Yea, I don't think he's going anywhere for awhile

Photo of Charlie Strong snapped a second after Peyton Siva's game-winning layup (h/t Preston Brown).

Cards grind their way home; top Vandy 62-60 OT

I've never seen a Pitino-led team struggle to put the ball in the hole this much. At times it's painful to watch, and looks nothing like the fluid barrage of threes and dunks that are the hallmarks of Rick Pitino's offense. It's almost unrecognizable. But then you see the team dig deep, you see the will to win take over, you see the scrapping and clawing on defense and then it becomes clear. Yep, same old Cardinals.

Louisville had no business winning this game. The defense failed in its primary task of slowing John Jenkins, Vandy's sensational scorer. But they kept forcing turnovers. Kyle Kuric had undoubtedly the worst game of his career. But then he rose from that impossible place deep in the corner. Chane Behanan failed to deliver the game winning layup in regulation and should have crumbled like a freshman. But then he remembered he's a little more country than that, shook it off, and delivered in clutch fashion in OT. Peyton Siva is going through some serious pains with his perimeter game, perhaps the worst of his career. But then he remembered what he does best and did it when it mattered the most.

They had no business winning the game. Hustle and will, however, can cover a wide variety of sins in college basketball. Maybe it's true that Rick Pitino has lost a step. His gameplan last night was mightily flawed, and the fact that Tim Henderson was playing crunchtime minutes served as a reminder of his recruiting failures in the recent past. But Pitino gets his teams to play tough; he gets them to buy in and believe.

The Cardinals are struggling in many areas. They're grinding. But they are grinding hard.

Other thoughts...

* Oh Russ Smith. What can you say, really? He's quickly becoming the most polarizing figure on the team. I still don't know what to make of him. His first step is beyond quick, faster then anyone I've seen including Peyton Siva. That foul though. When he fouled out of the game he looked like me was trying to get called, he was playing ludicrously aggressive defense on Vandy's best free throw shooter. I think Russ Smith can get better, but he's got a screw loose somewhere that I'm not sure is fixable.

* Chane Behanan, welcome to the warm embrace to the bosom of Cardinal Nation. Chane came up big throughout the game last night, I loved his confidence and his clear desire to make an impact. I felt terrible for him after blowing the would-be game winner; he crumbled to the floor and even admitted after the game that he felt like crying when he got to the sideline.

Could have fooled me. Because he came into the OT with a fierce intensity, a look on his face that he was determined to make up for his mistake. And did he ever. He came up large in the extra period, even knocking down two clutch free throws which is not in his wheelhouse. Instant fan favorite.

* Gorgui needs to start exploding to the basket and dunking the ball. So many times he'll get the ball in good position but will hesitate for a moment, the defender will set in, and then Dieng will make a move and try to place the ball in the hole. It reminds me of a QB that is overly guiding his throws rather than just cutting it loose fluidly. Until he works that out, he can start by just going up immediately and strongly to dunk the ball. Samardo got labeled with the dreaded "below the rim player" mark of death. Gorgui isn't that at all, he's an explosive athlete. It just looks like he's thinking too much when he gets the ball in his hands.

* Why isn't Peyton Siva driving full bore to the basket to either lay it in or create the basis of our entire offense? Our halfcourt can spin hideously out of control for 39 minutes but when there's like 16 seconds left and Siva is calmly dribbling at the top of the key, it's like, "Don't worry, he's got this".

* Not a strong performance from Kyle Kuric by any stretch. I've never seen him struggle that much. But all is forgiven and forgotten after that clutch 3. I have no idea how that shot doesn't hit the side of the backboard, let alone go in.

* What an atmosphere at the Kayefseum. Never bet against the Cards when they're at home and the fans have 4+ hours of downtown carousing to prepare. New rule.

* For whatever reason, that felt like the second, unofficial beginning to the season. It just got real.

