Monthly Archives: December 2012

“dipsy-doo KANGAROO”

Posted on by
Reply

Uploaded from the Photobucket <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> iPhone App

Untitled-14-4-1

Our #5 ranked Louisville Cardinals came out today and completely dominated the Kangaroos in every facet of the game. They cruised to the victory in front of 20,070 fans 99-47.

The Cards picked up where they left off on Thursday night and completely overwhelmed the Roos from the opening tip. The Cards came into this game out-scoring opponents by 20.4 points per contest, and holding them to only 53.9 ppg. And forcing 21.9 turnovers (+8.9), while out-rebounding the opposition by 8.3 per outing. Today they out-scored the Roos by 52 pts, held them to just 19 pts in the second half, scored 35 pts off of 24 turnovers, and out-rebounded them 47 to 33.

Our Cards are one of the deepest teams in the country, UL has nine players that average at least 15 minutes a game, and seven players that average 5+ points a game. Today the bench scored 49 pts behind solid efforts from Luke Hancock with 15 pts, 6 reb, 5 asst, Montrezl Harrell 14 pts, 7 reb, and Kevin Ware 8 pts, 7 reb, 4 steals.

Just another day at the office, and another All-American performance for Russ Smith. He came into this game averaging 19.0 points per game, along with 25 steals. Today he had a career high 31 points, had 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals. And it was a quiet day from is back-court partner Peyton Siva. Peyton came into this one scoring 11 pts a game, with 45 assists, and 23 steals. Today he had 4 pts, 6 asst, and 1 steal.

After the game Rick Pitino on Russ: “I think he’s one of the best players in the country.”

It was fun watching the Cards flex their muscle today and take care of business the way they should over a team like this. Rick has got these guys buying into this defense early and it will only continue to get better. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the defense clicking this well this early. That extra time allowed by the NCAA this summer looks to be paying off. I’m very confident when I say that with Gorgui back and fully healthy this is the best defensive team in the country.

The Cards will now get a full week off and will have a much tougher battle next Saturday as they will travel to face a familiar foe in Memphis. Really looking forward to that one.

EC9FE003-37C7-4709-9843-42589FE297DA-3136-000002FEA2271F1E

GAME #9 BEAK BREAKDOWN “The Kangaroos”

Posted on by
Reply

Uploaded from the Photobucket <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> iPhone App

Untitled-51-5

Our #5 Cards (7-1) return home this Saturday for a 2pm showdown with the Summit Leagues UMKC Kangaroos (4-4). The Cards are coming into this one after a very impressive win on Tuesday night. The Kangaroos are also coming into this game after a win against North Dakota.

8789848E-DDC3-403C-A94B-0E3CA29A6CCD-1440-000001047A07338C

In-conference offense: 1.00 points per possession (9th)
In-conference defense: 1.10 points allowed per possession (6th)

Matt Brown is in his sixth season as the head coach of the UMKC men’s basketball program, and has a 59-102 overall record at the helm. The Roos are coming off a disappointing 10-21 season but they have achieved roster stability over the past two seasons after enduring a rash of transfers in the early years of Matt Brown’s tenure. And he’s hoping that the players he has returning have improved. After counting on three sophomores and a freshman last season, his roster is aging. And he added to his team’s experience by signing three junior college transfers. The Roos have played at least 10 players in every game, and at least 11 in all but one. Eight different players have scored double figure points, with five different guys leading them in points. However, no player on the team averages double figure points. They have played another top 5 team this season. They traveled to Columbus and played #3 Ohio St. They lost badly in that one 91-45. Worth a mention that this team finished dead last in the league in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentage. Not good when they are facing a Cards team that out-rebounds the opposition by 8.3 per an outing.

Coach Matt Brown: “We played a lot of the kids early last year,” “We’re really relying heavily upon that junior class. Hopefully, the sophomores that became juniors will be a lot better.”

