Monthly Archives: November 2012

“SAMFORD” AND “MY SON”

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– “Samford” and “My Son”

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The “Battle 4 Atlantis” started tonight in the KFC YUM center. It is expected to be one of the most entertaining and challenging early season tournaments of the year. At times our Cards did provide some entertainment but this one was far from being challenging as Louisville rolls to 2-0 on the early season beating Samford 80-54 on Thursday night.

The Bulldogs were not a high profile team, the game was a blow-out, and essentially meant nothing in the grand scheme of things but I will remember it forever. Other than watching my Cards win a national championship this will go down as the most important one of my life. November 15, 2012 was the night I celebrated my 40th and my son’s 1st birthday. It was also his very first Louisville Cardinal basketball game. I have always dreamed of sharing this special moment with my son and to get to do this on these monumental birthdays was really something.

Coming into this game tonight I had three questions. What kind of night would the Cards have on the boards? Would Wayne Blackshear start to get things going and start looking like the player we had seen in the Super-dome last March? Would Luke Hancock get things going and start providing the offensive production we were expecting of him this season?

Coach Pitino said after the Manhattan game that he was going to take the week and really focus on getting his guys to be more agressive on the boards, and he must have gotten their attention because tonight the answer to my first question was yes. The Cards dominated the boards and it wasn’t close as they pulled down 53 rebounds to Samford’s 28. Thanks to a big effort from Chane Behanan who had a game-high 18 boards and Gorgui Dieng who had 13 boards.

Coach Pitino: “We improved our rebounding and that was a staple.”

If you have been paying attention the last couple of weeks then you have noticed that Wayne Blackshear has been really quite on the court. So quiet that Coach Pitino came out during his weekly press conference and said that he didn’t think Wayne was back from his injuries at a 100% yet. I think Wayne has heard the rumblings about his early performance and the answer to my second question tonight was also answered with a yes. Wayne started the game and in 24 minutes of play he was the second highest scorer with 13 points. He also added 5 rebounds to go along with 2 steals. Tonight he did look more involved and in the post game interview he said that he played more aggressive and that he was starting to get his confidence back.

We all know that this team is in need of some instant offense and we thought we had the guy who would provide that in Luke Hancock. He came to us from George Mason University shooting 49% from the field and 34% from the 3. During his brief time as a player for the Cardinals he is shooting 18% from the field and 16% from the 3. And the answer to my 3rd question of the night was unfortunately a no as Luke shot 1-12 from the field, 1-10 from 3. He finished with just 4 points. To add something positive he did have 6 rebounds.

Coach Pitino: “Fans have no idea how down Luke is right now.” He also mentioned that shoulder injury was still a factor.

Was really good to see Russdiculous continue to provide an offensive spark to this team as he lead all scorers with 18 points. Would really like to see him add some assist to go along with that and after listening to Coach Pitino’s post game it sounds like he would also.

Coach Pitino: “Russ took some challenged shots there at the end so he could go home and call his father and tell him he scored 30.”

The Cardinals didn’t shoot well hitting just 39 percent from the field, 22 percent from three-point range, and 57 percent from the free throw line. But still had no problem winning the opener and concludes its home-stand Sunday against Miami (Ohio). These tuneups will hopefully prepare our Cards for tougher competition when it resumes the Battle 4 Atlantis on Thursday against Northern Iowa.

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GAME #2 BEAK BREAKDOWN “THE BULLDOGS”

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– Cards vs Bulldogs

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The most anticipated early season tournament of the year “The Battle for Atlantis” kicks off Thursday with the preliminary games. Our Cards will face the Southern Conferences Samford Bulldogs in their opening round at the KFC Yum center.

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Samford begins a new era with the hiring of Indiana assistant Bennie Seltzer. He spent the last six years working under Tom Crean at Marquette and Indiana. The Birmingham native took over at Samford on April 5. The job is Seltzer’s first as a head coach, but after everything he saw in Bloomington, he thinks he has the tools and poise to tackle the task ahead of him. The Bulldogs don’t have a Senior on the roster but do return three starters and a couple key contributors off of a team that won 11 games last season. Seltzer and his newly formed staff rounded up a five-player recruiting class that includes a pair of Florida high school players of the year.

-In-conference offense: 1.05 points per possession (3rd)
-In-conference defense: 1.08 points allowed per possession (12th)

Coach Seltzer: “We have some skill players and we’ve got a couple of tough guys,””That skill set and that toughness, that gives you a chance.”