Strong rumors and a Vandy prediction

Am I nervous? Sure. It's part of the game. At least part of it when Louisville football is experiencing success. Charlie Strong's name has already popped up and been thrown around by schools like Texas AM, Penn State, Ole Miss and Illinois as a target for those in the market for a dynamic coach with championship pedigree and a track record for quick turnarounds. And I promise you this, no one knows. Probably not even Charlie Strong has sat down and figured out precisely what he wants from a career trajectory standpoint. I do think the fact that UofL appears to have a special leader in Teddy Bridgewater (and talented frosh all over the field) belies (eh? ehh?) the idea that he's ready to take on his next challenge. It's just too hard to get the kind of momentum, the train moving if you will, to leave until this object comes to rest.

But truly, no one knows just how long Charlie will stalk the Louisville sideline or even if he's the kind of man that would relish the challenge of rebuilding a Penn State, the proud but tortured program that can still fill a 108,000 stadium in the blink of an eye. Or if he's the kind of man that wants to build his own program, who strives to create the next perennial power from his own will. No one knows. Am I nervous? You bet. But am I thrilled that I'm nervous? You bet.

Switching to basketball, when tipoff in the biggest game of the new season is 4 hours and 45 away, but happy hour is only 45 minutes away, the more I think about it the more I think this game will be decided in the post. Vandy's guards arguably outclass ours, but it's mostly a wash. Someone in the Gorgui/Chane/Swop trio needs a big performance.

For this one I expect it to be Swop, who is playing with great confidence right now and has a versatility to his game that the Commodores cannot match. I like Swop to lead the way in scoring with 16 points while chipping in 7 boards and I'm calling this one 66-58 Cards.

Three other things.

* I really want to see something encouraging from Siva tonight. He's the man, he's gotta be. But he's struggled with injuries and inconsistency thus far. A 2:1 assist to turnover ratio would be a good place to start. 3:1 would be a great place.

* Double digit turnovers. The only fear with Pitino's defensive style is that it works wonders against the weaker teams, but the more talented are able to handle the pressure fairly easily. Vandy is something in-between in that regard. They're a talented team but one that struggles with pressure. Multiple turnovers tonight would be a positive sign that our early defensive prowess is not a mirage.

* Aggressive Kyle. Chris Smith picked up the scoring slack from the perimeter last game. Tonight he'll be tied up with the toughest defensive assignment, so Kuric needs to show aggression. No more 6 shot attempts bullshit; King Kyle needs to assert himself.

Alright, that's all I've got for this one. Enjoy it, it's gonna be a great atmosphere on the town tonight. Full recap tomorrow, when we also put all our hopes and dreams into UConn football. Lord, I need a drink already.

Did Mr. Red interview DeJuan Wheat?!?

Oh you better believe it. In addition to repping in the Biggest Fan of the Big East challenge, I'm also contributing to the "The Paper", Louisville's coolest and fastest growing alternative-publication. You definitely want to check out my first piece, an interview with DeJuan Shontez Wheat. We tackled all topics ranging from his current activities and charitable work to Beau Zach Smith.

You can pick it up at any of these fine locations or just click here. This one was definitely a red-letter day in Mr. Red's little red book of Cardinal red awesomeness. Give it a read. Go Cards.

Remembering Howard

Lots of Schnellenberger stories being told this week as the coaching legend heads into retirement. Here's Mr. Black's recollection of the Schnellenberger Era, first posted way back in 2009, and one of the first for our brand new website...

I love Howard Schnellenberger. I love him because my father and his tailgating friends revere him. I was a kid when he was here so I have few direct memories, though I do recall looking through Dad's binoculars and seeing the man with the white mustache, the tie and blazer and the trademark pipe, pacing the AstroTurf sidelines at Old Cardinal Stadium. But I know Schnellenberger from the stories and anecdotes and imitations of his baritone voice -- how he addressed every player by number rather than name ("get in theeerrreee, forty-threee, and show 'em what you're maaade ooof"), how he threw the football downfield every play after an opponent's turnover because "that's how you kick a dooog when he's dooown," how he never wavered, but repeated his declaration over and over (and over) that "We are on a collision course with the national championship. The only variable is time."

