Brought to you exclusively by Cardinal Laws, this leaked video shows the basketball team scrimmaging during one of Rick Pitino's notoriously physical practice sessions. Following this latest injury to SVT, Pitino has to consider toning it down, or we're not going to have anyone left for the Battle of Falkirk. (WARNING: pretty graphic video. But it needs to be seen.)
In a related development, Louisville's next opponent has demanded the Cardinals' hearts on a plate and called for archers.
Per UofL, Stephan Van Beast (get used to it) re-injured his knee this morning in practice. I don't know if I'm distracted by the possibility of UofL football playing in their second BCS bowl or if I've simply become numb to the basketball team's "bad luck." I read the headline and my first thought was, "Well of course he did. What's the score of the Syracuse game?"
SVT, when healthy, has a valuable role as Gorgui's back-up, even if only in a "play D, rebound, don't make mistakes" sorta way. I love Swopshire's effort in the post but he needs another 30 pounds of muscle if he going to play the 5 in the Big East. He doesn't have the height/arm span Gorgui has make up for his welterweight body type. I hope to see Behanan rotate to the 5 from time to time. I've been impressed with his tenacity in the paint. Surely Coach P sees it too.
On a side note, for those of you on Twitter, you can follow me at @cliffysmalls. If you're not already following Cardinal Laws, 1) Shame on you, and 2) You can make amends by following at @CardinalLaws.
To a warm welcome at the Kayefseum. The bball Cards struggled but took care of business, but we'll get to them in due course. For the moment, we're a football school again.
The final score read 34-24, Louisville over South Florida. It said a lot more than that.
It said that the Cards, picked to finish 7th in the conference this year, had won at least a share of the Big East title.
It said that these Louisville football players, who together looked entirely like the rebuilding program that was advertised after starting out 2-4, refused to accept mediocrity, refused to 'rebuild.'
Along the way, the Cards defeated two of the three teams that upped and decided they were too good for the Big East and needed to leave programs like Louisville behind.
They won a wild one at West Virginia, where the Cards hadn't notched a victory since 1990.
And today, for the exclamation point, they finally nailed that elusive victory at Raymond James Stadium, a place that has haunted this program the last ten years like no other.
Should Cincinnati and Pittsburgh lose this week or next, the Cards will win the BCS nod and head down to Miami to play in the Orange Bowl. Think back to expectations, what was "realistically" possible, at the start of this season, and read that again. THAT is an incredible statement.
But this is an incredible team, led by incredible coaches, and manned by incredible players. Teddy Bridgewater threw for a season high 3 touchdowns today, with zero interceptions. Even those gaudy statistics don't convey the calm and poise that Bridgewater evokes as he dances in the pocket, constantly looking downfield, pinpointing the ball into back corners of the end zone. His is a commanding presence, and before he's through he will rival names like Redman, Bush and Brohm in Cardinal lore.
You watch a guy like Teddy, a guy like DeVante Parker, guys like Dominique Brown, Eli Rogers (who led today in receptions and yardage), Michaelee Harris, Andrew Johnson, Preston Brown, Adrian Bushell, Hakeem Smith. And you have to ask yourself:
Who's got a brighter future, a faster-rising program, than us? There's no other program I'd rather be.
"Jump on board, cuz' the train is coming." That was what Vance Bedford urged all to do before the season began. BCS or not, I think it's time to acknowledge that the train has pulled into station.
What a ride. No matter what happens, thank you team. GO CARDS!
There was much to give thanks for this Thanksgiving week. Thankful to introduce a new voice at Cardinal Laws -- terrificthusfar Cliff, and we look forward to that which is to come. Thankful that Mr. Red proved competitive in the opening week of the Biggest Fan of the Big East competition -- notwithstanding any dark insinuations that I intend to sabotage my cohort, we will intensify our collective efforts on the Big East front in the coming weeks. And very thankful that our undermanned basketball squad was able to walk into Hinkle Fieldhouse last week and secure a tough road win. The bball squad will eventually stumble -- they always do -- but I suspect that many of us have taken for granted the Butler win (in its aftermath, definitely not beforehand), when in fact winning at Butler was never a given. As much as Arkansas State may haunt some of our memories, our victory at Butler stands as an early indicator to this team's potential.
