure. The Cards haven't dismantled teams in this manner in a long time.

We can now turn our full attention to Big Brother. Ya know, if big brothers were pathologically-obsessed with their younger sibling.

What we need versus Morgan State

I've forbidden myself from commenting on UofL-UK matchup until the buzzer sounds tonight, but I will be looking for indicators, signs that this squad has the right mindset heading into the biggest game of the season. Here's a few things I hope to see...

1) A win, obviously. This is still a young team with many inexperienced parts, and even the experienced guys are getting used to new roles. Another loss to a crap team could cause some irreversible damage to the team's psyche.

2) Siva's backup. Peyton won't play 40 minutes this Friday. Cards-Cats is almost always tightly-whistled, and Siva is a physical guard that often can't help himself trying to make a play. When he's not on the court, the Cards need someone to step up and take the reins. Elisha Justice appeared to be the guy, but he's missed precious preparation time of late. Even though Pitino adores his Bullet, he may not be ready to throw him into the pressure-cooker. Russ Smith almost certainly isn't ready.

So look for either Preston Knowles or Chris Smith to take over the point at some point. Hah, point at some point. Wait, that's not the least bit funny.

3) Rebounding wars. The Cards have almost zero chance against the Cats if they get waxed on the boards. Louisville has the bodies to win the battle; rebounding for this team is more a question of desire, which hasn't always been there.

I think we'll be able to tell by the sheer intensity that the Cards hit the glass tonight what their mindset is at this point, and whether they're buying in to Pitino's philosophy.

4) Is Gorgui ready for prime time? He's good, he's fun, but he's raw. Pitino has given him the starting nod the last two outings and Dieng has responded with fine showings. But Pitino has a choice to make, whether to stick with the young, hot hand, or go with the more experienced Terrence Jennings, who been through intense games.

Both, obviously, will get significant PT, but as I said, Pitino will face a choice on which personnel he wants on the floor at the end of a game. Tonight I think we'll get a glimpse of which way he's leaning.

5) Free throws. It's boring and cliche, I know, but oh so important in the whistle-fest that the Rivalry game often devolves into. One for two just isn't going to cut it from our guards. And some guys have been so bad that it has to affect PT. In my opinion, Van Treese, for example, could be a very effective player that matches up well against an undersized Kentucky team. But his free throw shooting is abyssmal. They simply cannot afford to have him on the court.

Ditto for TJ if he can't pull his stroke together. 70% or better from the line and Mr. Red will sleep much better tonight.

Siva Big East player of the week

Nice.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The BIG EAST Conference has named Louisville guard Peyton Siva and DePaul forward Cleveland Melvin the winners of the conference's weekly men's basketball honors for the week-ending Dec. 26.

Siva was named BIG EAST Player of the Week. In Louisville’s only game of the week, Siva poured in 29 points and dished eight assists in a 114-82 victory at Western Kentucky. He shot 8-of-13 from the floor, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range. For the year, Siva, who hails from Seattle, Wash., is averaging 12.1 points, 4.7 assists and 2.1 steals. His steals average is third in the BIG EAST.

Full announcement from Big East web site here.

It will be interesting to see how Peyton builds on his career performance tonight against Morgan State. Especially with Elisha Justice still out with a concussion.

Tonight, Tonight

Good morning Cards fans, and welcome to rivalry we...

Not so fast. Tonight we play Morgan State, those Golden Bears of Baltimore lore. The Bears are 4-5 this season, having lost to Syracuse 97-55 a week ago. Their record and past performance doesn't seem to forebode a sizable challenge. And that's what scares me. (Is that a George Lucas line? It sounds like a George Lucas line.) A little. Scares me a little. I just want to see the Cards take care of business tonight.

I think they will -- Morgan State should be pretty heavily overmatched. What I'd like to see, however, is a performance where we rev all our engines -- doesn't have to be of Western Kentucky proportions, but a solid game that accentuates our strengths would be much appreciated.

Especially rebounding. Morgan State has a 6-9 forward named Kevin Thompson who averages 14 points and 10 boards per game. Let's see if we can shut him down and win -- overwhelmingly -- the rebounding war tonight as a means to best prepare for Kentucky's thoroughbreds on Friday.

Don't mistake my mindset, however. Game lurking in shadows of commonwealth showdown + creepy Billy Corgan picture = Extra focus for tonight.