Cards Big Men Power Past Rutgers, 78-66

Louisville sputtered at times, and their lead over a weaker opponent seesawed throughout the second half as they failed time after time to put visiting Rutgers away. However, they never lost control or relinquished the lead, but claimed a hard-earned and deserved victory. It wasn't their prettiest game of the year, but was a definite improvement from their performance last week against Seton Hall. It was gritty, mean, and physical (Rutgers Coach Mike Rice got himself tossed in the first half for complaining about fouling), but it was a win that left Rick Pitino optimistic afterwards.

Louisville won because it played extremely well under the basket, which for this team is a very encouraging sign. The Cards outrebounded Rutgers 40 to 22 overall and 13 to 5 offensively; just as telling, the Cards got to the line 32 times (and made 24... 75 percent) versus Rutgers' 9 trips to the charity stripe. Frontcourt numbers like that can allow a squad to be imperfect in other areas of the game and get away with it, help to force the opponent to spend more time underneath rather than crowding our perimeter shooters, and of course, create second chance opportunities. It is almost impossible to underestimate the transformative effect of a working post-game, especially for Pitino's perimeter-reliant offensive sets.

Chane Behanan played the best game of his collegiate career thus far; it might have been the most powerful, physical performance from a Louisville big man since the days of T-Will and EC. Chane scored 23 points on 10 of 11 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds including 8 (!) offensive boards. Sure, he chucked up another three-pointer that missed badly (only Chane could be almost perfect from the field and still find a way to lower his already abysmal 3 point percentage), but we'll forgive him that errant three since almost every other shot he took was a power slam following an offensive board. Playing the way he did today, Chane proved he can elevate his game above the rim, which will help alleviate the concern of many fans occasionally fearing another sub-rim Samardo in development. When he plays as powerfully as he did today, the Cards will be difficult to beat, opponent be damned.

If Chane provided the heart today (heart = muscle = Chane), Gorgui was the soul of this team tonight -- swatting 7 shots, altering several others, playing within himself and in complete control. Not much could attest to how much Gorgs means to this team as that terrifying moment in the second half when he fell to the ground, writhing in pain and clutching his ankle. After being attended to on the bench, Gorgui hobbled off the court toward what's becoming known as the tunnel of doom, and at that moment every Cards fan must have wondered or even assumed (I know I did) if this would be the last time we saw Gorgui Dieng in a uniform this season (Yum built on Indian burial ground... that's the latest theory to explain the season-long Sypher-injury bug from hell). The Cards seemed dazed following Gorgui's departure, their spirits robbed, and Rutgers cut into Louisville's lead.

But then Gorgui came back -- he came back! -- and the fans, bewildered and disbelieving (players don't come back from injuries, do they?), rose to their feet. Gorgui headed right to the scorer's table; as he reentered the game the crowd chanted his name. For a moment at least, it was like the end scene out of Rudy, though the image of young/fat John Favreau shouting "He's So Little!" doesn't work quite right. When Gorgui swatted the ball a few minutes later, somewhere in the Yum a janitor clasped his hands twice, turned around, and marched off.

There were other solid performances as well. Chris Smith passed well and rebounded terrifically, finishing with 8 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists -- I would say it was my favorite performance from Chris so far this year. Kyle Kuric didn't shoot the ball all that well, or do much else according to the stat sheet, but he did get off enough shots to score 14 points, including 3 three-pointers. Russ was Russ, enough said. Most significantly, Peyton Siva was solid and, during the second half, showed flashes of the spectacular player he was in conference play last year, gliding across the full length of the court and finding the open man, or darting down the court and faking the pass and laying it in.

Stats here.

By no means was it a perfect performance. We turned the ball over 18 times (Chane had 5), shot terribly from 3-point land (4-18), and should have put Rutgers away on several occasions but didn't. Against other conference teams, this might not have been enough. But we also never relinquished the lead or fell apart, and that allows these Cardinals to continue building. Four straight wins, a 6-4 conference record, breakout performances by its big men, a disastrous injury averted -- this is momentum, shaky and uncertain and gained against unranked teams though it is, but still momentum, and we have it. As Louisville prepares for UConn at the Yum on Monday, it grows more and more confident, in stark contrast to the squad that seemed lost only a few weeks ago.

Keep getting better. Get more hungry. Go Cards.

Four before 4:00

The Cards can go from being one of the teams reeling in the Big East to one of its hottest by taking care of business against Rutgers at home today. The best way to recover from losing 4 times in 5 games is to respond by winning 5 of the last 6. Rick Pitino said he wants his team to focus on winning 5 of the final 9 games (does math give you a headache too?), but if Louisville can show improvement today after a long week of practice, I think the fans will be justified in expecting greater things. Four things while we wait for tipoff.