What we're most thankful for, however, is Charlie Strong's football Cardinals and their wild ride to this point: when on this very day in the A.M., they compete for the Big East Title. This has been no perfect team this year. The offense at times was dismal, special teams incoherent, the secondary a black hole of coverage. But dammit, these Cards found a way. On the strength of the rapid maturation of Strong's first two recruiting classes and the contributions of a few skilled upperclassmen who decided that this would be their year (rebuilding be damned), the Cards have recovered from a 2-4 start to win 4 of their last 5. It's been a special season. It becomes incredible if they win today, in a place where the program has never won before.
Here's how they do it: expect for the first time this season, and quite symbolic of the growth taken place, that the offense will bail out the defense. Everyone understands that the running game has to be there for the offense to function, and this week I anticipate that Victor Anderson will emerge from the stable to bring thunder to the ground in his last regular season performance. That being said, I see the Cards falling behind early in this one, forcing Strong and Shawn Watson to abandon running up the gut on First and 10 and putting the ball in the air. As I said, the defense will stumble early, and despite another round of standout days from Dexter Heyman and William Savoy, who will each record sacks, South Florida will light up the scoreboard early and walk into halftime with the lead, 14-0. Another disaster in Raymond James Stadium will look in the making.
Not to be. It will take a sizable effort from our offensive unit to pull off the comeback, but they will do it, led by the cocksure composure of our freshman quarterback, playing this one in front of family and friends. Teddy Bridgewater will toss and run for two 2nd half touchdowns, more than offseting a costly interception earlier in the game. Victor Anderson will get us the other two touchdowns. And senior kicker Chris Philpott, who is 9 of 13 on field goals this season, will be ready to win this one for us in the game's final minute. I call it for Louisville, 31-28, on a mid-afternoon when the Cards finally secure that elusive win in Tampa, and roll the dice one last time on the chance to go bowling for oranges. Player of the Game: Teddy Bridgewater.
Dark meat. Extra stuffing, small mashed potatoes. Skip cranberry anything. Seconds. Skip the pie. Shot of moonshine with father-in-law.
That's my new routine, and I couldn't be happier about it. And it's about to go down in just a few hours so I better keep this brief.
My advice to you is to sleep off that food coma, cause the Cardinals have an early one tomorrow and the stakes couldn't be higher. A win gives the Cards a share of the Big East title and a very real possibility of an Orange Bowl bid. Unbelievable on both counts. It's been a special season.
B.J. Daniels or no B.J. Daniels, this one is going to be a battle. South Florida will be scrapping and clawing for bowl eligibility, leaving everything on the field. And as we all know, road games at USF has been a house of horrors for the Cards over the years.
I expect a nip and tuck game for most of the first half. I think Bridgewater will struggle early on, perhaps trying to do too much and forcing throws. Jeremy Wright will score our first TD. The defense will keep us in the game, and we go into the locker room down 10-7.
But in the second half the Cardinal offense gets its groove back. Devante Parker and Josh Chichester will both have big games receiving, and I think Bridgewater will use his legs to rush for another TD. The Cards take the lead, and the Bulls backup QB is taken out of his comfort zone and forced into mistakes. An interception that sets up a Cardinal TD will seal the deal.
Final score? 24-13 Cards. Player of the game? Jeremy Wright.
Late news today that Rakeem Buckles has been cleared to practice by the UofL med staff on a "limited" basis. No need to rush this, but you can't blame Card nation for chomping at the bit. When he's healthy, Buckles is a huge impact player, and his re-arrival will be a shot of adrenaline for this squad.