The Bulldog Players:

Tyler Hood SOPH (11.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg) All-SoCon freshman team last year. Hit 47 percent of his shot attempts last year. Sports the highest scoring average of any returning player.

Raijon Kelly SOPH (9.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg) All-SoCon freshman team last year. Hit 46 percent of his shot attempts last year.

Will Cook JR (8.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg) Is the lone member of the junior class who started on a regular basis last season. The 6-4 guard started every game. Grabs an unusual number of boards for a 6-4 guard.

The guys above are the three returnees who started on a regular basis last season.

Connor Miller SOPH (2.6 ppg, 1.2 rpg) Gained valuable experience last season averaged more than 10 minutes per game off the bench.

Brandon Haymen SOPH (3.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg) Gained valuable experience last season averaged more than 10 minutes per game off the bench.

Levi Barnes JR (6-10, 205) Didn’t see the floor much a year ago.

Gregg Wooten JR (6-2, 195) Redshirted because of a leg injury suffered in the preseason.

Hamilton Bailey JR (6-4, 190) Didn’t see the floor much a year ago.

Arthur McMillan JR (6-6, 220) After starting his career at Morehead State, McMillan played at Lawson State (Ala.) Community College last season.

Clide Geffrard, Jr. FR (6-5, 215) Florida high school player of the year. Expected to be a great scorer.

Russel Wilson FR (5-11, 170) Florida high school players of the year. Has shown the capability of being a hard-nosed defender.

Jaylen Beckham FR (6-0, 160) Seltzer believes Beckham, might end up being a steal. And says he is a high major player.

Tim Williams FR (6-8, 210) Chicago product who originally signed with FIU before Isiah Thomas left the school. Seltzer believes he can contribute right away.

Seltzer is a defensive minded coach who will have his team playing a hard nosed style. They won’t be afraid to lock it up with the Cards Thursday and he will have them expecting a win.

Coach Seltzer: “I’m going to take the same approach we took at Indiana,” “We’re going to try to win every single game. We’re going to be prepared to win every single game. We’re going to prepare like we’re trying to win a championship.”

Our Cards are coming off a decent performance in their first game, but do expect improvement in some areas. I know I’ll be looking for Wayne Blackshear and Luke Hancock to have better games and become more involved in the scoring. We will also see if the offense continues to improve as the players become more conditioned and acclimated to the season. I do expect a big night from our frontcourt, but will the rebounding be better?

I think we’ve got too much depth and talent for Samford to put up much of a challenge. And expect our Cards to run away in this one early.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 84 Samford 57

A “RUSSDICULOUS” HOMECOMING FOR MASIELLO

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– “Russdiculous” homecoming for Masiello

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The first thing Coach Steve Masiello said when he hit the podium this afternoon “Well, that was some homecoming.” And boy was it ever? It was a “Russdiculous” homecoming for the Jaspers head coach as our #2 Louisville Cardinals beat Manhattan 79-51 in their season opener.

This past week the horse “Russdiculous” finished 4th place in a race, but today it was the two legged “Russdiculous” who led his team to a victory scoring 23 points on 8-18 shooting and making 4 of 13 from the 3 point line. Smith was also disruptive on the defensive end, with five steals. Chane Behanan made his return to the Cardinal line-up and had nine rebounds with eight points. Peyton Siva had 10 points and 10 assists, while Kevin Ware added 10 points for the Cardinals.

Coach Pitino when asked today Who can you not win without?: “Russ Smith”

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Louisville’s consensus top-5 preseason ranking is largely based around a strong defense. According to Synergy Sports Technology, the Cardinals held opponents to 0.764 points per play (PPP) last season and only 38.4 percent shooting. Today the Cardinal Defense would keep that going as they held Manhattan to 35.7 percent shooting. Our Cards scored 32 points, off 27 Manhattan turnovers which was 40,5 percent of all scoring, and they had 16 steals.

I don’t think any of us harbor any illusions about this teams offense and we know that they must cut down on their turnovers in order to get more opportunities to score. This team must also continue to get better on the boards as they were out-rebounded again today 37-33.

Coach Pitino: “One area of improvement has to be rebounding from the guard spot,” “On Monday, I’m going to show Montrezl and Gorgui tapes of Ken Faried.”