The Kangaroo players:

Thomas Staton SR (9.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg) 6-6 G/F has been the ‘Roos hottest player, averaging 12.2 points per game in his last five games. He has scored 74 pts this season and played 142 min.

Brad Reid SR (2.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg) 6-11 C doesn’t see much playing time averaging just 12 minutes this season. He has scored 19 pts this season and played 96 min.

Nate Rogers JR (7.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg) 6-1 G is a DePaul transfer who started 9 games last year. He led all scorers in the last game with a career-best 16 points on a career-best four threes made. He has scored 59 pts this season and played 175 min.

Nelson Kirksey JR (5.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg) 6-3 G/F is a junior college transfers who made his first start for the Roos in their last game. He has scored 42 pts this season and played 124 min.

Alton Tanner JR (3.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg) 6-8 F adds athleticism and rebounding to this team. He has scored 25 pts and played 88 min.

Fred Chatmon JR (7.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg) 6-9 F/C has had career best in his last 3 games. And had a double-double his last time out. He has scored 63 pts, grabbed 57 rebounds and played 181 min.

Trinity Hall JR (5.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg) 6-7 F is the leading returning scorer. He’s consider to be one of the best wing players in the Summit League. Has performed at a high level at times, but over the course of the season he’s been susceptible to committing lots of turnovers and poor shot selection. He has scored 40 pts this season and played 175 min.

Kirk Korver JR (9.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg) 6-7 F/C is the last in line of the famous Korver family. He’s a good rebounder and a very good shooter. He hit 32 percent of his 3-point tries last season. He has scored 74 pts this season and played 187 min.

Estan Tyler SOPH (9.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg) 6-1 G is the fourth returning starter. He is a very aggressive scorer and one of the best point guards in the summit league. He has scored 76 pts this season and played 228 min.

John Burke FR (1.2 ppg, 1.0 rpg) 6-3 G has not seen that much PT. Has scored 6 pts this season and played 36 min.

Mason Wedel FR (2.6 ppg, 0.9 rpg) 6-1 G has been the most productive freshman. He has scored 21 pts, has 10 assist, and 7 rebounds this season. Has played 100 min.

Trevor Franklin FR (2.7 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 6-6 F has scored 8 pts this season and played 26 min.

The Cards came out Tuesday and took care of business. The defense continues to adjust without Gorgui but it looked very good. The Cards are holding opponents to only 53.9 ppg and are forcing 21.9 turnovers per game. But it seems like every season we have that one game where we play down to the level of competition. And even in the last home game these guys sleep walked through the first half. I’d like to see them come out Saturday and have the same intensity and sense of purpose they played with Tuesday. We’ll see if they can match that.

This will be the very first meeting between the Roos and Cards. And it will be a good payday for them. But they are 0-15 all-time against ranked teams and I expect that to be 0-16 when they leave town on Saturday evening. Cards are gonna coast in this one and the only question is by how much.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 90 UMKC 43

“D” FENSE!

Posted on by
Reply

Uploaded from the Photobucket <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> iPhone App

Untitled-76_zpsfa4adedf

The 5000 seat venue in Charleston S.C. was packed to the rafters but the cougar fans were barely able to take off their coats before this game got completely out of control as our #5 Cards roll the Cougars tonight 80-38.

One of the questions in my preview for this game was if the Cards defense would look better and if they would start to adjust things for life without Gorgui. And tonight they looked very good on the defensive end of the floor. From the opening tip, these guys were on their toes with very active feet and hands. The Cards finished with a season-high 18 steals and forced COC into a season-high 27 turnovers. They were only averaging 11 turnovers coming into this game. For as good as the defense did look they still seemed at times to be a little weak down low. COC sophomore C Adjehi Baru was able to have his way in the lane and scored 16 points with 14 rebounds.

