– November Madness

College basketball teams around the country have hit the road for the early season tournaments. November has become an exciting time for college basketball fans over the years, and this year will be no different as there are some early season match-ups that will provide us with plenty of action. Here’s my list of the best early season tournament.

– Battle 4 Atlantis (November 21-25, Paradise Island, Bahamas) : This tournament projects to be the best of them all and our Cards will be right in the middle of the action. Five other teams that are ranked in the pre-season top 25 will join the Cards. The eight-team field includes Duke, Louisville, Memphis, Minnesota, Missouri, Northern Iowa, Stanford, and VCU. In this mix, are some teams that could make deep runs in March. There are also a few sleeper teams that could make some noise as well. These teams should provide for some great basketball and make this a can’t miss event in November. My prediction for champion: The Louisville Cardinals

– Legends Classic (November 19-20, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.) : This early tournament also looks to be a good one as it will feature the number one team in the country by most publications the Indiana Hoosiers. And the team that had the number 1 recruiting class the UCLA Bruins. Georgia and Georgetown round out the field. My prediction for champion: Georgetown

– Maui Invitational (November 19-21, Maui’s Lahaina Civic Center) : This has become a favorite of mine over the years as it always has entertaining games. And there are usually a few upsets that no one expects. They have a longstanding tradition of bringing the top teams in the nation to the island of Maui, This year will be no different as the field includes Butler, Illinois, Marquette, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Texas, USC and host Chaminade. Several of which are in the pre-season top 25 talk. The Tar Heels are the early favorite, but Texas will be right there in the mix. USC, Butler and Marquette could all present that sleeper aspect. My prediction for champion: North Carolina

– NIT Season Tip-Off (November 21-23, Madison Square Garden, N.Y.) : The NIT Season Tip-Off has an interesting format and unlike some of the other brackets out there, allows any of its participants to advance. But the real reason folks will want to tune into this one is for the regional host. Kansas State, Michigan, Pittsburgh, and Virginia. These teams should provide for some electric action in MSG. My prediction for champion: Michigan

– CBE Classic (November 19-20, Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO) : Last on my list but certainly not least. This tournament will feature the National title runner-up in Kansas and a St Louis team that has had some pre-season top 25 buzz. They have a very talented team and look to make a lot of noise in 2012. Washington State, and Texas A&M round out this exciting field. The CBE Classic has three hosts that are nearby, which could cause some exciting match-ups, especially if former Big 12 rivals Kansas and Texas A&M meet in the title game. My prediction for champion: Kansas

There you have it folks 5 great preseason tournaments that should provide the basketball starving fans some great early action to kick off the 2012 season. I’ll have a Turkey leg in one hand and a remote in the other. It will be November madness and I cannot wait!

-Red&White Scrimmage #1 is in the books

Tonight the Cardinal Nation got a good taste of the season ahead as the 2012-13 Louisville Basketball team had their first Red&White scrimmage. Even though it was a scrimmage it had the feel of a real game. The players were playing with intensity and the crowd of over 10,000 was electric at times.

Here’s the stat sheet and box score:

I was really impressed with Kevin Ware and he looks like a different player on the court. His swagger and confidence seems off the charts. He had some big plays and a few monster dunks. I was also very impressed with newcomer Montrezl Harrell as he lead the red team with 17 points and 10 rebounds. He has a good feel for the game and plays with relentless aggression. This kid is going to be a beast for us. And I know Rick has mentioned a red shirt for “The Mango” but from what I seen tonight he is another guy that could be valuable to this team. Siva, Smith, Dieng, Blackshear, and Behanan all looked like they haven’t missed a beat. I walked out of this scrimmage tonight very pleased and filled with more anticipation than I had before. We have 2 groups on this team that could run with anyone in the country. If our guys stay humble, hungry, healthy and focused #3 should be hanging in the Yum Center this time next year.

Coach Pitino after the game:
“I thought that the Red Team did really well. I thought that the White Team had no playmaker on the court, so they had to do everything by themselves. What’d they have less than double digits assist? So, it’s good to see that now.”