Coach Pitino: “The threes are all wide open, we’ve got to make those. Luke and Wayne have to make more of those. Russ rushes them too much.”

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It wasn’t an overly impressive victory but Louisville led this game from start to finish and win their 9th straight opener. Next up will be their first game in the “Battle for Atlantis” Tournament on Thursday vs Samford.

“ANNOYING” ORANGE

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– “Annoying” Orange

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The Louisville Cardinal football team’s quest for a perfect season came to an end yesterday as the “Annoying” Orange overwhelmed the Cards in a 45-26 rout.

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Our Cards rolled into the Carrier Dome yesterday playing with house money. They had everything going their way. The Orange were playing with their backs against the wall, and needed a win to have a chance at playing in a Bowl game. It was also Senior day and Homecoming. These things proved to be all the motivation needed to pull this major upset. The Orange put 524 yards on a Louisville defense that looked unimpressive. And were lead by their senior QB Ryan Nassib who put on one last show for his home crowd throwing 15 of 23 for 246 yards and three touchdowns. Jerome Smith ran for 144 yards. And go figure! It was a guy for the Orange who’s last name is Lemon that roamed free through the Cardinals secondary all day, catching nine passes for 176 yards.

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Coach Strong:“I am very embarrassed today for our program,” “We didn’t play well – the preparation and the execution weren’t there. We didn’t play well in all three phases – offense, defense and the kicking game. We have a lot to learn from this game.”

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Coach Doug Marrone:“We were able to get the ball vertically down the field. We had a good balanced attack.”

It was a positive thing to see our offense continue its pace yesterday behind Teddy QB who completed 36-of-49 passes for 424 yards and three touchdowns. Eli Rodgers who had 10 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown.

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Keep your heads up Cardinal football fans. I seem to remember this time last year when the Orange posted a 49-23 win over West Virginia in the Carrier Dome. That also happens to be the last time Syracuse beat the #11 team in the AP Poll. But we all know what happened then. Syracuse did not win another game and finished 5-7. Meanwhile the loss proved to be some type of reality check for WVU as they won out, became Big East champs, and went to the Orange Bowl. They say history repeats itself and in this case it will. It was “Annoying” to lose Saturday but the train is still rolling in the right direction. And our Cardinal football team will finish what they started.

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It is an off weekend next Saturday as our Cards will have a week to reflect and lick their wounds before returning home to face UConn in the final home game of the season.

GAME #1 BEAK BREAKDOWN “THE JASPERS”

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-GAME #1 Cards vs. Jaspers

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It’s here folks! Our #2 ranked Louisville Cardinal basketball team starts their march to Atlanta on Sunday as they will face former UofL assistant Steve Masiello’s Manhattan Jaspers.

This will be a tough opening game for our Cards as Steve Masiello has created a winning attitude in his short time with the program. The Jaspers finished second in their conference in both offensive and defensive efficiency last season and return 80 percent of their possession minutes. In Steve Masiello’s first season at the helm, the Jaspers played a style very reminiscent of Louisville under Rick Pitino. So it’s no surprise that they have one of the best defenses in their league. They also have a pretty good offense as well.

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2011-12 MAAC league rankings in offense and defense:

-In-conference offense: 1.05 points per possession (2nd) In-conference

-defense: 0.94 points allowed per possession (2nd)

Senior George Beamon, Juniors Michael Alvarado, and Rhamel Brown will be the guys asked to lead this Manhattan team that has more depth than the program has seen in recent years. They return their entire starting lineup and have a roster full of guys that have seen major minutes. The offense flows nicely through George Beamon and point guard Michael Alvarado. Alvarado was injured near the end of last season, which led to Manhattan dropping five of their final eight conference games. But a healthy Alvarado and the development of point forward Emmy Andujar should give Masiello a variety of options for offense against our Louisville Cards.

Coach Masiello: “I think we have a lot of weapons this year. This is one of the deepest teams I have been around in all of my coaching and playing years.”

THE JASPER ROSTER:

George Beamon: 6-4 senior (19.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.5 spg), He is a guy that will stuff the stat sheet every time out. He’s one of the league’s top players, he led the MAAC in scoring and was third in 3-point percentage (.427).

Michael Alvardo: 6-2 junior (8.5 ppg, 3.2 apg, 1.4 spg), this hard-nosed point guard is consider the floor general of the Jasper squad.