Jim Calhoun has taken an indefinite leave of absence from UConn for medical reasons relating to chronic back pain. Calhoun's the consummate "love to hate him" figure for me, but I respect the hell out of him as a coach, and I wish him the best in his recovery. Nearly 70, however, you have to wonder at what point the indefinite leave becomes definite. Meanwhile, his Huskies have dropped four straight and will travel to the Kayefseum to face the Cards on Monday. The article also reveals that when Calhoun has drill-work done at the dentist he doesn't use Novacane, which took me about two seconds to process and decide, yea, makes sense.

In his press conference yesterday Rick Pitino revealed that Wayne Blackshear has been practicing and pushing Kyle Kuric. You know what that means? It's any day now, and I would not be shocked if that means today. He'll definitely be worked in slowly, however.

All-world shot blocker Nerlens Noel has reclassified from the 2013 class to 2012 and discusses his decision on which college he'll select for his, undoubtedly, one year of service here. A likely destination for Noel is UK, of course, who has the market cornered on fast-tracked players, but also on his list is Syracuse and even Providence, according to some reports.

Absent from his list is UofL, despite taking an official visit earlier this year. While I'm not angry by any means, I am a little confused, and I don't think I'm alone in wondering why Louisville seems so gunshy about going after the blue chip prospects full bore. I don't want an NBA-AAU factory like the Wildcats down the road, but Louisville isn't Stanford either. Surrounding a one-and-doner around 3 and 4-year veterans seems to be our recipe for success.

I'm aware that Blackshear's injuries derailed that dynamic this season, so maybe I am being unfair. But Louisville's stock should arguably be selling at a higher rate than Syracuse, and certainly that of Providence. So when Noel whittles UofL out of his list this early on, it again makes me wonder if "Louisville First" is really just code for "Rick Pitino is sick and tired of the effort and drama that comes with going after marquee players." If that's the case, then it's a problem.

In that vein of thought, Louisville will be hosting 6'9'' Moses Kingsley today. Three star prospect, five star name. I'm a fan of parted seas and juicy steaks, so let's make this happen.

Programming Note

Mr. Red is heading to Male High School tonight at 7:30 to watch the St. X Tigers face off against the Bulldogs; it's my first on the job with the Louisville Catholic Sports website. LCS is the best site around if you're into high school hoops or, I dunno, rosaries. They have many talented writers on staff and I'm thankful to be a part. I loooove me some local rivalries, so I'm pumped for this game, one that has District implications. Follow it/me at the link, and of course, for full coverage of UofL-Rutgers manana.

Presser recap, "Great pass, Russ" edition

The Cards are having fun fun fun in practice. Almost too much fun (I'm picturing Mighty Ducks, beach balls etc.). Pitino believes "We have enough good athletes in our program"; now he's looking for shooters. Wayne Blackshear practicing, pushing Kyle Kuric. Believes shoe companies are having an adverse affect on the college game. On Angel Nunez's development, "Angel is going to blossom one day into a very good scorer". Right now though, Cards are having to play to win, players can develop in practice, but during games, it's about the guys that give you best chance to win. Requisite Kenny Klein joke. He wants the team to win 5 out of next 9 (would put Cards 10-8 in conference). Said in practice Russ Smith will shout "Great pass, Russ" to himself after a nice dish to beat his teammates to the punch.

Rutgers cries foul

Big East officiating has been exceptionally awful thus far in conference play, and Rutgers is sick and tired of bearing the brunt of it. The Scarlet Knights rank #12 in the nation in fouls per game and in one 7 game stretch had 54 more fouls called against them than the opponent. You know what I have to say about that? Zip it, Rutgers!

Mister Ambassador

Deion Branch has been everywhere these days, preparing for another run at the Super Bowl and spreading his love for the Louisville Cardinals. Let's check in the the UofL great...

A little bit of everything

A look at the current Big East basketball standings. Louisville moved right up the ladder this week despite not playing a game. With two cracks at Syracuse still on the schedule (we all know Boeheim is tucked away in Pitino's garage next to his tools and lawnmower) I'll go ahead and say it, we can still win this thing. Georgetown is sputtering and Marquette has always been more darkhorse than frontrunner. Damn, maybe this long layoff is affecting my memory. Still, I'm not saying, I'm only saying.

247 Sports named Clint Hurtt one of the Top 50 recruiters in the country.

ESPN's Andrea Adelson, who covers the Big East beat, did a nice Q&A with Hurtt about this year's recruiting class and more. The whole thing is worth a read, but money quote...

What was a bigger sell on the recruiting trail -- Coach Strong getting a contract extension or saying you were co-Big East champs? 

