The Louisville and Western Kentucky basketball programs have now played 78 times and the series is tied at 39 wins for each. After today I don’t know if we will see these teams play many more in the near future as ugly as it got in Diddle Arena. Nevertheless the Cards win a good battle in a hostile crowd and are now 10-0 on the season with a big game looming next weekend.

Would have loved to hear from Coach Pitino after the game, but he headed directly to the airport to catch a plane and headed out recruiting. It’s probably for the best. He wasn’t completely thrilled about his trip to Diddle Arena. Will be interesting to hear what he has to say this week.

I knew that the Western Kentucky team would come out today and play like a group of starving dogs, but I didn’t think they would literally be like a bunch of starving dogs. It was pretty obvious that part of their game plan today was to get into the heads of the Louisville players and especially Montrezl Harrell. In no way do I condone throwing a punch in a basketball game and think it was way out of Montrezl’s character to do it. Looking at some of the post-game pictures of that incident I don’t know that I would have done any different had I been put in that situation. He is a kid that really respects the game and himself. It was announced after the game that he was given a flagrant 2 and was not thrown out for fighting which means he will not be automatically suspended for the next game. The ACC will review the tape and determine if there needs to be further action. Even though he only played the first half he still scored 14 points and grabbed 6 rebounds.

With Montrezl out of the game in the second half it really tested the metal of this team and I really think it gave some other guys the chance to step up and prove their worth. One of those guys was Anas. He had 6 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocked shots in 23 minutes of action. I think that is the most time he has logged in a game this season. He gained some more confidence today and that could pay off later in the season. I really liked his effort, and the moxie he showed by holding Montrezl back so he didn’t get himself into more trouble.

Many of the “so-called” professionals in college basketball said in their pre-season assessments that this Louisville team would be missing a superstar and leadership. Well today a superstar and a leader emerged for this basketball team. Terry Rozier rose to the occasion under hostile circumstances. He is not a vocal leader but one that lets his game do the talking. He’s been pretty consistent all season but today he took over this game and the stage was his and his alone. He scored 32 points on 9-16 shooting from the field for 56%, 3-6 from the three for 50%, and 11-13 from the free-throw line for 84%. He also had three steals. A basketball player must have different areas of expertise. These areas of expertise include but are not limited to, rebounding, shooting, dribbling, communicating, playing defense, cheering, knowing the game, knowing the plays, boxing out, screening, and hustling. All of the players on the team must possess some ability in each, but it is only the very special player who has a vast amount of ability in all of them. Terry is that player. The running story-line throughout Rozier’s career is that he idolizes and molds his game after Dwyane Wade. He looked like him today for sure.

Those really were the biggest story-lines in the game today, but the biggest takeaway from today is that this team was put into a situation where they were forced to come together to win the game with one of their teammates not on the floor. This game was huge for this team in terms of bringing them together. Nothing brings a team together more than when that us vs them mentality plays out as hostile as it did today. It wasn’t very pleasant to watch at times and nobody wants to see a basketball game or any sport get out of hand, but it’s just what the Cards needed. One of the biggest games of the regular season looms. And it will take a team effort to beat that Kentucky bunch. Go Cards!

The Cardinals edged out UNC Wilmington on Sunday evening 68-57 in what was a very lackluster performance. It might have been the most uninspired basketball that the Cardinals have played all season. The positives are that the Cardinals are 9-0, have won 34 consecutive games at home against non-conference opponents, and coach Pitino got his 350th win as head coach. His record at Louisville is now 350-117. With the win over coach Keatts he is also 38-10 over his former assistant coaches.

Coach Pitino was interested in any silver lining tonight and his disgust with his team was very evident in his post game press conference. It was his shortest one of the season. In his post game radio interview with Paul Rodgers he said the team “would pay tomorrow”

Montrezl Harrell had his 5th straight double-double in this game and was really the only guy in a Louisville uniform that went all out from tip to the final horn. He had 17 rebounds, 19 points, 1 assist, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. He is putting up all-American type numbers and the Cardinals needed them in this one. As the leader of this team he was also very upset in his post game interview.

Terry Rozier hit some big shots to break up that late 15-0 run by UNC Wilmington and also grabbed a few big rebounds in the game. He helped Montrezl carry the load tonight scoring 19 points but did have a few turnovers and not a single assist. He was not happy in his post game either.

Wayne Blackshear has been playing like a battle tested senior this season, and in the first half of this game he was resembling that player a little. He grabbed 8 rebounds and scored 11 points most coming in that first half. Then he disappeared in the second half. He had 1 assist, 2 blocks and 2 rebounds in the second half.

The big win in MSG against Indiana had this team and the fans feeling pretty good, but they and the fans were quickly reminded on Sunday night that there’s always work to be done. The silver lining in this game may be the fact that coach Pitino now has the full attention of his team again. He is going to have them for one full week before they head to WKU next Saturday. It’s not going to be a fun week at that practice facility.