Rhamel Brown: 6-6 Junior (7.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg), the forward, led the team in blocks with 84 and was voted the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. He is the first Jasper to earn the award, was 19th in the nation in blocks (2.8 bpg) and has 147 in his career.

Emmy Andujar: 6-6 Sophomore, MAAC All-Rookie Team selection, started 32 of 33 appearances averaging 8.5 points per game.

Paul Bayt: 6-4 Freshman, averaged about 15 points and shot nearly 40% from three-point territory in two seasons at Park Tudor High School.

Roberto Colonette: 6-7 Graduate, Played in all 34 games, starting 26 times, averaged 6.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and nearly one block in 18.1 minutes per game.

CJ Jones: 6-0 Freshman, Ranked in the top 30 for point guards in the 2012 recruiting class by ESPN.com.

Donovan Kates: 6-6 Sophomore, Played in all 34 games, starting 11 times, averaged 5.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and knocked down 23 three pointers in 16.6 minutes per game.

Mohamed Koita: 6-4 Senior, Appeared in 33 games, starting 25 games, averaged 2.9 points, 1.6 rebounds and swiped nine steals in 13.3 minutes per game.

Adam Lacey: 6-10 Freshman, Top-100 recruit at his position in the nation for 2012 according to ESPN.com.

Ryan McCoy: 6-9 Sophomore, Played in all 34 games, starting twice, scored 55 points, grabbed 34 rebounds and dished out 21 assists.

Ashton Pankey: 6-10 Sophomore, (Maryland Transfer): Played in all 32 games, making 17 starts, averaged 4.7 points and 4.9 rebounds over 20.3 minutes per contest, led the Terps in rebounding.

Shane Richards: 6-5 Freshman, Ranked 17th best prospect from New York State in the 2012 recruiting class by ESPN.com.

RaShawn Stores: 5-11 Sophomore, Sat out due to NCAA requirements.

Sky Williams: 6-2 Freshman, Tuckahoe High School’s all-time leading scorer with over 1,537 career points.

Mark Jackson, Jr.: 6-3 Redshirt Sophmore, (Louisville transfer): Appeared in three games for our Cards. He won’t play this season for the Jasper’s.

Beamon, Colonette, Brown and Alvardo are proven talents, but Masiello’s young players, including several newcomers need to contribute, too. Pankey arrives with the most hype, but he needs to show why he was an ACC recruit.

Last season Manhattan struggled a bit early during non-conference play while adjusting to Masiello’s system. The adjustment period is over, but the Jaspers have a daunting schedule in front of them and it starts with the battle Sunday in the KFC Yum Center.

Expected starters for our Cards Siva, Smith, Hancock, Harrell, and Dieng. During the exhibition part of the schedule our Cardinals have pretty much played like we have all expected. The defense is coming along and the offense is streaky. The frontcourt has been dominate especially with the addition of Harrell. This will be the difference in this game. Our size, and power down low will take over. Cards win this one in a good opening test, and don’t expect it to be a blow out.

Beak Prediction:
Louisville 70 Manhattan 63

-(Last Minute addendum)
Manhattan star George Beamon will not play in the Jaspers game at Louisville on Sunday due to an ankle injury.

“TO 3, OR NOT TO 3”

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– “To 3, or not to 3”

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“To 3, or not to 3” that was the question last night in the KFC Yum center as our Cards beat Bellarmine 65-46 in the final tune up of the exhibition portion of the schedule.

Louisville is set up nicely for a potentially memorable 2012-13 campaign. The pieces are in place for a very deep NCAA Tournament run and some are already predicting that the Cardinals will claim their first National Title since 1986. With those lofty expectations as the backdrop one of the main areas of concern for this team is their ability to shoot the basketball. Last night those fears surfaced when the Cards had a dismal shooting performance from three-point range. They missed their first 17 attempts before Luke Hancock connected with 4:04 left in the game. They ended up shooting 1 for 19 on the night.

Coach Pitino: ”We know we’re not a great shooting team, it’s evident.”

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Despite a terrible night shooting the three ball our Cards were able to dominate inside. Fab Frosh Montrezl Harrell proved my preseason hype valid once again as he led all scores with 16 points. Our nationally recognized center Gorgui Dieng also had a very solid effort putting together a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. He also had three blocked shots. Cards outscored the Knights 42-16 in the paint.

The other highlight of the night was the Cards defensive performance. They were able to hold a very feisty Bellarmine team to 26.7 percent from the field.