-A good friend of Cardinal Laws, Lindsay S., is on the Advisory Board for Boy's and Girl's Haven here in Louisville. They are currently looking for volunteers to help provide a better Christmas for kids that may not otherwise enjoy one. I "adopted" my kid last week. If you choose to help, you'll get a wish list from your kid and a short letter describing how the program works. The gifts are due by December 9th so they have time to wrap everything (you don't even have to wrap them! How great can this get?) The contact info is to the right; I've also provided the link to Boy's and Girl's Haven below, in case you want to learn more about a great organization.
-I went to BW3's after the game last night and got to meet Andre McGee. Nice guy, and freakin' hilarious. After a friend of mine invited him over for Thanksgiving dinner, he mentioned that the team will have two practices Thursday. Now I feel even worse about what I'm going to do to my body tomorrow.
-Upset special for the evening: Georgetown over Memphis. G-Town will slow them down. If I were a betting man, I'd take the under.
-If you intend to serve King's Hawaiian rolls on Thanksgiving, DO NOT SET THEM OUT IN PLAIN SIGHT THE DAY BEFORE. They will all be eaten.
-From Lachlan McLean's Twitter (@st84)::"amazing tidbit from @RJinVegas & http://pregame.com: last 5 NFL seasons, favorites have covered 589 times, underdogs 589 times (27 push)." Yet I still go to Vegas.
We all saw the game, and it is what it is: A 54-27 win that looked as if Strong and Watson put together tonight's game plan.
Based on the conversations I overheard when leaving the arena, some folks seemed to be in crisis mode. There's no doubt it was an ugly game; more than once I caught myself daydreaming about bringing down the halftime blimp with a blow gun.
Regardless, I'm taking the long view: Half our team is limping around/ineligible. Bullet looked pretty good. Gorgui looked aggressive without fouling out halfway through the game. Our seniors are starting to play like, well, seniors. Oh, and we held a team to 27 points. I don't care who you are; that's impressive.
I'm not one to apply the transitive property when ranking teams very often, but this Friday's opponent, Ohio University, beat Arkansas State 69-54 just a few nights ago, and won in OT 85-78 against Lamar on November 15th. I'm interested to see if Pitino tries to dictate an up-tempo game or slow the Bobcats down.
As Mr. Red mentioned, a win is a win. As long as our guys are learning and healing, I can deal with some disappointment now if we're well-prepared in March. Except against Memphis. We gotta destroy those guys.
With each passing day, it looks increasing likely that USF quarterback B.J. Daniels will be unable to play Friday in the all-important, so much at stake we dare not speak its name, game on Friday. He's suffering from what Skip Holtz called an "AC joint bruise" in his throwing shoulder. While you never root for injury, I can't say Daniels injury won't be a welcome boost to the Cardinals. Daniels has had a lot of success against Louisville in the past. And he reminds me a lot of West Virginia QB Geno Smith who tormented our secondary earlier this season.
If B.J. Daniels can't go, the Bulls will turn to sophomore, former walk-on, Bobby Eveld. Eveld struggled mightily in the 6-3 loss to Miami last week (the Ark. State of football games) throwing for only 36 yards on 9 pass attempts.
He's played in six games in his college career with one start. His best game to date was his start against UConn last season where he completed 22 passes for 195 yards and a TD pass. He won't be completely overwhelmed, he has seen action against the likes of Florida and West Virginia in the past. But still, if Eveld trots out there to take the opening snaps, Louisville's chances for tasting oranges improves dramatically.
How you reacted to Louisville's plodding 54-27 victory over the Arkansas State Red Wolves probably says a lot about you as a person, let alone a fan.
If the first thing you mention is the Cardinals wonderful defense that held the Red Wolves to historic lows in point output, then you are certainly the cockeyed optimist with a cheery disposition the borders on pathological. More power to you.
But if you're like me, you're probably in the majority that found last night's win almost unwatchable, and perhaps a tad worrisome. You could chalk it up to playing down to the level of the opponent. That may account for some of our offensive struggles, but through four games the Cards have displayed some awfully poor shooting from the field. Unless we find our shooting touch, the Cards won't remain lossless much longer. Other thoughts...