Why bring this up now? It's a new football season and the home opener is this Saturday, which means that the Schnellenberger stories will be in full flourish. Stories about Howard -- and every football fan from those years has them -- are one of the ingredients that gives Louisville tailgating its distinctive flavor. I love hearing them, partly because the gruff Howard impersonations are so funny, partly because they connect me to an era when everything surrounding the football program and its head coach was unprecedented, foolishly optimistic, possible.

My favorite Howard Tale is known as the Rolling Stones story, originally attributed to former U of L linebacker and DeSales high school grad Mark Sanders. The story goes: some time in the '80s, football practice at Old Cardinal Stadium started late because the Rolling Stones were in town and tuning up for a concert that night. Schnellenberger, predictably enough, was upset that things weren't running on schedule. He confronted the first person of the Stones' entourage he could find. "Hey Theeerrreee, Hippie Boooyyy," Howard thundered at Mick Jagger while jabbing him with his finger, "Get Off My Damn Foootbaaall Fieeeld!" Jagger was left speechless, and Schnellenberger returned to his players and assistant coaches, probably ready to call security, never realizing he had assaulted a rock icon. Not that he would have given a damn had he been so informed.

Full post here.

Rock to hold the 5 down, Chris Smith lookin' to shutdown, Cards fans gonna party up downtown

Rick Pitino had a fairly routine press conference this afternoon. In it he indicated that Rakeem Buckles will likely be back by the time the Cards tip off against IUPUI on December 7th. He also revealed that Buckles will be used to backup Gorgui Dieng at the center position. It's a little surprising to hear about heretofore true power forward, but I suppose that's what happens when you have a blue chipper like Chane Behanan playing and practicing at your position.

Either way, Buckles will certainly add a versatility to the Louisville post, and imagining the different lineup scenarios is pretty exciting; can't wait to see him back in action.

Chris Smith answered questions after coach, and said he will be given the assignment of matching up against Vandy's 6'4'' guard, John Jenkins, averaging over 20 points a game. A daunting task, but also an opportunity that Smith said he's relishing, the chance to showcase his abilities in front of the numerous NBA scouts expected to be in attendance. I love the moxie from Smith, and feel this is perhaps the perfect matchup for him the game after he came through big time on the offensive end. Anything that pushes Smith towards accepting his leadership role is a good thing.

And finally, ticket or no ticket, I suggest heading downtown tomorrow night for what will certainly be an electric atmosphere. A Friday night game, a ranked opponent, many fans not going home at all after work and hitting the town at 5:00, the lights of ESPN, and the unquenchable thirst of the UofL faithful will make this a night to remember. Sure glad we didn't build the damn thing at the Fairgrounds; these city planners really were on to something, after all.

Daily UConn-Cinci check-in

UConn continues its aggravatingly soft-spoken approach to the final game of the season. Coach Paul Pasqualoni gave some extended thoughts on Huskie football, and sounded more like a man reflecting upon the season than one preparing a balls-to-the-wall effort to reach bowl eligibility. But the link is worth a click just for the awesome graphic the Courant has that provides all the roster info for both teams, starters and backups, in a readable, user-friendly way. Pretty slick.

The sports headline for the Cinci Enquirer, an article titled "Can UC Be More than a Stepping Stone for Football Coach?" belies* supports the notion that the Bearcats might be a little distracted this week. Unfortunately the second article talks about how Saturday is Senior Day for UC when 21 seniors will be honored and how they are thrilled to be back playing at Nippert Stadium after a 71 day absence. Nauseating.

* Damn. It's one thing to misuse a word. It's another to realize the word means the exact opposite of what you thought it meant. My apologies. Where's Tom Heiser when you need him?

So for the record...

be·lie

1.

to show to be false; contradict: His trembling hands belied his calm voice.

2.

to misrepresent: The newspaper belied the facts.

3.

to act unworthily according to the standards of (a tradition, one's ancestry, one's faith, etc.).

Synonyms 1. refute, disprove, controvert, repudiate, confute, gainsay.

