Louisville sticks to the script (more or less), deposes of Depaul 61-57

So... Louisville barely beats Depaul tonight, coming close to flirting with disaster by losing to the lowly Blue Demons, but in the end you gotta consider that we were extremely short-handed, ravaged by injuries, and hey, a win's a win. I mean come on, we almost started Tim Henderson but went with Mike Marra instead, who was good for his usual 2 of 10 shooting performance, and yet we're still standing here tied for second in the Big East so we oughta just be grateful for this latest mark in the win column, right? Hello?

Well, that was my stab at a feel-good postgame narrative for this game. But we all know how hard it is to make merry after almost losing to Depaul at home, even with injuries depleting our roster. Suffice it to say we'll have to play a lot better when we head to South Bend on Wednesday. If past is prologue, it'll be us against Planet Ireland again.

Still, there were good things we saw tonight and can rally around, even if they didn't crystallize into the type of dominant performance for which we were hoping. Kyle Kuric padded some mega-sweet offensive numbers to lead the Cards -- 19 points on 6-9 shooting including 3 three-pointers. That we've come to expect that type of shooting performance out of Kyle 1 out of every 3 games or so shows how far he's come from last season, when 22 points against Syracuse represented a miracle. These days, 18 or so points is pretty standard fare, even when every single basket comes out of that left corner.

Peyton Siva played one of his better point guard games, dishing out 8 assists and turning over the ball only once. He still make you scratch you head sometimes -- why shoot that three toward the end with a full shot clock? -- but his highlight reel of passing tonight was spectacular. Also, the sight of him hobbling off the court after the game might have sounded alarm bells, but it scores just how hard he's going at it out there, playing through pain, trying to lead. Just an image that's staying with me at the moment.

(Of course, if every sign of injury translated into leadership points, this team could conduct a training seminar. And Gorgui Dieng would give the lecture on "create your own rules." Coming to an office park near you)

Chris Smith, who has been fighting major funk as of late, scored 10 points on 3-6 shooting, including 2-4 from beyond the arc. So that's good.

Maybe the most encouraging factor to take from this game is that the Terrence Jennings renaissance continues. TJ was good tonight for 10 points, 9 boards, 3 blocks. His is the best mid-season redemption story that I can recall since T-Will figured out how to dominate without scoring midway through his junior year. Rumble young men, rumble.

Here are the stats. A win's a win, right? Even against Depaul. So go Cards.

Forget football, TIM HENDERSON is starting against Depaul

I've completely lost the pulse of this UofL bastketball team. I know we're depleted, but Rick Pitino is just now tempting the basketball gods with this move.

Walk-on Tim Henderson will be joining the starting lineup against Depaul, according to Rick himself (which is occassionally suspect) this afternoon. Rick, do you even remember Russ Smith, the combo guard that you recruited and played major minutes last game? Elisha Justice? The player you decided to contrive a nickname for all by yourself?

For those of you that may be saying, "Relax, it's Depaul", I'm not in the mood. For one, we're not good enough to be playing cutesy games with our opponents at this point in the season. Two, even against Depaul, I think a "Siva-Henderson-Smith-Van Treese-Jennings" lineup is probably outmanned, yep, even against the worst team in the Big East.

I'm fully throwing my hands in the air and just watching from now on.

**UPDATE**

That last sentence is untrue, I'm going to be opining the shit out of the remainder of the season.

The counter-thingy sucks, and other thoughts on the DeMarcus Smith announcement

I hereby revoke my earlier kudos to the new CJ format, and the counter that lets you know how many others are viewing. Because if you're like me, you just watched a computer screen "think" for 10 minutes before Jody Demling informed everyone via Twitter that DaMarcus Smith is heading to play football for Central Florida. Then I watched a "thinking" computer screen again, as the tally rolled back all the way down to zero. Actually, that's not true, I clicked out before it reached zero, but the drama was ruined nonetheless.

And it sucks. It really does. And not just the counter thingy; Smith was dyed in red from the crib, showed his loyalty during our darkest of Kragthorpian nights, and described himself as being "starstuck" upon meeting Coach Strong. Part of me does feel robbed; robbed of the chance to see a local talent become a local legend.

Here's a couple more thoughts on the matter...