* There were some bright spots in there. Chris Smith dished seven assists, which was impressive. I thought Bullet played pretty well in Peyton Siva's absence. The offense struggled, obviously, but I don't think it was because of Justice who played with poise. He also dished the highlight of the game, the beautiful pick and roll slam to Gorgui.
* Speaking of Gorgui monster, has there been a Cardinal player more fun to watch in the past decade? I'm not saying he's the best player of the past decade, but just that it's more fun when he's in the game. Anything seems possible when Dieng's on the floor, both good and bad. His rejection swatted almost out to half court was bad assery on display.
* Pitino broke the bad news after the game that Siva likely will be out Friday night against Ohio as well. Now this is starting to get worrisome. As Pitino mentioned, when it's all said and done Peyton will have missed almost a month of practice time from this ankle sprain. And while you can't overstate Siva's importance to the team and the offense, it would also be disengenuous to forget that Peyton hadn't been playing particularly well before his injury. He needs the practice time and these early-season game reps; I'm not sure he's the kind of player that can turn it on and off like a light.
Other than that, it was a win. An ugly, hideous win, but a win nonetheless. The Cards are 4-0 and are yet to have been really tested or threatened this season. We're still the #7 team in the land. Soon, hopefully, the chemistry will start to percolate and the Cards will start playing like it.
No Cardinal should feel comfortable until Peyton Siva returns to the lineup happy and healthy. So while I'm not exactly nervous about tonight's matchup against Arkansas State, I'm not feeling jolly either. Watch the way the Cards handle Ark. State's Trey Finn to be the key.
Finn's got some game. He averaged almost 9-6 last season, but mostly hangs his hat on his defensive prowess. He's a "stopper" and will certainly be put on either Kuric or Chris Smith. How the Cards offense can handle a quality defender against its top scoring options will be telling. If it goes badly, tomorrow's post re: Finn will be based around words more closely rhymed with "Huck".
First of all, I would like to thank Marc Antony for the gracious introduction. I was unaware that he was the UofL fanatic behind the moniker Mr. Red, but I suppose after one finalizes his divorce from J-Lo he can pursue the finer things in life.
First, the obligatory info: I’m from the mean streets of Hikes Point, and I’ve bled Cardinal red since day one. Rumor has it I once was once dressed in a satin UK jacket as a small child; I promptly vomited on myself.
After thoroughly dominating grades K-12, I chose to follow my idol DeJuan Wheat to the University of Louisville. I completed my degree in Finance & Economics, and now spend much of my time doing math in a large building downtown in exchange for money. Although my athletic career peaked in the Intramural A-Team Fraternity league, my love of UofL sports continues. I have season tickets to UofL football, and make it to basketball, soccer and baseball games as often as my schedule allows.
I’ve been following Cardinal Laws since its infancy, and I’m deeply honored to join the crew. There are no prerequisites for my posts, but it will help if you’ve previously studied rap music and 90’s pop culture.
My early goals on this site, in increasing level of difficulty:
-Elicit a negative response to a post -Write a post about one game using nothing but Seinfeld quotes -Plug Steak n Shake so much they have no choice but to give us free Frisco Melts -Elicit a positive response to a post -Get DeJuan Wheat’s jersey retired
I also look forward to interacting with Cardinal Laws’ fervent fans, and hopefully generating some great conversations. In the end, if I have played my part well, clap your hands, and dismiss me with applause from the stage.
See, I knew he wasn’t talking about J-Lo’s husband.
Out of a sense of journalistic integrity I must inform you, dear readers, that the evidence of the Yeti, or Sasquatch, that I heralded so proudly last month has proven to be a hoax. Scientists believe that local residents planted fake evidence to drum up publicity and tourism.
Or, or, the real Yeti planted fake poop and hair samples in order to throw the scientists off his trail. Either way, definitive proof of the Siberian Bigfoot will have to be unveiled on another day.