Antonyms 1. prove, verify, support.

Necessity is the mother of invention

Better late than never, but it's still a postive sign to read the article in today's CJ about how Rick Pitino is modifying his practices to avoid injuries. Granted, the move is largely just about arithmetic; the Cards can't suffer this rate of attrition without fielding a "Hoosiers"-like lineup of four players by Christmas.

But still, it's tough to teach an old coach new tricks, so in that respect, I applaud Pitino for being able to adapt. It was an interesting read, largely because the players discussed how the practices aren't any less intense, just different. Gone is the typical full court press throughout practice, as is the typical "lay it all on the line" approach to playing full contact with reckless abandon.

I like this, and not just the thought of Siva and Justice wearing MMA headgrear in practice. I particularly like the emphasis it places on half-court efficiency. Full court pressure will always be the trademark of Pitino Ball, but I'd trade 2 or 3 turnovers a game for better half court execution. Unfortunately, Rick indicated the change of practice tactics is merely temporary, saying "I can't take injured players and run them hard. They've got to come along slowly."

But if the Cards keep winning, and keep getting healthier, I'd like to see this become the new status quo. I'm sure Rick Pitino will be gratified to have my input.

Bearcat nuggets

I'm trying to stay positive about our Orange Bowl prospects. I've been following the UConn beat searching for reasons for optimism, but after hearing their decrepit and listless coach talk about how this week is just like any other, reading today's Hartford Courant column that reveals hang ups with Randy Edsall, and viewing blogs that make it clear the fans have turned the page fully to basketball, there's not much heartening on the Huskie front.

But maybe I've been going about this the wrong way; maybe what I should be doing is looking for Bearcat flaws. And there are some. The talented Zach Collaros, of course, will miss the rest of the season with a broken leg. Cinci has resorted to a dual-QB system where starter Munchie Legeaux (for real) is replaced by Jordan Luallen for occasional drives.

Muchie is a 6'4'' sophomore from New Orleans. In his limited time this season he's completed less than 50% of his passes and has thrown 2 TDs and 2 INTs. Jordan Luallen, also an inexperienced sophomore, saw his first action against Syracuse and attempted only 3 passes, used as more of a rushing threat. The point is, even though Cinci handled the Orange easily, it's pretty early to declare the dual-QB system a success. UC will heavily on Isaiah Pead, their talented workhorse running back, but against UConn's rushing defense, one of the best in the Big East, the backup Bearcats could be forced into some precarious passes.

But perhaps more importantly, UC's Butch Jones's name has come up in the perpetual job opening rumor mill. UCLA and Illinois have reportedly shown interest. "Will he stay or will he go?" is already a hot topic in the Queen City. So while I wouldn't wish that on any program, and if the Big East is going to be a viable league in the future, retaining talented coaches like Charlie Strong and Butch Jones is paramount. But for this week, if it serves as a distraction, bring it on.

VillenHD presents: UofL-Long Beach State highlights

What's wrong with Vandy?

In a word, Festus. The Commodores have been laboring without their future NBA-bound center this season. 6'11'' Festus Ezeli was originally suspended for the first 6 games of the season for receiving improper benefits, and then strained some knee ligaments in practice and will be sidelined till Christmas-time.

So Vandy has struggled a tad dealing with Ezeli's absence. They dropped the season opener against Cleveland State and recently blew a 10-point second half lead and fell to Xavier in OT. Neither loss qualifies as the proverbial "bad loss" that will haunt them come March, but still not the start the preseason Top 10 Commodores were expecting.

I'm not shedding any tears for Vandy, what's important is how the Cards can exploit these weaknesses. And this nugget from Eamonn Brennan's article on the Commodores caught my eye...

Vanderbilt guard Brad Tinsley is a lot of things. An accurate shooter, for one. But as we saw last night, when opposing teams with athletic guards step up the defensive pressure, Tinsley struggles to get the Commodores into their offense.