(On how the team can improve)
“Well, we have been working hard on execution even though it’s the first week. We’ve had those two hours a week and we used it too. We want to see us improve our shooting and it’ll be something we work heavily on in the coming days.”
(Courtesy UofLsports.com)

– The 2012-13 Basketball Tip-off Luncheon

The 2012-13 Basketball team was introduced today at the Tip-Off Luncheon. Head coach Rick Pitino was the featured speaker today at the sold out Luncheon in the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott downtown Louisville. The event sold 1400 tickets before they could even go on sale to the general public. I’d say that is a good sign that this fan base is ready for this season full of expectations to start.

Coach Pitino had the players come up to the podium one at a time and introduce each team-mate. Pitino said that he wanted them to do this to show each of them that they can’t accomplish their goals without their fellow players.

-Walk on Logan Baughman was the first up and he briefly talked about the opportunity that had been afforded to him by the Mike Marra injury. He talked about a trip to lazer tag for “The Mango” Birthday party. Jokingly talked about how they couldn’t see Mango shooting them. Logan did a very good job at loosening up the crowd.

-Next up was the young man from Sudan, Africa Mangok Mathiang. He seemed very nervous as he proclaimed to the crowd “Me and Gorgui aren’t related”

-Next was Montrezl Harrell and he really didn’t say much and introduced Angel Nunez saying “he’s not the brightest in the world”

-Angel Nunez reveals Zach Price’s nickname “Lester” and then talks about the boot he is wearing on his foot saying “it’s just a fashion statement”

-Zach Price Jokes with the crowd saying “Yall know me as Gorgui’s back-up, you know I got in at the end of the game” Then introduces Kevin Ware saying he had “the Juice haircut” making reference to the classic 2pac movie. He also talks about how much Ware has improved and how hard he’s worked in the off season.

-Kevin Ware talks briefly about where he’s from before introducing Wayne Blackshear saying “the guy I’m introducing is probably the fattest, sloppiest, McDonald’s All-American to ever put on a UofL jersey” Making light of Wayne’s weight problem while being hurt.

-Wayne Blackshear then comes up and says the “I had to watch the team last year eat ice cream and I couldn’t have any” He also mentioned that he’s lost over 20 pounds. He introduces Chane Behanan as the most energetic person on the team.

-Chane Behanan starts by telling the crowd “Y’all know me I was on the Final Four team,” “I’m not knocking last year’s group, but I like this group more.” He then introduces“Russdiculous”

-Russ Smith (Russdiculous) walks to the podium with what looks like a cup of tea with him. He introduces walk-on Mike Balfour and explains his “Dark Slime” nickname says it means “my dude”. Tells crowd how the two have become very close over the years.

-Mike Balfour doesn’t really say that much and introduces Tim Henderson.

-Tim Henderson talks about how much of a honor it is to be a part of the Louisville program and talks about how much work it is and says “it’s worth it” He introduces Luke Hancock.

-Luke Hancock talks about how its going to feel go to get back on the court after sitting out a year. Says “I won’t have to watch the team fly away, and watch on tv. I’ll be on the court” He then introduces Gorgui Dieng.

-Gorgui Dieng jokingly thanks coach Pitino for bringing more Africans to the team and then talks about how much Coach Pitino has helped him with his game. And talks about how he’s learned to speak English better. Gorgui introduces Stephan Van Treese.

-Stephan Van Treese talks about how he thought about transferring and that he’s “super excited” to be coming back and can’t wait to get on the court. Says his knee is 100%. He introduces Peyton Siva.

-Peyton Siva has a little fun with Coach Pitino as he breaks out his stats from Pitino’s UMass days. “He had 6.5 assist but for some reason his turnovers are not on the stats” He then jokes about the Cards free throw shooting woes stating that Pitino shot 66% from the free throw line at UMass. Says after practice today coach will have to make 12 in a row before he can leave. He then introduces Rick Pitino.

