Miracle comeback on Main Street: Cards beat Marquette 71-70

Words can't capture this one.

By now I trust you've heard bits and pieces of the Cards' comeback this afternoon. Down 18 to Marquette with seven minutes to go. Van Treese's steal and dunk to launch the charge. Preston Knowles catching fire and hitting four three pointers in quick-fire fashion. Louisville scoring 7 points in 27 seconds. Jennings icing four free throws to pull us within one. Knowles to Kuric for the layup with four seconds left to win the game.

But you gotta watch this one -- or relive it -- for yourself.

So if reading before a week from now, Saturday January 22 (when the ESPN3 replay expires), do yourself a favor. Click on the link below, which provides video of the entire game. Scroll either to the 1:48:17 mark which will provide you an additional taste of how poorly we were playing right before the comeback begins, or scroll to the 1:50:50 mark -- when SVT steals the ball, therein launching a comeback that could prove an emotional turning point for the Cards' topsy-turvy season.

Click here.

Go Cards!

Villano-more

Nova often gets a pass around here when it comes to rivalry-hate, never mustering the emotions of West Virginia or even tomorrow's opponent, Marquette. Maybe it's the dreaminess of Jay Wright, or their admirable dedication to the art of small-ball, or their non-menacing football team, I don't know.

But no more. Their student section really got under my skin on Wednesday. Hopping around in a quarter-full arena, booing every whistle in a game where Villanova was getting most of the calls, and starting a "Fif-teen Sec-onds" chant in the second half.

Based on the relative coolness on display in the student section, fifteen would no doubt top most of their records by seven seconds.

It's time to boost the level of animosity for this matchup.

In search of 5

The starting lineup may not matter much according to Coach P, but it matters to me dammit! If only because I think stability among the A-squad is a sign of a team with poise, one that isn't constantly scrambling to manufacture ways to win games.

Even though the Cards have seemingly embraced the "different guys stepping up on different nights" mantra, I don't think it's a recipe for consistent success. Certainly it's fine at the beginning of the season, but at this point guys need to start being able to expect how many minutes they'll play and what is demanded from them in that role.

I think it sends a subtle message of weakness when you adjust your lineups nightly after taking a look at the roster of the next team and comparing their heights. Gotta start playing the five guys with the best chemistry together, and make other teams react to that.

Injuries (real or Pitino-imagined) doesn't make the task any easier. But until Buckles gets healthy, when he'll almost certainly be re-plugged into the starting lineup, I think the Cards need to play...

Gorgui - unquestionably our best post defender at the moment. Keep stuffing him full of Big Macs and someone teach rebounding technique.

Siva - is good enough to compensate for frustrating lapses. Just have to let him work through moments of sophomore slumpitude. His stats may indicate good play, but I don't think we're seeing him mature as a floor general.

Preston - the no-brainer. It's clearly his team.

Chris Smith - in the place originally slated for Mike Marra. Smith is Preston-lite, and a much better rebounder and defender than Marra.

Kuric - He needs to hit the glass harder, but he brings much more to the table than Van Treese. While I admire a lot about SVT's play and is a nice reserve to come off the bench, he showed in the last outing with missed layups and bumbled boards that he's too unskilled to play against elite competition.

I think these five guys give us the best chance to win games. I hope to see them on the court together more, to improve their chemistry with one another, so that hopefully teams will begin worrying about matching up with us, rather than vice versa.

Should the Cards just man up?

Rebounding told the tale of the tape. But the secondary issue is that the Cards have failed to find a defense they look comfortable playing.

Pitino's best teams at Louisville have employed physical zones at times to much success. But this team doesn't have it, the length I guess, to make it work. Our zone defense is woefully inadequate to prevent teams with competent offenses from doing what they want.

The Cards played perhaps their best offense of the season and still trailed at the half yesterday. And sure, Villanova is legit and we were on the road, but for those of us that aren't willing to chalk the season up to a bridge year in which an NCAA tournament appearance and two games would be a great success, Louisville is going to have to find some way to slow down opposing offenses in half court sets.

I think the Cards should start back at square one, with straight aggessive man-to-man defense.

And not with designed traps, the kind UK passed out of and killed us with. Certainly not the spaced-zone the Villanova guards enjoyed and created open looks with.

Just straight, man-to-man defense. Our perimeter defenders, I think, are better than Coach Pitino is giving them credit for. And maybe the Cards will encounter mismatchs in the post; but I would have liked to see a raw player like Mouphtaou Yarou, who killed UofL last night, earn his buckets with skilled offensive moves rather than get the ball and put himself in good position before the defense could rotate back.

I'm not saying the Cards will be a lock-down team if they go strictly man-to-man. But for a team that clearly wants to run the ball right back downcourt, giving up an earned basket isn't the worst thing in the world. You just inbound the ball quickly and push tempo.

But slowly bleeding to death while teams pick and pass apart an ineffective zone defense is.