If there's one thing Peyton Siva and Russ Smith can do, they can pester opposing guards. They cannot always do so without fouling, but that's a different issue. The Commodores are struggling to execute without a true point guard, and I think Pitino has to be licking his chops since the Cards focus 85% of their practice time on defense to stymie opposing point guards.

Quote of the Day, ughhh edition

That consequence is on the line every week. I don't think you muddy the water at all. I think you just focus on what you have to do. Everybody knows what the consequences are. I'm not going to bring it up. There's no reason to bring it up.

-UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni, on whether he will use bowl eligibility on the line as a motivating tactic for his team this week

Long Beach State recap

It wasn't a perfect game by any means. The 49ers outrebounded the Cardinals. Six turnovers is far too many for Peyton Siva. Louisville failed to deliver the knockout blow when it had a 55-40 lead.

But far and away, this was the most reassuring performance of the season. The Cards looked like the Pitino-led Cards again. They rained threes and pressed and pressured an experienced senior-laden opponent into 21 turnovers. They looked confident on the fast break and in the half court. Like Pitino said afterwards, they played at the up-tempo pace we're accustomed to before, understandably, running out of gas in the second half.

It really was a solid team win. Five players scored in double figures. Gorgui Dieng and Chane Behanan held down the post. Russ Smith provided a shot of adrenaline and filled in at point when Peyton Siva was plagued with foul trouble.

By and large, Louisville fans are a pretty basketball savvy bunch. We're not impressed by gaudy single-digit rankings. We're impressed by good basketball. And last night was impressive.

If the Cards can weather this early stretch, if they gain experience and chemistry before help arrives in a few weeks in the forms of Rakeem Buckles, Kevin Ware, and Wayne Blackshear then the sky is still the limit for this team.

Chris Smith comes of age

He's always been reliable. But this season, reliable isn't going to cut it. The Louisville Cardinals, desperate to replace the prolific scoring of Preston Knowles and suffering from a darkly comedic rash of injuries, needed senior guard Chris Smith to take on a larger role.

Last night he delivered and showed the kind of player he can be. Scoring 18 big points, 4-6 from behind the arc, while dishing 3 assists and snagging 3 steals, last night was Smith's best game as a Cardinal.

At least until Louisville regains a semblance of health, now is not the time for passivity for this team. It's an all hands on deck effort, and every player needs to step up and be unafraid to show what he can do. Chris Smith wowed last night, and we're gonna need him to do it again and again.

Cards sing in the rain; 79-66

In what was undoubtedly the best performance of the young season, the Louisville Cardinals defeated a quality Long Beach St. squad 79-66 tonight at the Kayefseum.

That's what we've been waiting to see. The Cards controlled from tipoff, suffered no long scoring droughts, and weathered some mighty foul trouble on the way to victory. This game felt like a Big East battle, and for the first time this year, Louisville played up to its ranking.

Lots of fine performances from this one. We'll recap them all tomorrow. Go Cards.

Monday's Quick Hits

-Congrats to UofL's men's soccer team for their 4-2 win yesterday over Maryland. The boys in red advanced to the Elite Eight for the second season in a row, and will host UCLA this Saturday at 7:00 P.M. at Cardinal Park. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for youths, students and senior citizens. I went last year and watched UofL defeat UCLA in the snow, and as a guy that used to make fun of soccer on the reg, I will attest that it's much more fun in person that it is on TV. Please come on out and show your support for what may be UofL's best team again this year.

-OK, so unless LSU puts only Honey Badger and Wing in the game, they should beat Georgia this weekend, which will set up a rematch between LSU and Alabama in the BCS Championship. I don't disagree that these are the two best teams, but this discredits the pro-BCS argument that every game counts. LSU already won at Bama. I've seen everything I need. If every game counts, why are they playing what is tantamount to a do-over? The Tigers are who we thought they were. Crown their ass.

-Having said that, I think you can put Oklahoma State on the field against either team and odds are 50/50 that OK St. will win. I can live without a playoff, and I concede that the BCS system has some positives. However, it's also absurd that neither Oklahoma State nor Houston (any undefeated team should have a shot, no matter what the odds) aren't playing for the same title. Give me a +1 and I'll shut up.