Another thing I was looking for tonight was the arrival of Kevin Ware and Wayne Blackshear. And tonight was their coming out party of sorts as Ware finished the game with 9 points, 2 steals and 2 rebounds. Blackshear was the leading scorer with 18 points and was 3-7 from three-point land. It is so important to get these guys going especially without Gorgui in the line-up. I hope this is just the beginning of things to come. The big three for the Cards Siva, Smith, and Behanan also had great nights. Chane finished with 10 points and 6 rebounds. Russ and Peyton combined for 25 points, 7 assist and 9 steals. And the Cards did a great job getting to the free-throw line and made the shots when they got there. They were 18-20 shooting 90%.

Coach Pitino: “I can’t tell you who didn’t play great tonight.. we evolved into the team we were last year.”

Things were really clicking tonight for the Cards. They flexed their muscle in this impressive performance. And if they keep improving on the defensive side of things it could be better than it was last year. Also with players like Stephan and Montrezl getting valuable playing time, this will only help our chances at making a national title run when Gorgui does return to the line-up.

Coach Pitino: “I got to spend a little time with John Kreese, a little time with Bobby Cremins, I got to see my daughter, and we played great.” “It couldn’t have gone better.”
(courtesy of UofLsports.com)

DECC7A04-667E-437C-A904-B43143A5C533-781-0000007FAF7B2C45_zpsf6630831

GAME #8 BEAK BREAKDOWN “The Cougars”

Posted on by
Reply

Uploaded from the Photobucket <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> iPhone App

Untitled-51-5

The (6-1) Cards take their #5 ranking on the road Tuesday night to face a (5-2) College of Charleston team on their home floor. This will be the first true road test for the Cards.

83CBB212-7C03-497B-A4A3-3360B87A29FC-374-000000375164B24E_zpsdd711b67

College of Charleston Bobby Cremins took a leave of absence in the middle of last season and ultimately decided to leave the bench for good, retiring last spring. Former Tulsa coach Doug Wojcik now takes over a very capable team with a solid nucleus returning from a team that won 19 games a year ago. A team that went Into the Ferrell Center 9 days ago and beat the No. 24 ranked Baylor Bears on their home court. The game Tuesday night against our No. 5 Cards will be the biggest home game this season for COC. And the biggest one they’ve had since hosting No. 9 North Carolina on Jan. 4, 2010. They were able to beat Carolina in that game in overtime.

Coach Doug Wojcik: “Coach Cremins and his staff did a very good job,” “They got kids with high character. It’s a very attractive job and allows me personally to get back to the East Coast.”

In-conference offense: 0.98 points per possession (10th)
In-conference defense: 0.95 points allowed per possession (2nd)

The Cougars Players:

Andrew Lawrence SR (14 ppg, 4.0 rpg) 6-1 G had a strong first season as COC starting point guard, leading the league in steals per game and owning an assist rate in the national top 75. Lawrence competed for Great Britain in the Olympics over the summer. He’s a heady floor general with a nice scoring touch and a knack for getting his teammates the ball in scoring positions. He has scored 84 pts this season with 26 assist and played 167 min.

Matt Sundberg SR (3.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg) 6-8 F will also look to expand his role after seeing action as a reserve last season. The senior appeared in 29 games. He has scored 20 pts this season and played 53 min.

Bart Benton SR (0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 6-1 G has not played this season.

Anthony Thomas JR (8.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg) 6-7 F is a junior college transfer who figures to play the small forward position. He led Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College with his averages of 14.8 points and 7.2 rebounds last season. He has scored 59 pts this season and played 216 min.

Nori Johnson JR (5.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg) 6-5 G/F after starting on a limited basis a year ago. He showed flashes of his scoring potential while logging just under 18 minutes a game. He has scored 37 pts this season and played 153 min.

Trent Wiedeman JR (11.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg) 6-8 F ranked in the top 75 nationally in defensive board rate and made
the media’s all-league third team last season. He provides the Cougars with a physical presence in the paint. He has scored 35 pts this season and played 85 min.

Willis Hall JR (8.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg) 6-6 F redshirted last year but has been a big boost to this team playing a major role in the Baylor upset. He scored 12 points, including six in a row at the end to help COC seal the deal. He has scored 58 pts this season and played 147 min.