CH: It was a combination of both. Obviously everyone wants to know security, are Coach Strong and our staff going to stay in place? We have great people on our staff. Coach Strong did an unbelievable job putting together the right group of people. Kids want to make sure we're in place. That's a lot of the negative recruiting part. Everybody expects Coach Strong to follow suit with what past coaches have done here, but we have to help them understand this is a place we enjoy. This is not a quick stopping place for us as a coaching staff. Obviously it's a lot easier to go into homes and say we have a part of the Big East championship, but we have nowhere to go but up. We want to represent the conference in a BCS game. We feel like the cup is half full. The Belk Bowl is great but we have a bigger plan.

A legendary and colorful character in the world of boxing passed away yesterday. Angelo Dundee died at the age of 90; he was in Louisville just three weeks ago to celebrate Muhammad Ali's 70th birthday. The Hall of Fame trainer was in Ali's corner for every fight of his career (save one. Teaser for my upcoming March article for "The Paper"). Jeremy Schaap provides a nice remembrance here. Rick Bozich's words here.

Recap of Rutgers' loss to Providence last night. Read into it what you will about our next opponent.

Man I love  these  things . I'm just looking for reasons to use them so I'm already drafting my obit for the CJ listing my accomplishments. But all I've got so far is  He once ran a website that had nifty bullet points. I'm strangely cool with that.

In legal news, West Virginia's lawsuit against the Big East is good to go for trial; Monongalia County Circuit Court Judge Russell Clawges first denied the BE's motion to dismiss the suit, and now has denied its request to let its counterclaim play out in Rhode Island first, suggesting that his court is a perfectly fine forum to hear the claims. His statement in ruling...

Neither party is contending that the District of Columbia is the appropriate forum for this action, although it would at least provide both parties with a neutral court, as would the Madison Square Garden, I suppose.

I didn't learn much in law school, but I did learn this is when the lawyers present are supposed to chuckle in an overboard fashion. To put on my legal cap for a moment, WVU's decision to take this to the courts so quickly has baffled me from the start. The better tact would have been to be to sit down and say, "Look, it is what it is. You see the writing on the walls the same as we do. Now let's talk a number."

By rushing to court they've only reminded the Big East officials that they actually hold the stronger legal hand even if they are fighting against the current of college athletics. WVU's vague claim that the Big East did not protect its members to such an extent that it should not be held to the bylaws it agreed to is farfetched; you cannot pour ice water on your neighbor's sidewalk and then complain they did not provide you with safe conditions, which is essentially what the Mountaineers did when it left and weakened the Big East.

I'll be watching closely, I'm interested on a couple different levels. It should be noted, however, that the Honorable Russell Clawges is an alumni of WVU and WVU law school.

You can support Peyton Siva and UofL by voting for his basket to beat Vandy as a Play of the Year here, and you can support Mr. Red and UofL (winner gets loads of cash for University scholarship fund) by voting here.

The sometimes great Dane

Here's something I bet you'd never expect to read. Rutgers basketball has been fascinating to watch this season. They've proven they can beat any team in the country with wins over Florida, UConn and Cincinnati. But the Scarlet Knights have struggled handling their successes, following them with inconsistent performances against the likes of South Florida, DePaul, and last night, a 78-67 loss to Providence.

The dual nature of the Scarlet Knights is embodied in the play of 6'6'' swingman Dane Miller. As he goes, so goes Rutgers. Dane's capable of filling up the stat sheet and energizing his team by attacking the rim (he had two electrifying dunks against Florida). But he's a wildly inconsistent performer. Last night he logged just 6 points and 5 boards in 27 minutes of play. It's no coincidence that Rutgers' win against the Gators came with 16 points from Miller, his highest total of the season. In the loss against South Florida in the next game? Three points.

Miller is by no means Rutgers' only weapon. They have a talented backcourt with freshman guards Eli Carter and Myles Mack. But Miller is looked to for veteran leadership and to catalyze the offense; when he's playing aggressively the Scarlet Knights are a different animal. And an attacking wing is a weakness in Louisville's matchup zone that Rutgers could exploit; which Dane Miller comes to play on Saturday will go far in determining the outcome.

El chupacabra nade en el mar!

2012 is going to be a huge year for us paranormal dorks. The final year, of course, but a huge one nonetheless.

NSD leftovers

Joker Phillips came through with some late additions to the UK class to make it a strong one. The Scout service has the Wildcats ranked #31 in the nation; the Cards at #42 (without factoring the transfers from Florida, Gerald Christian and Robert Clark). Say what you want about Phillips, but he and Tee Martin are dynamic recruiters, and those that expect Charlie Strong and Clint Hurtt to speed light years ahead of them on the recruiting trail will be disappointed. Still, Joker's problem is he may not be around to see these players develop; it's do or die for him next season.