-UofL plays Long Beach State tonight in basketball. If this game was being played in January, I'd say UofL by 12. However, I think we're still a bit rusty, and unless Siva's game is back to top shape, we're going to have some problems. Long Beach State returns all five starters, including four seniors. Siva and Gorgui/Behanan will face their biggest tests of the season in Casper Ware and T.J. Robinson, respectively. I'm calling this one 72-69 for Long Beach State. I hope they prove me wrong. Go Cards!

On Bernie Fine

I try not to be shocked by the evil the men do. Anyone that reads the daily newspaper, or recalls any lesson from high school history would be a fool to. So I'm not shocked by yesterday's new developments regarding Syracuse longtime associate head coach Bernie Fine. But this one saddens me beyond belief.

For those unaware, the longtime coach was fired yesterday after "new" revelations surfaced regarding his molestation crimes. Most scathing was a startling secret audio recording of Fine's wife that admitted at great length and in great detail the longstanding abuse and her husband's "issues".

It's pretty clear that Fine and his lovely wife are pretty low down the totem pole of human crapitude. What's most galling to me, however, is that ESPN has been sitting on this tape since 2003! Let me repeat that. In 2003 ESPN was made aware that Bernie Fine had been accused of sexual molestation of a ball boy, and was provided graphic audio evidence from Fine's own wife that detailed the extent of his pathology. And they did nothing with it because they could not "corroborate" the story.

Yea, it really is a shame that molestation victims aren't attacked in the middle of Times Square more often. Excuse me, but the "corroboration" excuse is journalistic BS. As far as this crime is concerned, a stone-cold audio recording like this is as corroborated as things get. So just remember when you hear all the sanctimonious ramblings from ESPN personalities like Wilbon, Bayless, Kornheiser etc., about what monsters those that covered up the crimes of Sandusky and Fine are, that the company that signs their paychecks has been sitting on remarkably incriminating evidence of sexual abuse for almost a decade and did nothing. Remember, ESPN only released this tape 36 hours after the police raided Bernie Fine's home. It was getting serious and looked like criminal charges would be forthcoming. To me, this reeks of the Worldwide Leader trying to "get ahead of the story" as it were.

The silver-lining of this sordid mess was supposed to be that victims of sexual abuse would be empowered to come forward; that even the mighty Joe Paterno and those like him can be held accountable for their misdeeds. Now I'm not so sure. After Jim Boeheim publicly castigated the accusers as liars and opportunists, after it's been revealed that ESPN was provided a smoking gun from the victim himself yet decided to sit on it, I'm not sure what these episodes can tell victims of abuse other than the struggle for justice is an uphill battle.

Weekend wrap

What an epic stretch of sports watching. By the time time Sunday rolled around I was actually looking forward to a few hours away from being glued to the TV. But then I ended up watching the Browns-Bengals game for some reason.

The biggest story, of course, is that the football team is Big East Champs and still holding out hope for an Orange Bowl appearance. Because Syracuse football is good for nothing, our aspirations now hinge on UConn and their talented trick passing, horrible game-passing QB. It's not out of the question, as the Huskies have bowl-eligibility on the line, but the prospects of returning to Miami do not look as promising as they did 48 hours ago. What's makes it even more excruciating, is that the likely matchup in the Orange Bowl will be #3 Virginia Tech, perhaps the most overrated team in the Top 10. If Louisville does get the opportunity, they could make some noise, it wouldn't be the brutal drubbing most expect.

But it's gonna be a long week of wait. And no matter what, this season has been roundly successful. As Mr. Black wrote, I cannot think of another program on a rapid upswing trajectory quite like the Cardinals. The freshman and sophomore-laden squad will now have the chance to play in a bowl game with another month of practice, preparation, and growth. I see no reason why this team, picked to finish 7th in the Big East this season, will not be favored to win the conference next year.

Get on the train or get out of the way.