Adjehi Baru SOPH (7.6 ppg, 8.9 rpg) 6-9 F/C an all-freshman team pick, grabbed more than 10 percent of available offensive boards last season. He brings great range and athleticism to the mix. He has scored 53 pts this season and grabbed an impressive 62 rebounds. He’s played 234 min.

Pat Branin SOPH (1.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 6-1 G Has only played 1 min this season.

Anthony Stitt SOPH (10.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg) 6-1 G made the most of his time on the floor as a freshman, displaying efficiency on the offensive end by knocking down 45 percent of his shot attempts. He has scored 74 pts this season and played 227 min.

Trevonte Dixon SOPH (0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 6-4 G has not played much this season.

Judson Hall SOPH (0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 6-6 F has not played much this season.

Theo Johnson FR (2.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg) 6-6 G/F sports length, athleticism and plenty of potential. He has scored 18 pts this season and played 104 min.

Chad Cooke FR (0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 6-0 G has not played much this season.

Harrison Bowne FR (2.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 6-6 F has played limited minutes this season.

This COC team gave our Cards everything they could handle last year in the KFC YUM Center. They are gonna pack that 5000 seat gym down there to the rafters as this will be the biggest game on their schedule this season. And with the upset over 24th ranked Baylor the Cougars could guarantee themselves a NCAA bid with a win over the 5th ranked Cards. There has been much build up leading to this one and most have circled it on their calendar as a great early season ballgame. This game was named the #20 OOC game by Sports Illustrated’s Andy Glockner. Here’s what he said: ”C of C actually hosts two Big East teams this season — St. John’s is the opponent in the first round of the Charleston Classic but this is the headliner, even with Bobby Cremins no longer on the Charleston sideline. The Cougars gave the Cards everything they wanted last season at the KFC Yum! Center.”

Our Cards played hard at the end of their game Saturday but did look less than impressive as they were almost upset by Illinois St. They got great performances out of the big three of Smith, Siva and Behanan. But Ware, Blackshear and Hancock were non-factors. To win a tough road game like this one of those guys will have to be a part of it. And with a few more days of practice without Gorgui it will be interesting to see if the defense can do a better job of keeping players out of the lane and their big guy from getting easy baskets.

Folks this one will not be easy at all. Very tough road game in a very tough environment. They are licking their chops to give our Cards their second loss. I’m hoping we see some of our talent rise to the occasion and win a tough battle.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 83 College of Charleston 79

“CAT”astrophe

Posted on by
Reply

Uploaded from the Photobucket <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> iPhone App

036_zps4981b5e5

It was the ladies that took center stage tonight for their annual “Battle of the Bluegrass”. It was a very physical battle between two very good defensive teams. The Cards blow a 14 point lead in the end and lose on a last second 3 point shot 48-47 to the Cats.

Coach Jeff Walz: “It went in. It was a good shot, we just didn’t have our hand up. It doesn’t even come down to that. We go 3 of 6 in the last 2:30 from the free throw line. We gave them the ball game. Our kids played hard as can be, I thought they competed, did a great job.”

Both of these teams came out and played a very tough and physical basketball game. Neither of them were able to get anything going early on. Shoni Schimmel was able to get things going about midway through the first half for the Cards when she hit a couple of big outside shots. The Cards would take a lead into halftime 23-18. They came out after the half and it looked like they were going to put this one on cruise control. That’s the way most of the recent battles between these teams had ended. But not this one. The Cards were unable to hit some big free throws down the stretch. The UK defense would toughen up and their freshman player Janee Thompson would come alive scoring all of her 13 points in the second half. She scored the final 6 points for the Cats including the 3 pointer that was the game winner.

Shoni Shimmel lead the Cards tonight with 13 followed by Sara Hammond with 12. Antonita Slaughter had a big night on the glass grabbing 9 rebounds. This was a heart breaking loss as they all are when you lose to your biggest rival but I was very impressed with how physical this team plays and how aggressive they are on the defensive end of the floor. The season is still very young and there is a lot of basketball left to play. I have no doubt that this team will be right in the middle of things in March.