* DaMarcus Smith must be a good poker player, because he did keep things pretty close to the chest. Every other Louisville commit in the area was in attendance (again, according to Demling twitter, not the actual...fe...ed). I had convinced myself a jovial C-A-R-D-S chant was in the works, but alas...

* Expect a slight "controversy" to emerge, with larger-media-than myself making some hay over whether Charlie is favoring his Florida players. I do have it on good authority that it's been a topic in the UofL locker room before.

* Speaking in completely objective, non-nativist fashion, I do think Teddy Bridgewater is a better prospect. Both he and DaMarcus have electric arms and both are terrific athletes, but I've seen DaMarcus in person and I don't believe that he's any bit over 6'0'' tall (he's listed as 6'1'').  And I like my QBs like I like my strippers, tall, lean, and capable of throwing a 60-yard spiral from their knees.

* I doubt that there's many of you out there, but anyone suggesting that DaMarcus is "scared to compete" or any other such nonsense needs to stop. He chose the school where he will have the best chance to showcase his talent. End of story.

* I do have to wonder if Charlie Strong might be slightly relieved. For a man who walks on the Ohio River, and not because of the pollution, it must be at least some relief that a QB controversy between a national stud and a local stud has been quashed.

* For awhile I had convinced myself that this was a Brian Brohm-Michael Bush situation, where both could co-exist and flourish alongside one another. But the truth is, it's not that. Both are true QBs, and there's about as much chance of seeing me suit up as the Raiders next stud running back as there is for DaMarcus or Teddy.

Okay, slightly better chances for the latters, but it's still slim.

It's a decision. One each player made that was the best for his future. Both have been complete-class-acts throughout this process.

So the least we can do is to reciprocate as fans. With Teddy B., we can do so by not haunting him with what-ifs during every interview he may do.

With DaMarcus, we can do so by sending him our fondest well wishes, support, and following from what will always be his hometown.

Watching DaMarcus Smith's Announcement...

Kudo's to the new CJ format, because their live-announcement features a counter-thingy where you can see how many other Cards-obsessed folk are shirking work to see where D.Smith goes (why is our nation's unemployment so high again?)

But since we're 2500K and counting, and my feed is cutting out, I'm wondering if they should have chucked the counter-thingy and just sprung for more bandwidth...

Either way here we go...

**UPDATE**

Dammit it all! He's UCF.

Kenny tweets some awesome news

Per Mr. Klein:

UofL will honor its 1986 NCAA Championship team on Feb. 12 & wear retro uniforms that day against Syracuse

You can go ahead and book yourself a February 13th post titled: Why aren't these just our jerseys all the time?

They couldn't...could they?

After helping the Providence Friars get over the hump to notch their first Big East win in ages, I'm wary of any "winless in X number of games" teams the Cards go up against. So, cue the next matchup against the Depaul Blue Demons, who got waxed last night by Notre Dame 83-58.

Unlike Providence, who had been competitive in most of the matchups during their long drought, Depaul has been getting slaughtered in almost every Big East contest, only losing by less than 9 points on one occassion (a 3-point loss to WVU). I'm not sure if that makes me more nervous or less.

Without Knowles, Gorgui, and Buckles, we're starting to run out of enough warm bodies to get even the simplest of jobs done. For a team that relies on its chemistry, we're running low on the basic chemical catalysts.

A slipup against the Big East cellar-dwellers could derail the entire season. And I've seen enough from this program over the last decade to recall that nothing is impossible, both good and bad.

Knowles goes down, Gorgui still down

I don't like change much, so I've been struggling with the new CJ online format, but I was able to gather that Preston Knowles has a badly sprained hamstring and will miss at least the Depaul game on Saturday. Here's how it happened...

Knowles was trying to make a defensive play, blocked the ball with his foot and landed on the ball and pulled his hamstring.

What is with all the injuries from slipping and falling on basketballs? You'd think they were playing with a live grenade coated with banana peels. Pitino also said Gorgui Dieng isn't "anywhere close to coming back".

This has been the most bizarre season I can remember.

'Canes not exactly thrilled with Charlie Strong's success

And I guess I wouldn't be either if I just saw so much talent plundered from under my nose. Here's some of the choicer comments from the Miami Herald after B.J. Dubose became the latest Miamian to join the Cards...

Is Louisville where everyone goes when they cant read or write? Wow. I thought it was a University.