Coach Pitino: “Our defense was good and that’s what we’re trying to build on.”

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With the exhibition portion of the schedule now complete our Cards will prepare for their season opener on Sunday against former UofL assistant Steve Masiello’s Manhattan Jaspers. He has quickly restored the winning tradition back to the basketball program in Riverdale and it should be a good opening challenge for our Cards.

Coach Masiello tweeted tonight during the game: This is the best Louisville team I have ever seen their size and depth is scary. Think we will just stay in NYC.

Yup I’d say he’s playing it up just a little.

THE BEAK PREVIEW: Cards vs. Orange

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– The Quest for perfection rolls on

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Our Louisville Cardinals are 9-0 (4-0 Big East) and Cardinal Nation is “On the Train.” This weekend the train rolls into the Carrier Dome and the Cards quest for a perfect season continues as they face the Syracuse Orange 4-5 (3-2 Big East). The Orange are on a quest of their own as their backs are against the wall. With just three games left they need to win two for bowl eligibility.

Coach Strong: “Every game carries a lot of weight. This is a big road game. It’s a team that needs wins to be bowl eligible.”

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Cuse comes into this game after suffering a 35-24 loss to conference rival Cincinnati last weekend. Syracuse fell apart late in the 3rd quarter and could not get anything going offensively down the stretch. Syracuse got 116 yards and a TD from running back Jerome Smith and Ryan Nassib threw for 286 yards and a TD. The Orange defense was really exposed as they gave up 165 yards and 3 TD’s to Cincy running back George Winn and despite holding quarterback Munchie Legaux in check, could not prevent the Bearcats from finding the end zone 5 times. Our Cards roll into this game after the most convincing win of the season with a 45-17 win over Temple. Our Cards dominated the game in all facets as they racked up 508 total yards and pitched a scoreless second half effort on defense. Teddy QB was 19-28 for 324 yards, 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in a flawless performance. Jeremy Wright carried the ball 10 times for 100 yards and a TD, Wide receiver Andrell Smith had 2 TD’s, and Devante Parker also had a TD.

Coach Doug Marrone on UofL: “It’s the best team we will have played so far.”

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Coach Doug Marrone on Teddy QB: “Even with the tough out-of-conference schedule, I would say Teddy Bridgewater is the best quarterback that we will face so far this season.”

Coach Doug Marrone on his QB: “We need him to stay within himself and not try to force things.”

Syracuse has not been a dominating home team in years, Senior Ryan Nassib has always put up good numbers, but been inconsistent in clutch situations, the team has no star running back, most of the top receivers are gone, and the lines are suspect. But they have played well of late and have the players capable of pulling off this upset. The Syracuse offense has been predictable in recent years, and to hang with our Cards they will need to open it up a bit. Not only will they have to establish their running game they will also need a solid effort in their passing attack. Their defense will also need a herculean effort and apply a lot of pressure on our offense. I feel very confident about our Cards chances in this one but looming in the back of my mind is that WVU game last year. Syracuse stunned then-No. 14 West Virginia in a Big East Friday night showdown 49-23 on ESPN last October. The Mountaineers entered the game averaging 40.8 points and 500-plus total yards. The Orange hadn’t scored that many points in the series since 1960, but thrilled its largest home crowd in three years (45,265) with the lopsided conference win.

Coach Strong: “This is a big game for us at Syracuse. I think back to last year when WVU was ranked and went into Syracuse and lost. We have to be ready.”

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Coach Strong on Cuse offense: “On offense, they’re balanced and they have an outstanding QB. They want to establish the run but they can pass it.”

Coach Strong on Cuse defense: They like to bring a lot of pressure. It will be a good test for us.”

Some trends to consider – Louisville is 14-4 against the spread in their last 18 road games and Syracuse is 3-10-1 against the spread in their last 14 games overall.