Willard, what is that, Slavic?

theHoff has discovered the cause of Ralph Willard's reticence on the UofL bench. He's flat out exhausted from moonlighting as beloved The 'Burbs character Uncle Reuben Klopek...

Preston sick and tired of his teammates getting dominated on the boards

From CL Brown's blog:

Preston Knowles obviously had a great individual performance with 24 points. He had the kind of game where you could literally hear the entire arena start to gasp whenever he shot the ball. But Knowles wasn’t interested in talking about how well he played.

He was more frustrated with this loss than I’ve ever seen him. As soon as we were allowed in the locker room you could hear him talking to his teammates that they better get ready to practice.

On the way to the bus he told me, “Something has got to change” in reference to the Cards effort on the boards. Villanova outrebounded them 41-25. USF outrebounded them 38-35 and UK got them 36-25. Seton Hall was the only team the Cards outrebounded in their last four games.

Time to step it up on the glass Cardinals. Preston wills it so.

Rebounding woes continue... Cards fall to Villanova 88-74

Yet again, the tale of our demise was told on the boards. The Cards were manhandled on the glass 36-18. I don't want to oversimplify, but that's a stats line that's hard to get past. Shooting was decent -- 46 percent from the field, 48 percent from three point land. Steals were good -- 11 for us and 11 for them, allowing the type of full-court pace we desired. But we got pounded on the glass, and not only that but the rebounding margin was lopsided throughout -- at different points I recorded Louisville's glass disadvantage at 14-5, 18-7, and 28-12. Against one of the smaller teams in the Big East.

Whatever the secret to Stephan Van Treese's more recent success, Villanova figured it out and shut him down. Maybe things change when teams start scouting against you. Though it seemed like SVT was in position for several rebounds but somehow always ended up juggling and losing the ball. Whatever the case, Van Treese finishes with one rebound, thereby earning the acclaimed Terrence Jennings Mighty Rebound Award. What is it with our big men and 1 rebound?

For his part, Jennings had two.

Our two leading rebounders were Preston Knowles and Chris Smith. Seems like I've written that before. This is getting depressing.

On the positive side, Preston Knowles is having one of the most impressive shooting seasons by a Louisville player that I can remember -- 24 points, 9-17 shooting, 6-10 from beyond the arc, 5 rebounds. It's the type of sharpshooting senior year we all hoped for Jerry Smith last season. The guy is automatic, the only Cardinal we trust with the ball completely, who has an innate ability to transform bad shots into good shots. His transformation into team leader is pretty remarkable when you think about it.

Peyton Siva... oh Peyton Siva. He ended with impressive stats -- 14 points and 8 assists -- but his game tonight was not the clutch performance we were looking for. He pulled off an impressive full-court drive to start the game. But in the several plays after that, bad decision-making ensued -- always shooting the ball when he should have passed and passing the ball when he should have shot. Anyone else notice that? I've seen it for a few games now, counter-instinctive decision-making. During Louisville's two most critical stretches -- those early moments when the Cards built a fragile lead, and midway through the second half when they mounted their usual desperate (but defenseless) run -- he appeared almost lost, always finding the worst time to make a mistake. Such is the curse of being a sophomore point guard. Or so I'm telling myself.

It's become clear (to me) now that for all his talent in the open court, Siva doesn't have solid instincts near the basket. No sense of what defenders are near, or when to jump-stop, or how to draw a foul. It's always full-charge to the hoop for a layup and hope to dear God there are no big men lurking. But as we're finding out, every top 25 team has a center capable of swatting a 5-11 point guard.

Stats here.

There are positives that we can point to tonight. The Cards competed throughout the first half, trading basket for basket against a seventh-ranked team, that wasn't playing badly, in their own house. They entered the half down only a point and keyed an impressive run late in the game. 11 steals, 18 assists. So there are things to build on, from a game we were not expected to win, as we continue on in Big East play. Until we get rebounding under control, however, doesn't it feel like we're just rearranging deck chairs?

Interesting stat

Courtesy of the Philly Inquirer, where somehow between wailing about the Eagles they find a couple of inches to mention the UofL-Nova showdown tonight...

In the last 5 seasons, Louisville has won more Big East road games (25) than anyone in the conference.

That's no small feat. I was suprised when I read it at first, but the more I reflect, it's not as shocking as one might think on first glance. In addition to generally taking care of business against the lesser Big East schools, most fans can recall off hand the numerous instances when the Cards rose to the challenge on the road to seize a needed victory. Often at the end of seasons, with tourney-appearances at stake.

Tonight is not such a game. But for a team criticized for playing the vast majority of its nonconference schedule in the friendly confines of the Kayefseum, it would make a big statement that it embodies the same road warrior mentality of team's past.

Floor General, Take Two

I argued a few weeks ago that Peyton Siva's first chance for redemption after the Kentucky game would be against Villanova. Well, here we are.