Louisville??? What a joke. UM or Louisville. There seems to be something more to this strange story. Dubois might want to talk with Big Alan Baily as why he may have not developed to his fullest potential. The former UM coach he had that is now at Louisville is somewhere in that discussion

Good luck to louisville next year in south florida. Golden will have a full year to get his game on. It's no surprise that Dubose would switch. Manny gave us a head's up on him feeling the "pressure". Enjoy the cold weather and dont wander too far away from Louisville. You'll wind up in a deliverance sequal.

Grades are an issue for Dubose. Kid is dumb as a door nail. Its debatable if he even qualifies at Louisville and thats saying something. If you cannot qualify at Louisville you should kill yourself now

yep, if you cannot qualify at Louisville, you should kill yourself. That, or enroll at Gainesville U. What a stinkhole backwater that place is.

Louisville seems like a holding cell for under achievers and the illiterate. I'm glad this kid didn't work out. He didn't impress me and isn't worth the scholly. He never should have wasted people's time

Quote of the Day

"We're not going to become them, they're going to have to become us."

-Charlie Strong, on his heralded freshman class

Davis to Illinois and we can (just about) put a bow on this

Louisvillian, former Cat-commit, now Illinois-bound tight end Jon Davis is taking his talents to the Big 10.

Now, all the Cards are waiting on is to see if running back Andrew Buie will flip his West Virginia commitment to Louisville at 2:00. So hold the champagne, but if he does, pop a slightly-nicer bottle of champagne.

The Cards have already landed an embarassment of riches in this class. Coach Strong, you may want to begin those contract "enhancement" talks right about now.

But, wait a few, because The Man is due for a presser at 3:00. Link here.

**UPDATE**

Buie picked WVU (who re-announces for the school he was already commited to?), so go ahead and pop the original, moderately-priced champagne.

Pebble meet shoe

Eastern High School stud Jon Davis is set to announce his decision at 1:30, though Demling and others are indicating that the wind is blowing towards the Fightin' Illini. It would be a bigger blow to UK, where Davis was originally commited, but he'd still be a nice addition nonetheless.

But the real sticker would be losing DaMarcus Smith, Derby City's own stud quarterback. He was originally set to announce his decision between UofL and Central Florida on Friday, but again, Demling reports that he may be announcing today, and that it looks like we may be trading talents with the Sunshine State.

I'm still holding out hope, but losing Smith will undoubtedly lead fans to follow the careers of both he and Teddy Bridgewater very closely, and it'll be the proverbial "what if" that will follow them both.

This topic will get longer treatment at a later time, but Charlie Strong is right. You have to try to get as much skill to your school as possible, and you cannot worry about hurting someone's feelings by recruiting other talented players. I like homegrown talent as much as anyone, and crave DaMarcus Smith suiting up for the Cards.

But we're fishing in the deeper end of a bigger pond now. That fact will help salve the sting if DaMarcus Smith does become the fish that got away.

Surprise!

Reports are trickling out that impact defensive end BJ Dubose has switched his commitment from Miami to the Cards. Yoink! This would be the proverbial "surprise" signing of the day, and this year, the football gods seem to be smiling on the Cards.

This is the old release about Dubose from MaxPreps when he originally commited to the 'Canes...

Despite holding offers from more than 17 FBS programs, Northeast (Oakland Park, Fla.) defensive end Bryant "B.J." Dubose verbally committed to the University of Miami on Sunday, according to the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel. Dubose, a three-year starter for the Hurricanes, has been one of the top defensive players in the state for the past two years after totaling more than 100 tackles and 23 sacks throughout both seasons.

The 6-foot-5, 237-pound standout, who was named the Sun Sentinel's Broward County Defensive Player of the Year this season, had a stellar senior year for the Hurricanes in which he totaled 60 tackles, 11 sacks and one interception, while leading them to their best season in almost 30 years. Dubose's efforts helped Northeast finish 9-4, before losing to Cypress Bay, 27-21, on the final play of the Class 6A Regional final. Dubose gives Miami its 16th overall commitment from the Class of 2011.

Dubose's size and athleticism should give him the chance to play early for the Hurricanes. He chose Miami over LSU, Iowa, Michigan, Louisville, Nebraska and West Virginia.

**UPDATE**

No longer rumors, he's a Card.