0C3B60A3-7E5B-4753-A846-7FD85B202B08-2935-000002B50F4433FD_zps6b7d0c54

bbblbbbr

A GAME “FOR THE BIRDS”

Posted on by
Reply

Uploaded from the Photobucket <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> iPhone App

Untitled-44

Today was a battle of birds in the KFC Yum Center. The Redbirds battled the Cardinals toe-to-toe and blow for blow in a game that ended with ISU attempting a last second 3 point shot that fell just short. It was our #5 Louisville Cardinals that came out on top 69-66.

Coach Pitino: “You guys don’t believe me because I tell you how great bad teams are, but this team, the Missouri Valley Conference, is terrific.”

If Card Nation had any questions about what Gorgui Dieng means to this team they were answered today. Not only did the cards struggle at times to get in any type of offensive set they also struggled to stop ISU’s top two guys from having big days. Jackie Carmichael and Tyler Brown combined for 45 points, 14 rebounds in very impressive fashion. ISU was able to jump out to a 14 to 2 lead and made 12 of 13 shots from inside the arc as they built a 33-25 lead at half time. I do believe that this was a direct result from not having our big guy anchoring the middle of the defense. I do have to give a lot of credit to Stephan Van Treese. The guy stepped up big time today. He was all over the floor grabbing 8 rebounds, with 2 blocked shots, 2 steals and 6 points. Over the last two games he is averaging 7 points, 8 boards and is shooting 88% from the field. Without his effort today we lose this game.

We also had big days from Chane Behanan, Peyton Siva and Russ Smith. Chane was a beast on the boards grabbing 9 rebounds and most of them coming when the Cards needed them the most. Peyton played the role of All-American candidate today as he went 4-9 from 3 point range scoring 20 points while dishing out 4 assist. And like Chane’s rebounds Peyton’s 3’s came at very critical moments in the game. Russ was the player of the game. And what more can I say about this kid that hasn’t already been said a thousand times this season? We are a top 15-20 type team without Gorgui, and without Russ Smith this team would be around the top 50. That’s how important this young man has become. He had 24 points and was a workhorse today creating plays for himself when the offense was struggling to find any kind of rhythm. And this is very evident in the box score as Russ was 11-14 from the free-throw line. “Russdiculous” has lead this team from the first tip of the ball this year and is putting together a All-American type season for himself.

Coach Pitino: “Russ is a pretty special basketball player. Who goes behind the back to make a move with the game on the line? He has no fear.”

ACE16C87-77F1-4013-8F4E-2216A7968A70-1596-00000189FF45E9D3_zpsb8569503

My honorable mention for this game is going to go out to Luke Hancock. He didn’t have any points but he did grab 5 rebounds including several off of our missed free-throws. He has a quick first move in the lane and always seems to get a hand on the ball. He also had 4 assist.

Wayne Blackshear and Kevin Ware were pretty much no shows today. They combined for 5 rebounds and no points. I’m still waiting to see the Wayne Blackshear that was in New Orleans last year. And am beginning to wonder if I will see that guy again. Maybe he is just a “big game” player, or maybe he just hasn’t found his rhythm. Whatever the case may be I really do want to see him get it going. And all summer we hear about the great improvement of Kevin Ware. And during those Red & White games I thought we were going to see this kid really have a break out year. But so far he has been the biggest liability on the court. I find myself gasping when he has the ball in his hands. He plays too fast, is trying too hard and seems like he is forcing things at times. I’m confident that Coach Pitino has told him to slow down and let the game come to him, so I’m gonna remain optimistic for now. I really do want to see these guys get things going as I’m sure the rest of you do. They are critical players and their production will be vital to a deep run in March.

Coach Pitino: “You’ve got to be a pretty tough basketball team to win when the other team shoots 52 percent.”

Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App