Monday musings

* It was a perfect outing from Russ Smith, in my opinion, that balanced the fine line between aggressiveness and "whoa, why don't you sit the next couple plays out, Champ." Russ took 11 shots, the right amount (execpt for that one that hit off the side of the backboard, coulda done without that one). We've seen that Smith is capable of going off for 25 or 30 points, but when he does, or rather, when he's forced to, I think it's a bad sign for the team at large.

Plus when he's relieved of his scoring burden, his defense is more focused as is his passing. Russ is an underrated passer and creator. I know he came out of his shell after making the move to shooting guard, but I wish Pitino would reconsider playing Russ Smith at point guard some when Siva goes out. Brings me to...

* Elisha Justice. I like the kid, he's unfailingly loyal, a hard worker, sexy as hell, a good caretaker of the basketball. But there's just too many zeros in his stat line. The most important one in his 8 minutes against Pitt was zero turnovers, but still, against our better opponents, I think we have enough versatility on the roster to put a more potent five-man lineup on the court when Siva goes out.

Much of this seems to be self-imposed, or perhaps he's being instructed. Bullet plays like he's hell bent on not making a mistake himself, and letting others do the lifting. There are worse player traits for sure, but I wish Justice would shoot the ball from 3 when he's open. He was one of the best shooters in the state, on any level, when he was in high school. Bullet needs a long walk with Russ Smith on the banks of the Ohio to discuss pulling the trigger and breaking through your expectations.

* Speaking of shooters, the Lady Cards are launching from behind the arc, making 11 of 25 yesterday in a huge road win over Georgetown. Becky Burke dropped in 4 treys, and Shoni Schimmel led with 19 points. The final seconds of the game were delayed when the refs realized the Hoyas had been awarded a point for a missed free throw and had to go to the replay to correct. Nice, now if we can only revisit that Sparks' travesty, we'll really be on to something.

Like the men, the women's team has had its share of ups and downs this season but appears to be playing its best basketball at the right time.

* In case you didn't know, there's a thing called the Battle of Florida All-Star game that pits NFL-draft eligible players with ties to the state of Florida against one another. Anywho, Josh Bellamy played and shined, catching 3 passes for 90 yards, including a 60-yard TD strike from former SC Gamecock QB Garcia who was dismissed from his team in October of last year. Sounds like a weird, random game, but it earned Bellamy recognition from his head coach; Charlie Strong tweeted his praise and congratulations afterwards.

Mixed emotions from me, as the team on the losing end of the 51-3 affair was coached by Howard Schnellenberger. With the influx of Florida talent at UofL, this game might become a pilgrimage in coming years.

* 3-star d-lineman and UofL commit Dequan Ivery snuck on down to Miami this weekend for an official visit. No word on whether he is wavering on his commitment, but another recruit on the trip singled out Ivery saying, "he had a real good time". Some attrition is inevitable, but still, I like this prospect a lot. Everyone knows we don't lose to Syracuse in basketball, and we don't lose to Miami in head-to-head recruiting. Show him some love, coaches.

* Loved this tweet from Michaelee Harris last night...

i cant lie boy if our wr core aint tryna be like the giants or the packers wr core of better we cheating ourselves

DeVante Parker and Eli Rogers quickly concurred. Other than not knowing the difference between corps and core, I wholeheartedly agree.