The Mack truck and the big boys filing in

Mike Romano, Aaron Epps, John Miller, and big Ryan Mack have faxed over their paperwork. That's about 1120 lbs of beef added to the offensive line, and much needed, as they'll step into the shoes of a slew of departing seniors.

**UPDATE**

Jody Demling does not include Mack in his list of official UofL signees, but Rivals is still showing him as having signed his LOI. We'll keep you posted, as Mack is, pardon the pun, a big one.

**UPDATE II**

He's a Card.

Eli Rogers and Calvin Pryor too

Competition for the receiver positions and the secondary is going to be fierce next season.

Now we need the beefcakes.

Gerod Holliman highlights while we wait for more news

Let the madness begin

Signing Day is finally here, and months of work from Charlie Strong and staff will hopefully come to fruition. Louisville is poised to make program history today, so stay tuned as we react to the info as we all get it from Jody Demling.

The Cards are off to a solid start this morning, already receiving LOIs from Gerod Holliman, Andrew Johnson, Terrell Floyd, Central Hardin kicker John Wallace, Devante Parker, Jamon Brown, Jalen Harrington and Mike Romano.

There's a lot to be excited about in that list, but I'm fully pumped for the Devante Parker era. Our receivers are going to be deadly fast.

Louisville has "zero interest" in Ricardo Ledo

At least according to Jody Demling, who tweeted that tidbit moments ago. UofL was thought to be one of, if not the frontrunner in pursuit of the scorer's commitment. Very strange indeed, wonder what they know that we don't.

Headscratchers

The way we were playing, by no stretch of the imagination did the Cardinals deserve to be in the game, let alone winning it. When Preston Knowles can't hit a jump shot and Siva cannot handle the basketball, you'd think the Cards would have lost by 30 on the road against a quality opponent.

But there we were, with under 5 minutes to play, with a lead. Had Chris Smith's wide-open trey to put the Cards up two possessions gone in, I fully believe we would have won. But if wishes and buts were candies and nuts...um, I forgot how that ends. Anyways, let's start with Mr. Smith...

? In just a couple of games Chris Smith has gone from Mr. Reliable to Mr. Invisible. He was 2-8 from the field last night, and made some questionable plays on both ends of the court that cost his team. His saving grace is that he is still a productive rebounder, the best of our guards, pulling down 7 yesterday. But we've read so much about how Smith worked hard to fix his broken jumper over the summer, his recent struggles with his shot are making me nervous, making me wonder which player is the real Chris Smith.

? Peyton Siva's 8 turnovers were bad, but I was most perplexed by his terrible decision when the Cards were down 3 with time running down and he inexplicably picked up his dribble a little past midcourt. It threw the entire possession out of whack, he had to be bailed out, and instead of a 3 the Cards had to settle for a Jennings layup with just a couple seconds left and hope for a miracle. Not sure what he was thinking there.

? With Siva struggling, I thought for certain we would have a Bullet appearance. I wrote a couple days ago that I wanted to see more of Russ Smith, but I didn't think it would result in never seeing Justice play again! My bad, Bullet. If nothing else, Justice has shown to be capable of running the offense and taking care of the ball. He seemed the logical choice to sub in in the first half when the Cards were hemorrhaging turnovers.

? Kyle Kuric going 1-3 from the free throw line. I know his 91% for the season is a little inflated because he doesn't go to the line all that much, but he's still a fine FT shooter nonetheless, and clanging his first two was a surprise. Plus, with Pitino yelling to him to relax and calm down, it's the first time we've ever seen the unflappable Hoosier show negative nerves during a game.

? I'm not sure which one of these is weirder, Preston missing 3 consecutive clutch shots or the Cards snagging 4 consecutive offensive rebounds. Either way, it was some strange play.

? Jennings post moves. They're seldom pretty, but last night they were effective. And Jennings was the heart and soul of the team last night, a thought that would have been unimaginable a month ago.

Wouldn't want to have been in that locker room

Rick Pitino was visibly upset with with his players right as the game ended, at least that's what it looked like from the brief glimpse I saw on TV. Eric Crawford is intimating the same thing on his blog. Gulp.

Enigmatic Cards fumble one away, 62-59

You can add some more layers to the complicated, frustrating, exhilirating fabric of the 2010-11 Louisville Cardinals. Both teams struggled mightily tonight after a quick turnaround from hard-fought Saturday contests, but it was the Hoyas that made more plays down the stretch to earn another Big East victory.