On the bright side, today is the day we will unveil our new contributor. Stay tuned.
Mr. Black and I are thrilled to announce a new addition to our writing staff.
Today is the dawn of a new age at Cardinal Laws, one including the voice and vision of Mr. CliffySmalls who is to be the young Octavian of this Triumvirate if you will (I'm Marc Antony because of my personal decadence, and Mr. Black is Lepidus cause no one really knows what he does all day).
Anywho, we're happy to have him. It's new and exciting times around the Cardinal Laws villa. Tune in extra early and extra often (and of course, vote for me).
Well, when I'm right I'm right. Even though I was completely wrong about the final score, I was still accurate in that Adrian Bushell would be the player of the game. It's tough to get a read on Bushell, since he's sat out twice this season for undisclosed "Charlie discipline" reasons, but when he's on the field he makes his impact felt that's for sure; he may be the Cards most NFL-draftable player right now. Bushell took home "Special Teams Player of the Week" honors from the Big East for the second time.
Dexter Heyman, on the other hand, is a known commodity and delivered another rock solid performance, the kind we've come to expect/been spoiled with. Heyman was also named "Defensive Player of the Week" for the second time.
In case you were as confused as I was, here are the rules regarding tie-breakers to determine the Big East conference champion and eventual BCS representative in the event of a two-way, three-way or four-way tie:
1. The top two teams in the final BCS standings will play in the National Championship Game.
2. The champions of the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and Southeastern conferences will have automatic berths in one of the participating bowls each year through the 2013 regular season.
3. The champion of Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, or the Western Athletic Conference will earn an automatic berth in a BCS game if either: A. Such team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS Standings, or, B. Such team is ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS Standings and its ranking in the final BCS Standings is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the BCS bowls.
4. Notre Dame will automatically qualify for a BCS bowl if it is in the top eight of the final BCS Standings.
5. If any of the 10 slots remain open after application of provisions 1 through 4, and an at-large team from a conference with an annual automatic berth for its champion is ranked No. 3 in the final BCS Standings, that team shall become an automatic qualifier.
6. If any of the 10 slots remain open after application of provisions 1 through 5, and if Step No. 5 has not been applied and an at-large team from a conference with an annual automatic berth for its champion is ranked No. 4 in the final BCS Standings, that team shall become an automatic qualifier, provided that no at-large team from the same conference qualifies for the National Championship Game.
7. If any slots remain unfilled after the placement of all teams qualifying for an automatic berth, then the bowls shall choose their participants from the ?pool of eligible teams? (see below.)
Got it? No? Yeah, me neither. Thankfully, a few numbers-savvy bloggers over at Card Chronicle have war-gamed all the BCSscenarios for us. It's worth checking out, or at least read as far as you can before your head starts to hurt.
Meanwhile, here are the rules of selection for the other Big East-affiliated bowl games:
In addition to the Bowl Championship Series, the BIG EAST Conference also has agreements with a number of other postseason bowl games. The conference's new lineup, which began in the 2010 season, has the BIG EAST paired against three of the other five automatic-qualifying Bowl Championship Series conferences in the postseason, giving the BIG EAST its strongest bowl partnerships in its history.
The BIG EAST announced a four-year agreement with Florida Citrus Sports and the Champs Sports Bowl to send a team to the Orlando, Fla., game beginning in the 2010 season.
The Champs Sports Bowl will have the first selection from the BIG EAST after the league's BCS representative has been determined. The BIG EAST's opponent in the Champs Sports Bowl will be from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Champs Sports Bowl will have the opportunity to select Notre Dame, in place of a BIG EAST team, once during the four-year agreement.
The BIG EAST has extended its agreement with the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, N.C., through the 2013 season as well. The Belk Bowl (previously known as the Meineke Car Care Bowl) will have the BIG EAST's third selection, after the BCS and Champs Sports Bowl.