Rick Bozich penned an interesting article today about the plight of Anthony Wales and how it compares with that of DaMarcus Smith, the former Seneca QB also heading to Western Kentucky. Bozich accurately captures Wales hurt and the wounded pride of being passed over for another Florida recruit. But some of the piece was a little unfair, in my opinion. UofL and Charlie Strong are depicted as "the bad guy", but it fails to emphasize the fact that the real sticking point regarding Wales (for UK and UofL) was that Ace was going to have to grayshirt next season while rehabbing after shoulder surgery.

Wales didn't want to do that, so he signed with the school that did not require that stipulation. Good for him, but it's a stretch to imply that Louisville is in the wrong because they recruited another running back and wouldn't let an injured player join up next season. That's asking too much from any coach.

Second, Bozich compares it to the DaMarcus Smith saga even though the two don't quite dovetail. To speak about DaMarcus without mentioning Brandon Bender and Ken Caldwell that were pouring honey potion in his ear is a large omission. Smith himself said associating with Bender was the biggest mistake he ever made. And finally, you won't get very far by arguing that recruiting Teddy Bridgewater was somehow unfair to DaMarcus Smith. If that was wrong, I don't want to be right.

Another interesting nugget in the article was that Wales' mom implies that Charlie Strong ducked them for the past two weeks while they tried to get information about Ace's situation. I suspect there are two sides to that story, but I hope her version is not the case.

The biggest subplot for Big East recruiting was whether Rutgers would hold on to the stellar class that Greg Schiano assembled before leaving for the Tampa Bay. Did they ever. The Scarlet Knights have the #24 recruiting class, according to Rivals, complete with a 5-star defensive standout, the second five-star recruit in program history. They only lost a couple players from the Schiano fallout, and were still able to ink an 18 player class high on quality. New coach Kyle Flood still has a lot of work ahead to prove he is not just an emergency tourniquet, but he cleared the first hurdle.

VillenHD presents UofL-Seton Hall highlights

Back to the b-ball grind. Rumor has it you see Pitino tell Herb Pope "Don't play high" at the very end of the video, around the 3:48 mark. Judge for yourself.

National Signing Day recap

Well, the 2012 class is in the books. The dust will have to settle before we see where it ranks nationally, but without a doubt, these will be the best back-to-back recruiting classes in UofL football history.

In his comments made once it all became official, Charlie Strong said everything, in his candid fashion, that told UofL fans, "I got this". The man knows what he's doing, he knows how to recruit, how to shape his players, and how to teach them to win. He repeatedly used the word special when talking about these new signees. He said they are the caliber of player, with the right attitude, that will buy into what he and his coaches are building. On what he already has currently on the team, Strong said he no longer has to teach effort to anyone. They know the program, the know what's expected of them, and they do it. It's heartening to know these new guys will be entering such an environment. Charlie Strong stated, "we're probably still one class away" from filling the depth chart to his liking. But with every passing day under Charlie Strong's leadership, Louisville football grows more formidable. Here's some more thoughts on the day that was...

Anthony Wales made some derogatory comments after choosing WKU, so some of Strong's presser was dedicated to the subject of geography.  Without mentioning Wales by name, Strong said that once the coaching staff does its homework and offers a scholarship, it's up to the player to do his and come to a decision. It was essentially code for, "You had your chance, you blew it Anthony".

In the wake of those events, you may have thought Coach would downplay the importance of where a recruit is brought in from, but it was just the opposite. Charlie Strong repeatedly reiterated the importance of local recruiting. He said the foundation of the great rivalries, like the one with UK, is to have players invested that have grown up around it. But in order to get to that point you have to get the best guys whether they be from Miami, Georgia, or Mars. Essentially he seemed to be saying, you have to win to get to the point where your brand and your program speaks for itself. Then, for the local guys, the recruiting is done for you.

Size, size, size. If the past two recruiting classes were headlined by sizzling skill players like Teddy Bridgewater, DeVante Parker, and Michaelee Harris, this year was built on beef. In his press conference afterwards, Charlie Strong emphasized the importance of building around the big bodies. He said, "In the past 3 years we have signed 15 offensive lineman. That's good, that's how we want to build this program". Factor in these physical tight ends and a bruising running back like Brandon Radcliff, and 2012 will be remembered as the nasty class.

Do you care where recruits come from? I admit, I do. I wish Ace Wales was the next face of Louisville football, but I completely understand those that don't care a wit so long as the players are dedicated, talented, and represent the University well. Having local stars just adds an extra layer of satisfaction for me personally, but I agree with Coach, first and foremost you have to win. Everything else falls into place afterwards.