Peyton doesn't need to dominate the game tonight, especially if these Wildcats make the same strategic decision as those other Wildcats and try to shut him down. He shouldn't feel pressured to get to the rim like he did against Kentucky. That doesn't mean resist the urge to create or sacrifice aggressiveness for safeness. In a game like this, Peyton should try to play to his strengths (quickness, floor vision in the open court) and acknowledge his weaknesses (he's 5 foot 11; ball control becomes an issue when he presses).

What I hope to see is Peyton concentrating all his skills on pacing and executing the offense in both its halfcourt and fullcourt realms. Making good passes. Playing EXCELLENT defense against Villanova's aggressive guards -- Senior Corey Fisher (6 foot 1, 15 ppg, 4.8 assists) and/or sophomore Maalik Wayns (6-2, 13, 5.6). Leading the team in TEAM play, in a way that the stats line doesn't always capture -- although 3 or more steals would bode well for our fortunes, and another strong rebounding performance like we saw against South Florida is always appreciated. Poise, maturity, patience. That's what we need.

Easier said than done, right? Bring it Siva.

Swopshire out for the season

The writing was on the walls, but the final confirmation came today; Pitino stated that forward Jared Swopshire won't play this season, and may require surgery to repair a torn groin muscle.

The Schnellenberger Prophecy whispers

"We wanted to be part of the group that wins the national championship for Louisville."

-Andrew Johnson, four-star cornerback, Cardinal commit

I don't like relating every post, every action of the University of Louisville to our Lexington rival. It just adds to the litany of which school is "obsessed" with the other and other pointless bitterness. But sometimes the comparisons are fitting, and for the point I wish to make today, it is apt.

The Cards have lost four straight to the Cats. UK plays in a better football conference. But I wouldn't trade places with them for all the calories in the Kayefseum, not for a second.

The reason is encapsulated somewhere in the above quote. The football Cardinals, you see, still dream of a national championship.

The Wildcats have stalled out in mediocrity, they both love and loath their football selves like Gollum in Lord of the Rings. Their fan-in-chief, Matt Jones, writes extended articles on why elite football will forever elude the Wildcats because they lack the necessary "recruiting fields" to achieve it.

Half-naive, half-insane, and half-confident, the football Cards aren't burdened by such pessimism. Not anymore. Now Kragthorpeless, Louisville is again dreaming of BCS glory. The Cards tasted Oranges in the past and were a field-goal whiff away from a crack at the Title. So no one can tell us that it's impossible.

We've found the guy that can make the impossible possible again. Playing in the same recruiting turf as UK, the Cards have distinguished themselves and climbed into the Top 20, uncharted territory for Louisville football. Make no mistake, Charlie Strong is finding the bodies that can equal the bravado. The ultimate payoff won't be seen next year, maybe not even the one after, but they're coming. And Strong is pulling them in in droves.

If you read the quote at the top again, I don't think that's something a seventeen-year-old Miami kid with limited knowledge of Derby City would say on his own. I think it's something being preached, instructed, enticed, motivated with from a Cardinal coaching staff that understands.

That understands it has an athletic director that will spare no expense to make Louisville Football great again, that understands there's a quirky, loyal, and superstitious fan base that believes that we're on a collision course with the national title. That understands what every free-thinking individual can see, that by playing in the Big East, Louisville is an ideal destination to make such dreams come true.

I wanted to write about UofL basketball today, our tough win over USF and the looming matchup against Villanova. But the zeitgeist says different. In January, after bowl season, our fans are talking about Gerod Holliman's commitment, the spring practice battle between DaMarcus Smith and Teddy Bridgewater, and the latest news that lightning-in-pads linebacker Brandon Golson will suit up in Red next season.

Somethings happening.

True grit, Cards win a wild one, defeat USF 86-77

The Cards return home from Florida with a W and it took every scrap of effort to do so. Somehow, some way, Louisville overcame a spirited performance from South Florida who kept coming back like Jason in a horror movie, perpetual foul trouble to leading scorer Preston Knowles, and some questionable coaching decisions from head coach Rick Pitino that continued to put them in bad positions defensively.

How did they do it? In a word, grit.

They did it with outstanding free throw shooting. They did it with some great individual efforts from guys like Mike Marra with timely 3 point shooting, Kyle Kuric with two amazing displays of athleticism on the defensive end, and even Terrence Jennings showing heart and hustle, running the floor and doing what he does best; dunking the basketball.

They did it with a fine effort from Gorgui Dieng who blocked 5 shots, altered about twice that number, showed off a nifty jumper, and went flawless from the free throw line; Jeff Goodman left scratching his head.

They did it with the flat-out ludicrous; George Goode stepping out and swishing two 3s in the first half.

But mostly it was Stephan Van Treese, he who puts the 'work' in workmanlike. His 12 points and 14 boards (9 offensive) led the way, he was seemingly everywhere in the post all game. USF had a distinct size advantage down low, and SVT stepped up and went toe-to-toe with them.

There's obviously a lot to correct going forward, but starting conference play 2-0 is nothing to sneeze at. And showing they can win on the road against a team with a significant size advantage should do wonders for our confidence heading into the heart of the Big East schedule.

Good win. Keep working. Go Cards.