The BIG EAST has been aligned with the Belk Bowl since the inception of the game in 2002. The game has averaged more than 62,000 fans and was named one of the five best startups in sports in the previous five years by Sports Business Journal.
The 2010 season featured the introduction of a new bowl game in New York City when the BIG EAST participated in the first New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The New Era Pinstripe Bowl pits the fourth overall selection from the BIG EAST against a team from the Big 12 Conference. In the event that the Big 12 is unable to supply a team for the game, Notre Dame could step in as the opponent of the BIG EAST's representative.
The BIG EAST completed its bowl lineup in April 2010 by renewing deals with the BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham, Ala., and the Beef '0' Brady's Bowl in St. Petersburg, Fla. The conference also announced a new agreement with the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn. The BIG EAST will send teams to two of those three games in each of the 2010-13 seasons.
The BBVA Compass Bowl pairs a BIG EAST team against an opponent from the Southeastern Conference at Legion Field in Birmingham. BIG EAST teams are a combined 5-0 in the BBVA Compass Bowl.
If a BIG EAST team is chosen for the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, the conference's representative would face either the Conference USA champion or an opponent from the Southeastern Conference.
The Beef '0' Brady's Bowl will be played for the fourth time in 2011 with the BIG EAST scoring wins in each of the first three games. The BIG EAST will face Conference USA at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.
And the schedule of affiliated bowls:
2011 BIG EAST Bowl Lineup (In Selection Order)
BCS Bowl - BIG EAST Champion
TBD
Champs Sports Bowl - BIG EAST vs. ACC
Dec. 29, 2011 - ESPN
Belk Bowl - BIG EAST vs. ACC
Dec. 27, 2011 - ESPN
New Era Pinstripe Bowl - BIG EAST vs. Big 12
Dec. 30, 2011 - ESPN
BBVA Compass Bowl/AutoZone Liberty Bowl - BIG EAST vs. SEC or Conference USA
BBVA Compass Bowl - Jan. 7, 2012 - ESPN
AutoZone Liberty Bowl - Dec. 31, 2011 - ESPN
Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl - BIG EAST vs. Conference USA
Dec. 20, 2011 - ESPN
As he still rehabs his ankle sprain. Pitino said he believes Peyton may be ready to go by Friday against Ohio. Also, Rakeem Buckles will be evaluated tomorrow and perhaps practice as soon as Thursday.
Trainer Fred Hina could be the most important man in the city right now.
A pillar of the Louisville commnity passed away yesterday. Lenny Lyles, one of the first African American players for the Louisville Cardinals football team died at the age of 75. He leaves a tremendous legacy in every way imaginable.
Charlie Springer shares his thoughts on Lyles' passing here.
Sorry old-timers, for me the Big East conference didn't really come of age until July 1st, 2005, the date the Louisville Cardinals officially joined the party. So those hoping to find the expected names like Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullen, or Ray Allen forget about it. If I can't "grandfather clause" in stories about Louisville legends like Wes Unseld and Darrell Griffith, then I'm not interested in waxing philosophic over Ed Pinckney. Sorry, I stand by my principles even if it costs me this entire contest (joking judges...joking. You say the word and I'll edit the hell out of this thing).
My "All-time" Big East squad, therefore, will be restricted to the last six topsy-turvy, ubercompetitive, brawling Big East seasons that did include my beloved Cardinals. And still, whittling and narrowing even this small sample size has proven difficult. The Big East has been experiencing a golden age of basketball it turns out, one defined by depth, double digit tournament bids, and excessive fawning by analysts that has earned us the ire of every other conference in the land.
My criteria for this list was pretty simple. Stats and record books serve their purposes, but nothing can trump the instinctive hatred and fear that certain opponents strike in your heart. And that's what the non-Cardinals on this list did to me in their own unique way. As the Mr. October Reggie Jackson said of his detractors, "They don't boo nobodies". And though these names may be newbies in the great tome of Big East history, they certainly weren't nobodies; I'd put this roster up against any. Without further ado, my "All-time/Cardinal-time" Big East basketball team...