When Strong talks about how recruiting the state is paramount, I don't think he's talking about guys like Ace Wales, whose offers essentially came down to UofL, UK and Western. He's talking about players like Hunter Bivin, the Owensboro lineman with offers from Auburn, Ohio State, and Wisconsin, or Trinity's James Quick, who will have his choice of any college in the land. No offense to Wales, but I think those are the kind of guys that Strong has in mind when he talks about getting to where the elite want and expect to play for UofL.

Rumor has it we all got screwed by Dequan Ivery's mom. The defensive tackle that flipped from the Cards to Miami apparently made up his mind for the Hurricanes after a visit a few weeks ago, but his mom wasn't sold on "The U" and forbade him from de-committing. Evidently, she relented at the last moment. The Cards have a deep defensive front, but are short on enormous space-eaters like Ivery. I'm not gonna lie, his decomit stings.

No offense to the Louisville pay sites, I'm sure they were working diligently today. But it's a funny business to send out tweets about the breaking news just released to your subscribers when it's all going public 90 seconds later.

I think the hidden gem of this class will end up being QB Will Gardner. Having a true freshman sensation in front has no doubt blunted some of the enthusiasm around him. But he's 6'5'', deceptively fast with a cannon for an arm. I can't wait to see what Shawn Watson can do here.

 Well, what more is there to say? We have the next crop of talented players ready to prove their mettle. There's more fan passion surrounding National Signing Day around here than ever before. We got to hear Charlie Strong crush another press conference with refreshing honesty and confidence. And Spring Practice is just around the corner. It's a good day to be a Cardinal.

Ace through the hole; Anthony Wales to WKU

Central running back Ace Wales opted for Western Kentucky today, less than two weeks after commiting to UofL and saying he "wanted to be the face of Louisville football". His commitment was marred from the start, as there was confusion as whether or not UofL even accepted his commitment immediately after he stated his bold intentions.

Wales made his initial decision hours after Florida running back Brandon Radcliff picked Louisville and there was question about whether or not Charlie Strong & Co. were interested in adding another running back to this class. To complicate matters further, Ace is recovering from shoulder surgery and was likely to greyshirt his first season at UofL. All this apparently was too much, and Anthony "Ace" Wales chose Western Kentucky moments ago.

Two things are apparent. One, I'm bummed. I like local talent and Ace is one of the best we've seen in awhile. Plus his signing was to have symbolic importance, the indication that Charlie Strong had officially surpassed Joker Phillips for intra-state recruiting supremacy (which he has, but this can no longer be used as example). Two, Charlie Strong is apparently very comfortable moving forward with Brandon Radcliff and our current stable of running backs that floweth over. I don't want to sound all snotty like a UK fan, but it's clear the staff just wasn't that into Ace Wales. In Coach Strong I trust.

But regardless, I hope Ace proves them wrong. Best of luck to Anthony Wales with the WKU Hilltoppers.

Lamar Atkins late addition

The Cards got a not entirely unexepected surprise this morning with the commitment of Lamar Atkins, linebacker from Miami Norland High School. Atkins is the brother of 4-star linebacker Keith Brown, a major part of this year's class.

Atkins isn't nearly as highly-regarded as his brother, his "stardom" is half of Keith's, according to Rivals. So it's no stretch to think this was a package deal. Is that unseemly? I don't think so. I perused the Miami Hurricanes blogs after Keith Brown chose the Cards, and amidst the sour grapes was the sentiment that "The U" was somehow above taking a player they do not want purely on merit in order to gain another.

That's kind of dumb, in my opinion. NFL teams have 53 players on a gameday roster. NCAA rules allow for 85 scholarships. The point being, there's some extra room to play with here. Plus it's not like we're putting a helmet on Steve Urkel; Atkins is 6'0'', 205lbs with 4.6 speed. He's listed at outside linebacker, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him make the move to safety.

Rise and Shine

Running back Brandon Radcliff is ready for the first day of school. Who's going to join him?

Already in the clubhouse this morning are DeAngelo Brown, Gerod Holliman, James Burgess Jr., Joe Manley, Kevin Houchins, Larry Jefferson, Nick Dawson, Ryan Hubbell, Sid Anvoots, and T.C. Klusman.

It's Jody Demling's show today, so like you I'll be following along for information that I'll post here and react to as if happens. Also, get ready for the annual chucklefest that comes around like clockwork: (Jerry Seinfeld voice) What's the deal with all these faxes? It's 2012 people. What was the telegram not working?

Gotta love Signing Day. Go Cards.

