I can't think of any other way to describe what we just saw. The Cards performance tonight was the likes of which we have not seen this entire season. In the basketball-fundamental sense, they suddenly could do no wrong. No 3 pointer was too audacious, no alley-oop or fast break dish was asking too much. Everything synced. But the explosion was emotional as well, in a real way. The run that powered the Cards past the defending champion Huskies midway through the second half had a cleansing feel to it, as if roundly exorcising all the demons that have haunted this beleaguered squad and unleashing the frustrations that had been building over the last month.
11 three pointers. 22 assists. 10 steals. Aggressive defense, a fast-paced offense, unrelenting, frenetic. Dunk after dunk after dunk. This was Cardinal basketball, the way we wish it could always be.
What was beautiful about the run was that it started out sputtering like so many others we've seen this year -- the Cards' aggressive defense forcing turnovers that our players then turned right back over, producing the familiar ping pong effect. Watching on TV, it was tempting to wish silently for the players to slow down, take a breath, think for a minute, insert some good-natured rationality into their decision-making. But the Cards would do no such thing. They would not relent their pressure nor resist advancing the ball at lighting speed. For better or worse, that's not the Rick Pitino way. If a Cards steal led to them turning it back over, so be it; the Cards would go for the steal again. As fans, we'd been here before, and we accept it; it's not a perfect strategy, but it beats setting up a half-court offense.
Then things started to click.
The steals led to a few easy layups, then Jared Swopshire and Kyle Kuric hit from downtown. More turnovers facilitated long lobs down the court leading to more buckets. When our 3-point delinquent shooters -- Peyton Siva and Chane Behanan -- hit from downtown, fans across the city knew the route was on. But the Cards accelerated further -- having finally found a way to rev the engines, there was no intention of powering down. Then the dunking began. Siva on the break, Gorgui off his own steal. Siva's fast break dish to the King might have been the best slam of the year.
It certainly reminded Card Nation of the singular, unique dynamic that Rick Pitino brings to college basketball, as this kind of full-court product could only bear his signature. It was the type of omega-run that allowed Pitino to build his name and fashion his entire coaching career. I can't tell you if events transpired in exactly the order highlighted above. I'm not even sure, honestly, if it's even a rough equivalent. It all happened so fast; it's was a giant red blur. And it was a sensational thing to watch.
Sean Moth almost went hoarse.
Stats here.
Tomorrow will be the time for hard analysis, to put the game into greater perspective, and acknowledge that having crawled back from the despair and heartache of last month -- having come so far -- the Cards must now place a priority on consistency, prepare to take on greater challenges, teams that will be much, much tougher than what we've faced these last five games. The Cards will have to up the ante even further, increase the intensity a little more, to beat the likes of Syracuse.
That's for tomorrow. Tonight, marvel at what you just saw. Go Cards.
11 three pointers. 22 assists. 10 steals. Aggressive defense, a fast-paced offense, unrelenting, frenetic. Dunk after dunk after dunk. This was Cardinal basketball, the way we wish it could always be.
What was beautiful about the run was that it started out sputtering like so many others we've seen this year -- the Cards' aggressive defense forcing turnovers that our players then turned right back over, producing the familiar ping pong effect. Watching on TV, it was tempting to wish silently for the players to slow down, take a breath, think for a minute, insert some good-natured rationality into their decision-making. But the Cards would do no such thing. They would not relent their pressure nor resist advancing the ball at lighting speed. For better or worse, that's not the Rick Pitino way. If a Cards steal led to them turning it back over, so be it; the Cards would go for the steal again. As fans, we'd been here before, and we accept it; it's not a perfect strategy, but it beats setting up a half-court offense.
Then things started to click.
The steals led to a few easy layups, then Jared Swopshire and Kyle Kuric hit from downtown. More turnovers facilitated long lobs down the court leading to more buckets. When our 3-point delinquent shooters -- Peyton Siva and Chane Behanan -- hit from downtown, fans across the city knew the route was on. But the Cards accelerated further -- having finally found a way to rev the engines, there was no intention of powering down. Then the dunking began. Siva on the break, Gorgui off his own steal. Siva's fast break dish to the King might have been the best slam of the year.
It certainly reminded Card Nation of the singular, unique dynamic that Rick Pitino brings to college basketball, as this kind of full-court product could only bear his signature. It was the type of omega-run that allowed Pitino to build his name and fashion his entire coaching career. I can't tell you if events transpired in exactly the order highlighted above. I'm not even sure, honestly, if it's even a rough equivalent. It all happened so fast; it's was a giant red blur. And it was a sensational thing to watch.
Sean Moth almost went hoarse.
Stats here.
Tomorrow will be the time for hard analysis, to put the game into greater perspective, and acknowledge that having crawled back from the despair and heartache of last month -- having come so far -- the Cards must now place a priority on consistency, prepare to take on greater challenges, teams that will be much, much tougher than what we've faced these last five games. The Cards will have to up the ante even further, increase the intensity a little more, to beat the likes of Syracuse.
That's for tomorrow. Tonight, marvel at what you just saw. Go Cards.
We finally got to see what we were promised in the preseason, and we haven't even seen Blackshear. I love February around here.
ReplyDeleteYou can always tell when Pitino is about to unleash an Omega-Run because his pupils go white and he begins to hover a few inches above the ground. You would think that by now, opponents would recognize this and initiate a crouching block by holding down and back on the controller.
ReplyDeleteGood win. Like the new skyline homepage headline. it was about time swop made one he was only like 1 for like 8 in the past few games. We should not marvel at this win that long we have to go to battle in redneck hillbilly land then wull.
ReplyDeleteReally proud of this team. They've overcome a lot this season. GO CARDS!!!
ReplyDeleteThe body language on this team couldn't be more opposite than what it was a month ago. Reminded me of the whoopin they put on Arizona in 2009. We all know how that turned out. Let's hope they stay humble and hungry.
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