One of coach Pitino’s former players and current Samford Coach Scott Padgett tweeted out the hash tag #DeadMenWalking knowing what is in store for the Cardinals.

If our guys were going to throw a clunker I’m just glad it was against a team where they were still able to get an 11 point victory. The game against WKU will be the first true road game of the season and our guys will need the focus they will gain this week. And UK is right around the corner. So the timing of this wake up call couldn’t have come at a better time really.

Looking forward to some of the big games ahead and think our guys will be fine. Go Cards!

A little late with my post game due to a great night of television. Before the beat downs on the series finale of Sons of Anarchy and before Jax Teller met Mister Mayhem it was Indiana who was catching the Beat down and dealing with the Mayhem of the Cardinal defense. Our Cardinals looked great on the grand stage of The Garden last night beating the Hoosiers 94-74. With the win the Cardinals cut the Hoosiers lead in the series to 10-7, and our Cardinals have now won 9 straight games in MSG. The Cardinals have the highest winning percentage in the nation in neutral site games at 83.3%.

For all of the talk about Platoons in college basketball I think folks need to start paying a little more attention to what looks to be a pretty good Bird Battalion in Louisville. This is a team that comes at you in waves. If they aren’t confusing teams with their multiple defensive sets they are dominating them on the glass and are currently #1 in the country in that category. Last night it was the Indiana Hoosiers who were the latest casualty of the Bird Battalion. The Cardinal defense forced 19 IU turnovers, had 10 steals, and 8 blocked shots. They out rebounded the Hoosiers 49-34.

The leaders of this Bird Battalion Montrezl Harrell, Terry Rozier, Wayne Blackshear & Chris Jones combined for 85 points and 33 rebounds last night. In my pre-game I said that these guys would need big nights and they had one of their best games of the young season.

Montrezl Harrell had his first breakout performance of his Louisville career in the Big East Title game a few years ago against Syracuse at MSG. It was only fitting that he would have a record breaking performance in his return to the Garden. Montrezl became the all-time dunk leader in school history last night. He had 7 dunks on the Hoosiers and now holds the school record with 163 in his career. He had 21 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 blocked shot to go along with his record breaking moment. Also his 4th straight double-double.
Montrezl Post Game

Terry Rozier led all scorers with a career high 26 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He was a very impressive 8-17 from the field, and 5-8 from the 3 point line. Last night we all seen the Rozier that folks raved about during his summer workouts. His shot had been inconsistent through the first 7 games but last night it looked effortless for him.
Terry Rozier Post Game

Chris Jones or “Memphis Moxie” as I like to call him was 8-17 from the field for 24 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assist, 3 steals, and 1 blocked shot. Another guy who had been playing with some inconsistency really stepped up in his very first game in MSG. Jones had been criticized by Coach Pitino for staying on his phone too much. Jones got the message and said that he had taken his coach’s advice. It paid off last night.
Chris Jones Post Game

Wayne Blackshear also enjoyed his return trip to MSG. He had 14 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocked shots. “Big Game Wayne” is showing what hard work and dedication in the off season can do for a players game. He has paid his dues and is now reaping the benefits. I couldn’t be happier for him.

My shout-out of the night would have to go to Mango.. On a sore ankle he came into the game off the bench and put it all on the line. He had 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots. I really think he could be one of the best shot blockers in college basketball. He has that great wing span and has great timing.

Last night the college basketball world was formally introduced to the Bird Battalion. I think that has a much better ring to it than platoon. I know some won’t adapt this name but I like it. And like I mentioned above the way this Cardinal team comes at their opponents in waves I think it is fitting. If they don’t hurt you in one area of the game chances are they will find another way. Coach Pitino has always got a few tricks up his sleeve and he again has a group to utilize them. That game last night made a big statement to the rest of the college basketball world. Louisville is going to have something to say about how the season pans out. Don’t count the Bird Battalion out…. Go Cards!

Our Cardinals moved to 7-0 on Friday night and have now won 33 straight against non-conference opponents at the Yum Center. The Cardinals beat a very scrappy FIU team 82-57 and now lead the series with them 4-0. The Cardinals came out of the gate tonight ice cold and FIU was able to keep it close until about the 9 minute mark in the first half before the Cardinals would take the lead for good and never looked back.

The defense was again solid tonight holding FIU to just 37% from the field, 33% from the three point line, forcing them into 25 turnovers, with 14 steals and 12 blocked shots. The Louisville offense muddled along tonight most of the first half but it did get better in the second half. Coach Pitino was really disappointed in his teams ability to find the open man, and really came down on his team for not passing the ball as much as they should. With the Christmas break coming up it is the time of year that Louisville teams really improve on offense, and when I asked Coach Pitino about things they would work on during the break he said “Passing”.