Draper goes mad

Cancel all those Mad Men themed whatever you had planned. Seemingly conclusive reports have it that UofL target Sean Draper will commit to Iowa tomorrow; it's as if he wants to experience for himself the most deflating Q & A in cinema. Q: Is this heaven? A: No, Sean, it's fucking Iowa, and you just made a big mistake. Isn't that how the movie went?

So the next biggest subplots for tomorrow will be the choice of Dequan Ivery (UofL-Miami) and DeAndre Herron (UofL-IU). We'll break it all down as it goes down. Draper would have been nice late addition, but this class is sufficiently loaded.

Charlie Strong will speak to the media at 3:00.

Peering into the Cristobal

After Greg Schiano was curiously given the head coaching job for the Tampa Bay Bucs late last week, Pat Forde penned an article about the long list of "brain drain" from the Big East conference. Perhaps his national audience was unaware, but as we know too well, the conference has served as a feeder system for quite awhile.

That fact doesn't bother me so much, mostly because that's the simple reality of Big East football, at least until its future is stabilized and strengthened. Till that day, in order to be successful (still imminently possible) the dynamic depends on being able to replenish the coaching ranks from the hottest mid-major coaches, or the best assistants from other big name programs like we did.

That system broke down yesterday when FIU coach Mario Cristobal turned down the Rutgers job at the eleventh hour. Everyone was left scratching heads afterwards. It's unclear whether the Scarlet Knights were too demanding by asking Mario to keep Greg Schiano's assistants, or whether compensation became a sticking point and both sides called the other's bluff, or (the least likely of all) that Mario Cristobal was pulled back to Miami by his heartstrings.

Whatever happened, I think the Big East just missed out on a hot and exciting coaching prospect. The need to keep momentum in programs like Rutgers, mostly achieved through forceful coaches, is important to the future of the conference. And tangentially, it's important to retaining Charlie Strong by showing he can compete at the highest levels from his office in Louisville.

UofL will benefit in the short term; the Cards may be able to leapfrog the Scarlet Knights for bringing in the Big East's best recruiting class tomorrow (Schiano had assembled a stellar class that new coach Kyle Flood is desperately trying to hold together). Furthermore, Louisville's chances of winning the conference improve as one of its most solid programs goes through a transition.

I would say that being turned down by a Sun Belt conference coach is a black eye to the Big East, but both those eyes have been bruised for awhile. But by choosing FIU against a promotion to a solid position in the Big East, a proud program that's history goes back to the first college football game ever played, will only serve to convince the last holdouts that future of UofL football lies west.

Signing Day Eve: Sean Draper

Faxed paperwork is rarely this exciting. We know tomorrow is going to be a big day for Charlie Strong and Louisville, but there are a few question marks to maintain the suspense. One of the biggest is the choice of Sean Draper, DB out of  Cleveland, OH. His list is down to UofL, Iowa, Pitt, and Kansas and his "lean" depends on who you ask.

Draper would be the proverbial cherry on top. He's the perfect size for a defensive back; 6'0, 175lbs with 4.4 speed. Sean also starred on the varsity track team at Glenville High School and he was an Honor Roll student taking AP classes. I like it when the smart guys on the team are in the defensive backfield.

Here's Sean Draper in action. He also played wide receiver, so the incredible catches are his, not him getting repeatedly burned, thankfully.

Bria Smith honored and Cards hit the road

Freshman standout Bria Smith was named Big East Freshman of the Week for the second time in the month of January yesterday. Last game, Smith notched her first career double-double against Villanova with 10 points 10 boards, 3 steals, an assist and a block.

The Lady Cards hit the road to face another Top 25 team tonight; #22 DePaul at 9:00. The Blue Demons have lost 3 of their last 4 and will be looking to get back to their winning ways at home. Should be a good one.

Blogging Challenge: Best place to watch a game

(It's blogging challenge #...I've lost count. But if you haven't done so in awhile click HERE to vote for Mr. Red (Tim) as this year's Biggest Fan of the Big East. The winner gets a new VolvoS60 and a sizable donation to the university scholarship fund) 

They say it doesn't matter where you are, it's who you're with. But that's baloney. If the Ticket Gods aren't smiling upon you, the decision of where to watch the game is just as important as remembering to wear your lucky UofL thong baseball cap. And there are so many factors to weigh; TV angles, TV volume, overcrowding concerns, not enough crowding concerns, beer specials, novelty urinal cakes, attractiveness of the wait staff (I need a well-groomed waiter, preferably Dutch) and ability to park all play major roles. There's nothing worse than settling down in a perfect spot 15 minutes before tip and then nervously watch as some alt-rock band sets up equipment across the room (I'm looking at you Wick's in the Highlands).

Because I've covered The Granville Inn and Trolls Pub in a previous post, I won't list them again here, fine locations though they are. Here are my other favorite spots to watch the Cards...