I wouldn't force the first-half of execution on my worst enemy. Peyton Siva, our mercurial point guard, followed up his heroic performance against the Huskies with dubious dribbling and turnover after turnover in the first half. Our only saving grace was that Georgetown was willing to race the Cards to the bottom. Both teams limped into the locker room.

Georgetown found a groove in the second half and extended an 11-point lead, a margain that seems to be a dog-whistle for our squad that it's time to finally start playing basketball. The Cards fought back with a characteristic run, and even took the lead briefly with just a few minutes to play.

But this time it wasn't meant to be. Chris Smith missed a wide open 3, and after Preston Knowles couldn't fight through a screen on the other end, forward Howard Thompson hit a trey and Georgetown would never relinquish the lead.

Good luck figuring out this team. The team that can't rebound suddenly dominates the offensive glass. Terrence Jennings is now playing with more heart and tenacity than anyone on the team. Peyton Siva drives to the hoop at will one game and struggles to dribble in the next.

But when it's all said and done, this was not a bad loss. The Cards proved once again that they do not suffer from a talent deficiency. Tonight, it was an execution deficiency.

Ledo me this...

Ricardo Ledo, prolific scorer in the 2012 class, is back on the market, suddenly decommiting from Providence after a brief romance last month.

Before the Friars got involved, both UofL and UK were prime suitors for Ledo, and he had once scheduled visits to each. You can expect both to get re-involved now.

Lest you forget, Ledo is Puerto Rican and Pitino coaches the 2012 Puerto Rican national team.

Jeff Goodman is viewing "JFK" on repeat; we're through the looking glass here people.

#15

In the lastest AP poll. West Virginia also checked into the top #25; since it's been a common occurence for our strongest foes to fall off the map after we beat them, it's good to see another team rise in the rankings to balance out that phenomenon.

Which leads me to another hissy fit. The normally likeable Drew Diener has been getting under my skin lately on his morning UofL radio show. Firstly, he's been at the forefront pressing the whole "UofL fans don't like Peyton Siva" mantra, hosting some "Say you're sorry to Siva" segments and asking every guest he can get his hands on about the phenomenon, forcing Rick Pitino and even Siva himself to answer questions about it.

UofL fans have NEVER "turned on" Siva. Being frustrated at times, criticizing aspects of his play, that's fair game for fans of all stripes. But Diener makes it out like there's been wholesale mutiny against Peyton Siva, and has been patting himself on the back (a lot) lately for being the voice of reason that never jumped ship.

Comparing Siva to Sosa, and the respective treatment each received from the fans is perhaps an attractive theme for a radio host to stir up rancor, but that doesn't make it any less hollow. Stop trying to pit the players against the fans, Drew.

Secondly, he dedicated much of this morning's show to this question: If the basketball gods could guarantee Louisville a 5-5 finish for the rest of the Big East season, would you take it? Diener seemed to be enthralled with the idea, which only furthers the thinking that the successes Louisville has experienced this season are a fluke.

We need to put to bed the mantra that this team lacks the talent to achieve great things when we've all seen evidence to the contrary. Just because a team lacks lottery picks does not mean that they lack talent, at least in terms of college basketball success.

We're the #15 team in the nation and sitting at the #2 spot in the best conference in the land. Whatever happens from this point on, our losses won't be because we lack the talent to get the job done.

So, for my two cents, no, I would not take a guaranteed 5-5 finish if the hypothetical were offered. I think we can win every game that remains on our schedule; the team has earned that much. And it'd be nice if UofL radio hosts would stop treating the Cards like the little orphan Oliver.

Rant over.

** P.S.**

#13 in the ESPN poll.

Quote of the Day

"They just kept on running us and running us. We got real tired at the end. Those picks at the end that they set, we just didn't play enough defense and that shows how tired we were."

-Shabazz Napier, UConn guard

From someone that has, at times, questioned the cost-benefit analysis of UofL's all-out press and run-and-gun offense, these words remind me, yet again, that I'm an idiot.

Slippery, he says? You think Charlie cares 'bout slippery?

Everyone was slipping and sliding in Storrs on Saturday. Alliteration is also the sign of a good writer. But for any and everyone that was shouting at their TVs each time Knowles and Siva slid around midcourt, resulting in some strange and maddening possessions, rest assured, it had nothing to do with player control. According to CL Brown, Kemba Walker also had to change shoes twice to try and deal with the surface, and Preston Knowles had this to say post-game...