The bottom line is that this is going to be an emotional day for the Orange. This could be a pivotal game for their season and their head coach Doug Marrone. They have all types of gimmicks going on in the Carrier Dome on Saturday including the senior day ceremonies. But our Cards have took on every challenge this season. They have shown great resilience and I think Teddy QB will have another career performance in the dome setting. The train will keep rolling and our Cards will get the victory and move to 10-0.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 45 Syracuse 21

CARDS BEAT THE OWLS AND 9-0 IS A ‘HOOT”

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– Our Cards are undefeated and its a “Hoot”

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I’m bursting with Cardinal Pride today and it was a “Hoot” to watch our #10 Cards remain undefeated with a 45-17 victory over Temple. 20 years from now I’ll be watching a Louisville Cardinal Football game with my son and they will do a trivia segment: When was Louisville’s first 9-0 start? And I’ll smile and remember this day. It is hard to believe that almost 3 years ago we were all feeling like the folks down the road with a 4-8 season looming. I’m very proud of this team and Coach Strong. And UofL may not be able to beat anyone in the country but they can play with anyone… which is the only shot a team needs. Right?

Coach Strong: “Who’s to say, when you look at undefeated teams, take us and let us go play some of those teams and see where we stand or fall.”

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The Owls came out just as I thought they would and punched the Cards in the mouth as the kick coverage breaks down when Temple’s Matt Brown returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown. And the Owls were able to take the lead a couple of times in the first half behind Montel Harris and the powerful Temple running attack. These were areas I had mentioned with concern in my pre-game post. Even though the Cards sleep walked through much of the first half they were able to keep the owls caged with an offensive that looked awesome today. Teddy QB threw for a career 324 yards and 5 touchdowns, as he simply picked apart the Owls coverage. Andrell Smith also had a big day as he hauled in a pair of touchdowns, while Ryan Hubbell, DeVante Parker and Eli Rogers each caught a score in the win. Jeremy Wright had a solid effort as he ran for a 100 yards and scored a touchdown.

Coach Strong: “At start of game, you’re like, ‘My God, that’s an 8-0 football team?’ That’s what I was saying.”

Coach Strong on Kickoff Coverage: “A major concern. No. 1, we need to get the ball kicked. … We have to do a better job.”

Coach Strong on the Defense: “The only thing that bothered me on defense was the missed tackles.”

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Our Cards had rallied for wins in each of their past five games so it was good to see this one get put on cruise control as we got to see heady QB Will Stein finish the game.

(ABC Telecast dubbing our team the “CARDIAC CARDS”)
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The Cards have some areas to improve on and have yet to put together a complete game, but that gives us something to look forward to. I don’t need to look too far ahead though as our Cards have a lot of work left to do and it will start with a tough road battle next weekend in the Carrier Dome as they will face a hungry Syracuse team that lost to Cincy today.

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It’s a great day to be a Cardinal fan. Enjoy the moment folks!

A BANNER, A BULLET, AND A BEAST

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– A Banner, A Bullet, and A Beast

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It was a great night for the Cardinal Nation. Basketball season has officially begun and the road to Atlanta started tonight in the KFC Yum Center. It was a night where we got to see a our 2012 Ncaa Final Four Banner revealed, got to formally give “The Bullet” Elisha Justice his Final Four ring, and got to see the freshman Montrezl Harrell have a beast of a night in the win over Pikeville 93-57.

The Cards showed flashes tonight of why they have such a lofty ranking to start the season. This team is deep, versatile, and loaded at every spot. Yes we played a very undermanned Pikeville squad but they are a very well coached team and a scrappy bunch. They found out quick like most teams will this season that this Cardinal squad is for real. The night began with a quick ceremony revealing the 2012 Final Four banner and Coach Pitino presenting Elisha Justice with his Final Four ring. Then the game got underway. If you have been reading this blog then you know what I have been saying about Montrezl Harrell all along. Tonight he made me look like a genius. He lead all scorers with 19 points, had 13 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots. He was truely in beast mode. I got a few words for Mr. Behanan “You better wake up”. Coach Pitino would say after the game about Montrezl “He is a relentless player, and he is going to be great. He is a raw player who needs to work on his footwork and fundamentals. He is like a sponge wanting to soak up the information.”

There were other Cards that also had a great showing. Gorgui Dieng had 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots. He is a great defensive force for this team and is the foundation from which this defense works. Russ Smith and Peyton Siva finished the game with 17 points and both were very good on the defensive end of the floor. Coach Pitino said after the game “If there are 2 better guards in the nation I want to see them.” He raved about his guards saying that they will be “hard to deal with” for other teams.

FINAL STATS
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It was a really good vibe in the Yum center tonight as over 20,000 fans got to welcome in the new season. Hopefully it will end with us all in Atlanta watching our Cards cut down the nets in the Final Four.

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(FINAL FOUR BANNER REVEALED)