5) The Old Seelbach Bar. Throwing on a tee-shirt and searching for the cheapest beer specials is usually the correct route. But not always. Sometimes it's fun to play Cary Grant and experience the classier side of bluegrass fandom. In such instances the Old Bar at the Seelbach Hotel is a fine choice. The hotel served as the inspiration for author F. Scott Fitzgerald as he wrote the The Great Gatsby and its operators have meticulously maintained the original glory while keeping up with the times. The actual bar itself has been described as "one of the finest stretches of mahogany in the country". You won't find TVs blaring throughout, in fact live jazz plays softly on most nights. It's definitely not a traditional sports bar, but if you saddle up in front of the screen and sip your bourbon slowly, you'll be shocked how affordably you can enjoy a unique gameday experience. Flipping over tables after losses is not recommended.

4) Dad's House. Alright, I guess it does matter a little bit who you're with. I've never regretted watching a game with pops, the man who baptized me into this by taking me to my first Louisville game as a kid. The room temp is always nice, there's rarely a wait for the bathroom, and when you factor in a quality carryout rib joint up the road (Frank's Meat & Produce), it's tough to beat. Oh, and pops just invested in his first flatscreen TV last month. Big things happening at the old crib.

3) BW3s. I like to Keep Louisville Weird as much as anyone, but Buffalo Wild Wings is always good in a pinch. The Bardstown Road location is set up nicely in a way that separates the serious game-watchers from the dilettantes, and the variety of wings lets me explore my wild side every once in awhile. The only drawback can be TV overload but if you're sufficiently addicted to hoops it's not a problem. Supernatural ability to send games into overtime is an added bonus.

2) My basement. Sometimes you just need to be alone. When I'm not up to facing the outside world, the man cave is the best place for me to watch the Cards and do some fan soul-searching. The TV is no great shakes but it gets the job done and my wall of personal UofL memorabilia is the perfect backdrop for any game. And the football Cards went 3-0 last season when I watched down there by myself. If things get desperate this basketball season, I'm stocking up provisions and sealing the door shut for all of March.

1) Stadium Grill. This is a new one for me, I just watched my first game here two weeks ago and I took to it quickly. Plus the Cards won in my inaugural visit, so it wasn't immediately disqualified. It's the kind of joint where you walk by a deer head with a bra dangling off the antlers yet it doesn't make you blink.

This place has a ton going for it. It's located right next to Papa John's Stadium where UofL plays football, so even when you're watching hoops, being next to the impressive structure makes you feel all warm and Cardinal-ly. Second, the furniture looks exactly like that from "The Max" of Saved By The Bell fame. And lastly, there are train tracks that run run directly next to the property, and beers immediately become 2 for 1 when a train rolls by. I like variety too much to ever have a "regular" spot, but if I did, this would be it.

Quote of the Day

"I'm watching videos of University of Louisville...I was tripping considering anywhere else."

-UofL recruit Pedro Sibiea, via twitter. Sibiea was thought to be wavering after a late visit to the University of Minnesota, and when another stud defensive end, Sheldon Rankins, committed to the Cards last week it was no stretch to think that was the final straw for Pedro. It appears he's come to his senses. Wednesday is going to be fun.

Recap of a good bad win

We led by 14 points with 4:07 to play. Yet somehow, some way, the Louisville Cardinals needed clutch free throws in the final minute to seal a victory. How did this happen? What does it mean? Why are standard bullet points so stupid? Let's scratch our collective heads over this important but unsettling road win...

What made this game so vexing was that the horrid second half negated one of the stronger 20 minutes we've seen all season. Without setting the nets on fire, in fact, despite an ice-cold outing from Kyle Kuric, Louisville built a 17-point lead almost effortlessly, it seemed. The right players were taking the right shots, the tempo favored UofL, and everything was being made difficult for Seton Hall without fouling. There are plenty of second-half lowlights to pick apart in the film room, but the video of the first is just as valuable. That's what we need night in, night out, for 40 minutes. 

Unfortunately, we must open the Peyton Siva psychiatric files yet again. I can understand shooting slumps, I can wrap my brain around that. But I cannot understand completely forgetting how to break routine pressure. For a team that practices pressing every day, I have no explanation for the breakdown. It happened against UK, and it happened again against the Pirates; when faced with a fairly standard trapping press, our ultra-talented, ultra-quick point guard reacted like he was being attacked by a swarm of bees. Again and again Siva picked up his dribble in no-man's land, looked to his largest teammate for help, and strangest of all, decided to debut a new one-handed rifle pass that led to three turnovers.