That was the craziest floor I’ve ever been on. Vinny (Tatum, equipment manager) used this pro-grip for the traction on the floor and that still didn’t help. I didn’t know what was going on, the middle of the floor was bad and the whole court was.

It's strange, since UConn doesn't have a hockey rink or anything under their floor. It appears to have just been a strange confluence of humidity and dust.

And as much as I'd like to use the opportunity to tell the UConn program to get their shit together before someone gets injured, it also conjures up Rick Pitino's memorable introduction to the Cardinal brethren, taking the mic in Freedom Hall to admonish a booing crowd in his first-year NIT matchup against Temple during the game: "It's an ICE RINK out heah!"

Also, if you're confused by the pic and title, please give a chance to the film "Major Payne"; it's the greatest most forgotten comedy of the '90s.

Crawford sizes up Blackshear and Purvis

We can look forward to his whole column committed to the game at Bullitt East tomorrow. But Crawford offered these initial observations of U of L commits Wayne Blackshear and Rodney Purvis on his blog. And it is good.

On Blackshear:

He’s a more sturdy, physically strong player than maybe I expected him to be. Physically, he’s pretty much Big East-ready right now. The senior will be a shooting guard in college but finds himself at the four and five spot in a lot of offensive sets, though you’ll also see him bringing it up the court and getting the ball in situations where he’s expected to break the defense do. Maybe he even drives the bus, I don’t know. All of those things, he can do.

His most impressive offensive move of the game (even more than a couple of highlight-reel dunks) was a nasty crossover dribble followed by a step-back three to tie the game in the fourth quarter. It was a big-time Division I move. Nobody on Louisville’s team at the moment has that kind of handle and shot combined. Size-wise, he reminds me of Preston Knowles, though he’s a bit leaner and a lot more athletic. And just as impressive to me was this — a couple of trips later, he got it in the same position, shot-faked the man on him, then drove diagonally for the layup. That shows good intuition, knowing what he’d just done to a defender and using it against him.

Defensively, he’s willing but, like most high school guys, needs to learn. Mentally, he got upset at a couple of foul calls that were legitimate fouls, but bounced back from first-half foul trouble and played a focused second half, which you like to see, though I did see a little more standing around from him defensively and when he didn’t have the ball than you generally want to see.

The most impressive thing I saw from him today was that he hit the deck seven times, a lot of times hard. And he took a lot of physical pounding, but didn’t seem to get preoccupied with it. That’s going to be valuable as he makes the transition to Big East play. If Blackshear were playing for a deeper, more talented high school team, he might have the luxury of playing at his college position. But his current situation may actually be more valuable preparation, because he’s being forced to get in and mix it up in the paint, while being his team’s top rebounder. He’ll arrive at U of L with a more complete game because of that, and he seems to understand that.

And on Purvis:

I’d seen Purvis listed as 6-3, but he’s every bit of 6-4 and maybe on the upper end of that as a junior. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were a shade taller than John Wall. Now, he’s not quite as fast as Wall with the ball, but he’s as fast as anyone with the ball that I’ve seen play for U of L.

He’s got serious speed, and combined with his size and length, you’d figure would be a combustible mix in Rick Pitino’s pressing style.

Purvis impressed me with his ability to get his hands on balls defensively. He had four steals in the game but a large number of deflections.

The other thing that impressed me most about him was how hard he ran, just about all the time. He sprinted the court with a purpose on the break, and — in something you don’t see a lot of high school guys do — really moved well, and quickly, without the ball on offense.

He had 13 first-half points and was doing it all, scoring, slashing to the basket, dishing it off, when he went down hard and cut his head, requiring some stitches. Still, he came back to play in the second half.I don’t know that there’s a lot about his game that I would call polished, unless it’s his ability to see and create opportunities with his passing. But that uncommon combination of size and speed, coupled with what looked like a willingness to put forth high effort and to move without the ball, left me thinking that Rick Pitino has to be counting the days to have this guy.

I really can’t think of another guy he’s had at Louisville who combines that size and speed

So in other words, their performances suggest exactly what we are hoping arrives on campus in future years: raw talent, sheer athleticism, a lot to anticipate.