It was Anton Gill’s birthday on Friday night and he played like it. He lead all scores with 15 points and was 3-5 from the three point line. He let his positive momentum carry over to his defensive effort also and it was his best effort this season on that end of the floor. I really feel like Gill is a player that can be a triple threat on the perimeter for this team. He can knock down the three, he knows how to drive to the basket and finish and he is great at threading the needle (see photo below).

Montrezl Harrell had his 19th consecutive game scoring in double figures and had his third consecutive double-double scoring 13 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He was disappointed that he had 5 turnovers. Montrezl has set the bar high for himself and his team-mates.

Wayne Blackshear had another solid outing. He had 12 points, 2-8 from the three, had 6 rebounds and a team high 4 steals. I really like Chicago Wayne.

Chris Jones said that he had heeded the words of Coach Pitino and had stayed away from his phone this past week. He had 11 points, was 2-4 from the three point line, and had 3 steals. Chris seemed more confident tonight and was again great on the defensive side of the ball.

Shout out of the night goes to Chinanu Onuaku.. He led the team tonight with 5 assist and is probably the best passer on this team. He really played well in the paint also. This kid keeps progressing and watch out come March.

It was another win and that’s always good. A lot of guys got some quality minutes and it seems like we had a guy who gained a lot of his confidence back in Gill. The defense is awesome and I think the offense looked better and will be a lot better here in a few weeks. Big game against IU coming up next week and these guys seem very excited to get back to the Garden. It will be the first trip for several of them. Will be good to see our Cardinals back on that big stage. Go Cards!

Home » A Win Over FIU and a Happy Birthday For Gill » FIU Game » FIU Game

   

 

(AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

After the first six games of the ACC/Big10 Challenge the Big 10 has the lead 4-2. Louisville was able to score its new conference their second win of the night as they beat Ohio State in their first of these challenges 64-55. With the win the Cardinals take the overall lead in the series against Ohio State 5-4. The Cardinals start 6-0 for the first time since 2011 and have now won 31 straight against non-conference opponents at the Yum Center.

Louisville was facing an Ohio State team tonight that had been shooting at a 57% clip from the field and was statistically one of the best offensive teams in the country. Their guys had been scoring in bunches from all over the court. The Cardinals came out in the first half and stepped right up to the challenge. It what Coach Pitino called one of the finest defensive performances in a very long time the Cardinals held the Buckeyes to 23% shooting and an 18 point total in that first half. They would give up a little more in the second half due to some tired legs but not much still holding the Buckeyes well under their averages at 30% shooting and 55 total points. The defense would also force 14 turnovers, have 11 steals and block 5 shots. In the battle of very good offense and very good defense it was the defense that won the night as I thought it would. The Cardinals who are currently ranked #1 in the country in rebounds per game did another good job on the glass tonight. They won that battle 46-41.

My big question in my game breakdown was if Wayne Blackshear would show up in the first big game of the season. The answer to that question is a resounding yes… Wayne “made it Wayne” in the first half and carried the Cardinals offensively scoring 16 of their 35 points. He also had 5 rebounds and 1 steal in that big first half. Ohio State made their adjustments towards him in the second half but he would still lead the team in scoring tonight and had 22 for the game. It is great to see Wayne respond in a big game environment like this and if he can do this all season it will mean great things for the Cardinals.

I also mentioned in my game breakdown that Montrezl, Chris and Terry would be the difference makers in this game. I felt like these three were the dominate players on the floor at their positions. Montrezl had a dominate state line. He had a double-double with 10 rebounds, 13 points to go along with 2 assist, 1 block and 2 steals. Chris did a good job up front at keeping pressure on their guards especially in the first half, but really wasn’t that impressive on the offensive end and did force some things towards the end.

It was the kid from Louisville D’Angelo Russell that kept Ohio State in the game, but it was the kid from Ohio that helped ice the game for Louisville. Terry Rozier is a warrior and tonight he showed just how much of a gamer he is. He dislocated his pinky finger, gets it put back in place, taped up then comes back into the game and scores 9 very important points down the stretch to help Louisville seal the victory. He had 7 rebounds and 7 assist to go along with his 11 points on the night. His night wasn’t flawless, but the intangibles more than made up for it.

Gotta give a special atta boy to the “Big Egyptian” who came into the game tonight and provided some solid minutes after Onuaku and Mango got into foul trouble early. Anas had 7 rebounds and 2 big blocked shots. He looked very good in this big game setting. Coach Pitino said at half-time when asked by the ESPN sideline reporter that Anas “surprised the hell” out of him. I think he might have surprised the hell out of a lot of people tonight.

The Cardinals have a long way to go on the offensive end of the floor, and still have to find a way to get more production out of the bench. But they are playing defense better than anyone in the country right now and that is really special considering how early it is. This defense will only continue to get better over the course of the season and that makes me giddy. We will be in every game this season thanks to that defense, but it will take steady improvement on the offensive side of the ball for this team to win those tougher games especially in March. Our Cardinals passed the first tough test of the season and are 6-0. I’m really excited about this team. Go Cards!