-Rick Pitino answers Siva’s question about free throws with “I didn’t shoot that many” He then talks about the other members on his staff and thanks them for their hard work to the program. He then starts to talk about his team and his program says “I think Kyle Kuric and Chris Smith will be happy that Chane likes this team better, I’ll pass that along” Says that it is “true bliss” to coach these guys. Says “it was not a fluke that we won the Big East Tourney and went to the Final Four, these guys were focused.” Now says this years team must “stay humble” Briefly talks about his discipline and that he doesn’t have a doghouse. Says he treats team like his children and that “if you love your children you discipline them” Says that giving discipline tells kids you love them “so Chane I must love the hell out of you” Says “Russdiculous is the biggest fool in the country, but I know one thing without that fool we don’t make the Final Four last year” Coach talks about how much he loves the game of basketball and how much he loves coaching at the University of Louisville. Says “it the best place I’ve every coached” He talks about being 60 and says “You really don’t care what people think, You realize your window is closing in a coaching career and you better enjoy it” He mentions the evil empire down the road and says that he thinks we could meet them again this season in the Final Four. He then thanks the fans for the support and has a message for us. Says “If we lose a couple of games don’t go off the deep end, and if we win a couple of games don’t be calling into those shows talking about how good we are.” He closes by saying he thinks his players and his team are the best but emphasis should remain on “staying humble”.

The main message from Coach Pitino today was for the fans and the team to stay humble. That will be very hard to do if this team is as good as we expect it to be. Everyone be sure to get those tickets left over for the Red&White scrimmage. Lets sell that thing out Saturday and show these guys we are behind them this season. Go Cards!

– The Beak basketball preview for 2012-13

With the basketball season looming here are a few things Louisville fans should look forward to this season.

-Depth: Our Cards have one of the deepest frontcourts in the country with Gorgui Dieng, Chane Behanan, and Wayne Blackshear starting up front, along with rotation players such as Zach Price, Angel Nunez and Stephan Van Treese. The Cardinals added even more size with freshmen Montrezl Harrell and Mangok Mathiang. The backcourt is also loaded with returning players Peyton Siva, Russ Smith, Kevin Ware, and transfer Luke Hancock. Look for Tim Henderson and Michael Baffour to provide a few quality minutes as well.

-Recruits: Montrezl Harrell and Mangok Mathiang. Harrell is a 6-foot-8 forward who is naturally athletic and strong. He approaches the game with a high motor. This combined with his long arms and fast feet will come in handy in the Cardinals pressure defense.
Mathiang has been described by many as a promising recruit. The potential is there but he still needs to add strength to compete in the Big East. He is more comfortable blocking shots, going after missed shots and securing rebounds with his length more than his strength. I don’t think we’ll see a lot of “The Mango” this season but look for him to get a few minutes here and there.

-The Transfer: Luke Hancock has been recovering from a shoulder injury but once healthy I look for this guy to pick up where he left off at George Mason. He is a scoring point guard in a shooting guards body. He will help with the Cardinals offensive production this season. He will likely compete with Kevin Ware and Wayne Blackshear for minutes at the 2 and wing position.

-The Defense: Louisville had one of the best defenses in the country last year and according to Synergy Sports Technology, Louisville held opponents to just 0.764 points per play. And Per Ken Pomeroy’s efficiency metrics, the 2011–12 Cardinals’ 84.0 defensive efficiency rating was the lowest in the country. The Cards Defense also limited the opposition to 38.4 percent shooting and a mere 61.0 points per game. The Louisville D simply refused to allow opponents to make shots inside the arc allowing their conference opponents to make just 42.7 percent of their 2s. With the added depth and most of the starting line-up returning the defense should be as good if not better this season. Our players know Rick Pitino’s complicated system and with the NCAA rule allowing extra time with the team in the off season I’m sure the defense will be ahead of the curve.