Full blog post here. Jody Demling's summary of the game itself is also good, it's here. Demling also has a write-up on Blackshear's first game here, the Louisville Play-by-Play Classic.

Johnnies cap off a wild Big East weekend

St. John's just beat the snot out of the defending national champions at Madison Square Garden, and they did so without a hint of Cinderella flukishness, they simply took the #3 Dukies out behind the woodshed.

It's been a crazy few days in the Big East that saw the top 4 teams in the league fall. Keep in mind that before Louisville lost to Providence, no Big East team with a winning conference record had fallen to a team with a losing conference record. That led some detractors to claim that the Big East was simply a top-heavy league with some ho-hum filling.

You can throw that thinking out the window. Teams like Marquette, Providence, St. John's, and our Louisville Cardinals are proving themselves to be formidable.

It's a particularly fun time to be a fan around these parts as we transition fully from football and the conference swaggers are turned completely on their heads.

Louisville fans that were sick and tired of SEC football a few weeks ago were trying to talk up the resurgent Syracuse football program and the solidness of Randy Edsall's UConn squad. Now, we're chock full of blue-blooded bravado. UK basketball fans, on the other hand, who a mere fortnight ago were weary from explaining to others that you can't understand the rigors of an SEC football schedule, are suddenly convincing themselves that Missisippi State basketball really does have a solid core of returning starters.

It's a fun time and I fully acknowledge and embrace the hypocrisy.

This weekend proved what's been known by anyone that follows and loves college basketball. There are no great teams. Greatness, instead, is strived for on a nightly basis. And in the land of very good teams, there's no conglomerate of very good basketball than what is found in the Big East.

The Big Four (Pitt, UConn, Villanova, Syracuse) have all been proven vulnerable. It's setting up to be a wild race to the wire, with proud squads going at it like starving dogs to notch each conference victory.

Fortunes and seasons can change on a single flick of Peyton Siva's wrist. And a nagging and persistent question is dawning on the Cardinal faithful, perhaps the players as well.

Why not us?

Highlights from Louisville-UConn

Take it away, Hobbs.



Right? Right?

I especially enjoy hearing the collective sound of the student section ("aaaahhhh...")churning in the background, only to be silenced by another Siva-slash to the basket.

View from the other side

According to the Hartford Courant:

UConn could have closed this game out in regulation. The Huskies led 52-43 after a layup by Napier had the crowd on its feet and Rick Pitino throwing a towel in frustration.

But the Cardinals had answers, playing a maddeningly aggressive defense and running a precise offense. Louisville went on a 14-3 run, Kyle Kuric tying it with a three-pointer and Peyton Siva giving Louisville a 57-55 lead with 2:26 to go. The Cardinals hadn't led since it was 11-10.

After a couple ill-advised drives by Kemba Walker into traffic, one resulting in a turnover and the other forcing a timeout, Napier made one of two free throws with 1:43 left. UConn maintained possession and Walker made a three. Siva tied it on an uncontested layup and Walker drove right, missing a high-arcing shot with three-tenths of a second left. An inbound tip-in attempt was way off.

A Siva dunk it was tied it with just over seven seconds left in overtime, and Jeremy Lamb missed at the buzzer.

Thought it was interesting to read how we were depicted -- as with "a maddeningly aggressive defense and running a precise offense." Always feels more like controlled chaos to me.

Full article here.

Reliving Louisville-UConn

For those who missed, or want to see again, the Louisville-UConn game, the full-length video is available here on ESPN3 until next Saturday. Obviously the entire game tape is a little long, so allow me to provide some useful starting points on the video browser to focus on the late-game heroics:

* 1:34:30 -- UConn up 50-41 with 9 minutes to play, which they eventually extend to 52-41. Things look dim for the Cards.

* 1:48:32 -- UConn hanging on 55-50 with 3:34 to play. This is where Louisville mounts its comeback in the final three minutes of regulation

*1:57:15 -- UConn up 59-57 with about a minute left to play. Siva ties the game, sending the Cards into overtime.

*2:03:55 -- first overtime begins.

*2:11:30 -- UConn up 66-64 with 48 seconds left. The Huskies then go up 4, but Marra hits a big three.

*2:15:52 -- UConn up 69-67 with 15 seconds left. Siva's dunk.

*2:17:33 -- Second overtime begins. Knowles and Kuric hit threes in quick succession.

The rest, as they say, was history.