POINT GUARD: Johnny William Flynn. (Syracuse 07-09)
No player epitomizes the Big East like Johnny Flynn. Johnny averaged better than 17 points and 7 assists per game in 2009 when he was the unquestioned leader of the Orange. He also starred in the greatest Big East game ever played, the epic 6 overtime affair against UConn in Madison Square Gardens in 2009. He didn't have the quickest first step like Kemba Walker, but he had more than enough juice to get to any spot he wanted to on the court and also flashed a 40'' vertical. He was the kind of rare leader with unmatched poise and a thousand watt smile and is certainly the player to lead this group of stars.
SHOOTING GUARD: Quincy Douby. (Rutgers 03-06).
Also would have made the "All Names" team had that been the challenge. Quincy Douby was one of the lone bright spots of Rutgers basketball in the past decade and one of the best pure scorers in the Big East over the same time period. Because he languished on the Scarlet Knights, perhaps he's been forgotten a tad, but in my mind, this only added to his legacy. Douby was the Rutgers offense for three seasons, everyone schemed for him defensively, yet no one could stop him from putting the ball in the hole. His final junior year he averaged better than 25 points per game while shooting 46.2% from the field. The 175lbs Douby also chipped in 4.3 rebounds per game and played a rugged defensive style befitting his hometown of Brooklyn.
Don't sleep on Douby.
SMALL FORWARD: Terrence Deshon Williams. (Louisville 05-09)
The only thing more famous than Terrence Williams freakish athleticism during his Louisville career was his quirky, offbeat personality; Williams was truly a unique character and a once in a generation athlete. Though he frustrated UofL fans at times, it was mostly because he never could quite perfect his jump shot (though he still shot 43% his senior year) and at the time it seemed like the only thing keeping him from being a completely dominant player. One thing that no one questioned, however, was his ability to dunk a basketball. T-Will got to the rim with as much style and panache as any player I've ever seen; to witness one live was truly something to behold.
Williams was a physical specimen at 6'6'', 220lbs of muscle and a quick first step; he's exactly what I'm looking for as the wing player on this team. He was also a tremendous rebounder and underrated defender.
POWER FORWARD: DeJuan Lamont Blair. (Pitt 07-09)
Is there a position more paramount in the Big East than the power forward? Your team may have a lot going for it, but if your roster lacks a physical presence with a mean glare, the kind you wouldn't want to run into in a dark alley, then you're going to be a little nervous heading into conference play. And in that regard, there's no one you'd want to go to battle with in the trenches more than DeJuan Blair.
There's not a whole lot to elaborate on. He averaged better than 12 rebounds a game in his final season, what more do you need? He also scored pretty well too, averaging 15 ppg and 60% from the field. What didn't show up on the stat sheet, however, was his relentless physicality that was in the back of the minds of his opponent every time they faced off.
CENTER: Hasheem Thabeet (UConn 06-09)
When you've got a bull like DeJuan Blair bullying people off the block and forcing them into some awkward shots, you dream of a freakishly long monster to swoop in and smack whatever garbage is put up. You dream of Hasheem Thabeet.
The 7'3'' Thabeet was a terror to penetrating guards all over the Big East in his three seasons at UConn. He averaged over 4 blocks a game throughout his career and probably altered three times as many shots. He also cleaned up whatever fell around the basket, logging over 10 boards a game and averaging over 13 points, most off tip-ins and dunks. Thabeet was no gangly twig either; he's 270lbs and remarkably athletic for his size; durable enough to withstand life in the post in the Big East.
Thabeet also played with a mean streak/swagger than I absolutely hated as a Cardinal fan, and as I said above, that's really the sincerest form of flattery an opponent can offer.
6TH MAN: Luke Harangody. (Notre Dame 06-09)
I can't imagine why in the world an offense composed of the five players above would ever struggle. But if it did, I'd look no further down my bench than Luke Harangody of Notre Dame, who absolutely killed teams with his unconventional array of offensive moves throughout his career. Whether he was dipping, dunking, using pump fakes, baby hooks, or his surprisingly sweet jump shot, Harangody was a nightmare to defend. He averaged over 19 points a game over his four-year career and was extremely efficient from the field.