Early in the second half, after Siva blew by opposing point Jordan Theodore to draw a foul, the announcer quipped, "It's almost impossible to guard a quick guy like that far away from the basket". It was as if Peyton overheard and resolved to prove the impossible possible. You can bet every other team remaining on our schedule was taking note of whatever the hell that was. And UofL, particularly Peyton Siva, needs to fix whatever the hell that was. Quickly.

Herb Pope might have had the most lackadaisical 12 and 12 I've ever seen. He was cracking me up with the glazed-over look on his face, the doughy frame, and all the obvious skill underneath.  Pope looked like a 43-year old rec-league guy; one of the better ones, but still, there's a lot of Derrick Caracter there. On the flip side, I was very impressed with Jordan Theodore even though he struggled at times. He's a competitor that appeared to will the Pirates' comeback into being. Seton Hall looks to be on a trajectory towards the NIT, but Theodore is the kind of leader that can marshal one or two wins in the Big East tournament.

Not quite as impressive were the Seton Hall cheerleaders. They looked, um, smart.

It was an off night for Kyle Kuric. After draining the first basket of the game, the King struggled to get anything to fall. It happens. As long as he has a short memory and continues to hit the glass, I don't think much should be made of it.

Raging over Pitino's mind games is a fool's errand. Luckily I'm a dumbass and I can't help myself. Rick saying "I didn't think Gorgui played particularly well" after the game has got me pretty steamed. It's insulting to Dieng, but more importantly, it's insulting to me.

Anyone that watched the game could clearly see that Gorgui was the best player on the court. What was to your disliking, Coach? Was it the 38 minutes of relentless effort? Laying out for a steal and assist at midcourt? Taking charges? Knocking down a 17-footer? 14 rebounds? Logging five blocks and influencing five times as many shots?

Sending messages to players through the media is fine, I suppose. But what exactly is the message you're sending by knocking a guy that played his balls off? I could understand if UofL was still in the Top 5 and Rick was trying to tinker the team chemistry to get it just a little more perfect. But we're not that. So I'm not sure what's to be accomplished by minimizing the guy bailing most of the water out of the boat. But whatever, kudos on keeping the humblest and hardest-working player's nonexistent ego in check, I suppose. OK. Rant over.

Wait, not quite. It would be one thing if Rick Pitino was just in a hyper-critical mood after a deflating finish, but he wasn't! The truly appalling stat, the 24 turnovers, was just shrugged off by our coach; they weren't that important because we were mostly getting stops. Understand? Ughh.

OK, moving on for real...

But Russ Smith will always bring a smile to my face. We all need to step back and marvel at just how ridiculous the And-1 bucket he made about 5 minutes into the game was. But that's become standard; I've never seen a player like him. On the flip side, however, Russ shouldn't channel his inner-Knieval just for the sake of. There were two reverse layups he missed where he needn't have reversed.

One misbegotten 3-attempt aside, Chane Behanan was an animal. His future will be fascinating to watch unfold because honestly, Chane's about 2 or 3 inches too short. He got pinned from behind into a jump ball and he had a layup blocked despite good position. In the past Pitino has noted his struggles blocking out free throws against taller players. But Chane Behanan more than makes up for it with his strength and his motor. He's like Chuck Hayes, but playing for the forces of good.

If he were 2 inches taller I think Behanan would be a lottery pick. But the way he plays the game, I'd gladly take the difference if it means we get a couple more seasons from him.

We gotta gotta gotta get an inbounds play that doesn't depend on a baseball pass/heave.

It's become apparent the lineup has been pared down to the essential parts. Excepting the vintage, unexpectedly-expected roster move you can factor in from Pitino every once in awhile, mostly we know who we are. It's the starting five plus Russ Smith. Elisha Justice as backup point and Jared Swopshire as reserve forward. Kevin Ware? See ya next year. Angel Nunez? Keep eating Big Macs. Zach Price? Stay loose in case of an emergency.

I'm not saying it's a bad thing. In fact, with our injury plague, it's unavoidable. But with UofL's aggressive style of defense, our margin for error is razor thin.

Gorgui only attempted 5 shots from the field. That's far too few. He nailed a baby-hook in the first half that was as pretty as any Samardo Samuels ever attempted. I'd like to see that become the staple for the entire offense.

For all the handwringing over the lack of style points, after building their lead I never felt the Cards were truly in danger of losing. Considering where we were following Providence, riding a three-game winning streak, heading home with a week of practice before a key homestand is not the worst place to be. The Big East is still wide open, and the Cards are better positioned than most to take advantage. Anything is still possible for this team, both good and bad.

Hat tip to the "Future Mrs. Kyle Kuric" for helping out with these nifty new bullet points. Your check is in the mail, madam, just make sure you don't cash it before...ever. It will look great framed on a wall though.