-The Offense: We did lose the number 1 and number 3 scorers from last years team in Kyle Kuric and Chris Smith. Together they average almost 24 points a game for the Cards last season. With the loss of those two guys, that leaves Russ Smith as the top returning scorer. And even though Russdiculous is fearless he does lack the consistency to be the go to guy. Chane Behanan proved last year that he was great in the clutch and will be relied on this season for a bigger chunk of the point production. Wayne Blackshear will be back and 100% healthy for the first time since he stepped foot on the Louisville campus. He will also be a guy that could get us 10 or 15 a night. Kevin Ware has been the surprise of the summer according to those close to the program. His offensive production will be a big part of the success of this team early. Peyton Siva posted an offensive rating in the low 90’s last season and Gorgui Dieng is still barely scratching the surface of what he can do on both ends of the floor, but especially on offense. Both could become much more efficient scorers this season. Don’t forget about the above-mentioned Luke Hancock. The guy can be a scoring machine. And once he settles into the fast pace of the Big East he will also help an offense that struggled to score points last season. It is important to note that the Cards averaged 14 turnovers a game last season. A way to guarantee better offensive production is to give yourself more opportunities to score. So this team must protect the ball this season.

-The Coach: Coach Pitino has kept Cardinal Nation very informed during this off-season. His blogs have been a great treat to the folks like myself who thirst for basketball in the summer time. Coach also made some changes to his early season preparations this summer. He first made headlines when he outlawed his team from playing any pick up games while they were off. Coach Pitino: “I said I don’t want you playing pickup basketball, because that’s how you regress.”
Then instead of putting a major emphasis on his offensive and defensive sets he has increased emphasis on early season match ups, and changed his workouts so that his players get sharper faster. Coach Pitino: “We’d put the whole in first then work on the parts, but the parts weren’t really good. They’d grade out at a C or a B, and they’d start to become an A sometime in January or early February,” “Today, you may not be able to get where you want to go, because of the way you’re judged, if you don’t get there quicker.”
With the new rules allowing the coaching staff more time with their players in the off season and with the change in early season preparation I look for this team to start out of the gate fast. And they will need to as expectations are at an all time high.

-Great expectations: Depending on what source you check the Cards are ranked #1 or #2 by most basketball publications or analyst.

Lindy’s – #1 Louisville
Athlon – #2 Louisville
The Sporting News – #2 Louisville
Jay Bilas, ESPN – #1 Louisville
Bleacher Report – #2 Louisville
Sports Illustrated – #2 Louisville
Dick Vitale – #1 Louisville
College BB NBC – #2 Louisville
The Big Lead – #2 Louisville
SB Nation – #2 Louisville
Round Ball Direct – #1 Louisville

(courtesy UofLsports.com)

– Peyton Siva named third team 2012-13 preseason All-American by The Sporting News

Peyton Siva was named by Sporting News and NBCsports.com as a third team all-American. The Sporting News 2012-13 preseason All-American teams were selected by SN writers and editors, in consultation with coaches and scouts. NBC.com was selected by writing staff. Peyton is the only Cardinal and the only member of the Big East to be mentioned in that conversation. He has emerged as the go to guy for our Louisville Cardinal Basketball team and was the catalyst on both ends of the floor during the Final Four run. He will play a big role in the success of our team this year and will have to if the Cards expect to live up to the lofty expectations.

Peyton Siva’s stats: 9.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 5.6 apg, 1.7 spg, 40.2 FG%, 73.9 FT%, 1.6:1 A/TO

At the Cardinal Caravan this summer Peyton talked about his improvements and his expectations for the upcoming season.

On how he’s improved his game: “I’ve tried to improve on my decision making and changing speeds. Of course I’m always working on my jump shot trying to be more consistent.”

On his expectations for this season: “We want to get further than we did last year. We want to make the Final Four. I think we’ll have a better team than last year but we need to stay humble and hungry and pray we don’t get hurt. We’re used to being the underdogs but we need to stay humble and play every game like it’s our last.”

–SPORTING NEWS College basketball 2012-13 preseason All-American teams

–NBCSports.com’s All-America teams

Here’s some footage from this summers Caravan with Siva.