As a Cardinal die-hard, this video is tough to watch
COACH: Rick Pitino.
Homer pick you say? Perhaps. But no coach gets as much from a roster as Coach P. At this stage of his career Pitino wears the map of the world on his face. He can handle egos (even his own) he emphasizes defense above all else (the true key to Big East success) and best of all, there are no freshman on this team. Freshman make Pitino angry.
There are other worthy names, of course, but not voting for Pitino here seems as wrong as cheating on your wife of 30 years. Wait, bad example.
HONORABLE MENTIONS/BENCH:
Steve Novak. Fans of Big East teams might not be familiar with Marquette's Novak since he played in the Big East only one season. Trust me, as a Cards fan, you didn't want to know Steve Novak.
Kemba Walker. Maybe the most talented player on this list.
Scottie Reynolds. The ultimate college warrior.
Joe Alexander. Fluent in Mandarin. That's pretty cool.
Roy Hibbert. Thabeet-lite.
So there you have it. The greatest assemblage of Big East talent in the Common Cardinal Era (C.C.E.). Now that I've honored them, I can now go back to loathing them in separate ways. Except for T-Will of course. I mean, you really should have seen this one dunk against Marquette. It was sweeeeeeet.
Let's do this Cardinals. I need your support. Go to this site HERE and place your vote for Mr. Red as this year's Biggest Fan of the Big East. Vote early, vote often. You can show your support every day.
Wow Red, you're not kidding. "You have seen UConn lose to better teams before..." Listening to this guy, I would have known that UConn got beat yesterday by the JV squad from Louisville Technical College for the Ungifted.
"Louisville a better team? No, UConn was awfully giving in this one." Now that's classy.
No mention of course of Andrell Smith's highlight reel catch, which the Louisville media agreed was the momentum changer of the game, rather than the various "wonderful opportunities handed to [the Cards]" that this writer cites. One of those "opportunities" apparently was Adrian Bushell's kickoff return (nice call on player of the game honors Red)... I don't doubt that UConn's coverage faltered, but Adrian made some pretty nifty moves to avoid the tackle before reaching the end zone. Guess it's hard to believe that type of athleticism exists outside the mighty Northeast region.
Another opportunity that the writer cites was the "freak play" at the end when the Cards tacked on another touchdown. Now come on... At that point Louisville was in control and it was desperation time for UConn, which had to move 60 yards in less than 11 seconds to score a touchdown. So I would hardly qualify that as a game-changer.
I like the self-absorbed nugget in particular, where this guy professes shock, shock!, that UConn did not play well despite how much was at stake for the Huskies (and by implication no one else): "win its last three and, with some help, return to the BCS." As if the same couldn't be said about us and four other teams. Just UConn baby. "Hey, when did you get here? Oh, you've been here all night? Oh, you've been standing next to me this entire time?"
And not that we're completely innocent of this sort of thing, but it's A STRETCH to say that 34,000 were at that game. You could have parked an aircraft carrier in some of those sections. If Connecticut football is as prestigious as this writer seems to think, one would have thought more fans would have turned out to watch the defending conference champions play, even against a team of such incomparable worth, given the importance of the game.
You know buddy, we've beat better teams than this before.
No respect, Red. Fine... at least we have a news clipping to save for next year.
It's not that I feel the need for opponents to bow down in worship after a loss to the Cards, but geez, a little sportsmanship is always nice. This article in the Hartford Courant makes it clear that the better team did not win yesterday.
Recall that Louisville was actually favored to win this road game, and nearly doubled the Huskies in time of possession; it's not like we won on a last second play with the Stanford band on the field. I know the "East Coast media" stereotype is largely a trope, but occassionaly the insularity of some of these schools really is staggering.
