Sunday night was a very special time for Cardinal fans and it was incredible to be a part of that special night in person. I tried to capture some of the moments before and after the game. Here are some of the photos that I took. Cards are headed to their 10th Final Four.
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Tonight was one of the most emotionally charged games that I have ever attended in my life. This game had the feel of something special from the opening tip. Two great teams trading blow for blow in an epic clash of basketball titans. Then in a heartbeat the moment got very surreal and for a stadium filled with over 34,000 people things got very real. As we were all a part of probably the worst injury in the history of a college basketball game. As Kevin Ware laid there and the Louisville players were falling to their knees on the court no one was worried about basketball and most of us would have probably just been fine with them postponing the regional final to another night. Kevin Ware then laying there helpless on the floor with this gruesome injury called his team over and told them to play this game and win it. And win it they did. They had one of the most dominate second half performances that you will ever see in a game scoring 50 points on 59.3 percent shooting to beat the Blue Devils 85-62 to advance to the Final Four in back-to-back years for the first time since 1982-83. This Louisville team has now won 14 straight games. This Final Four will be the 10th in school history.
“Basically, the bone popped out of the skin. It broke in two spots,” Pitino said. “Remember the bone is six inches out of his leg, and all he’s yelling is ‘Win the game, win the game.’ I’ve never seen anything like that.”
In this inspired performance the Cardinal defense was once again a big reason for this victory as they would hold Duke to 36.5% from the field and just 25% from the three point line. This was the Blue Devils lowest shooting percentages of the tournament. This team is no longer one dimensional. During the current 14 game win streak the offense has caught up with the defense and that has made a very good Cardinal team great. Now instead of having to force turnovers to get points they are creating offense in the half court. Ten players got into the scoring column tonight with four players scoring double digits. And they were able to find good looks at the basket to shoot a high percentage. Something they have done for the entire tourney, so much that they have moved to #5 in Kenpom’s ADJ Efficiency on offense at 117.5. These guys are hitting the boards hard to. They have had to play 4 great rebounding teams and have done a great job battling them all. Tonight they out rebounded the Blue Devils 35 to 26.
The most valuable player of this game was the most valuable person. Kevin Ware has been a big reason for this amazing 14 game stretch for the Cards. I had mentioned in my post game story after the last game how he had become such an important part of this team. Tonight he took that to the next level with his selfless act of rallying his team-mates around him and pulling them together during his tragic moment. It was one of the most courageous things you will ever see and I don’t know if the Cards win this game without it. This kid not only inspired the Louisville Cardinals tonight he inspired the college basketball world.
If anybody had any doubts about Gorgui going to the NBA that should have been erased tonight. In my opinion he is one of the most underrated players in college basketball. Tonight he was hitting that 15 footer and making unreal moves to the basket for his size. He was phenomenal on the defensive end of the floor as well. He has such great timing on his blocked shots and his rebounding. Tonight he has a double-double 14 points and 11 boards with 4 blocked shots.
Our backcourt super heroes Russ and Peyton just took over this game and never looked back. And if they continue to play at this level for the rest of the way they better be making room in that trophy case. They scored 39 of the Cards 85 points and were very disruptive to the Duke offense snagging 3 steals. Keep in mind that this Duke team is one of the best in the country at taking care of the ball.
I also want to give mention to a performance that perhaps got overlooked in this emotional night. Tim Henderson came in and gave this team some valuable defensive minutes. I was really impressed with Tim while watching him play during the Red&White games earlier this season. I wrote this after the 3 scrimmages: “I must also give an honorable mention to Tim Henderson. I know that realistically he won’t get that much time this season especially with a team as loaded as the Cards are, but this young man works really hard while he is on the court. He had 13 points yesterday and drained some great looking 3 point shots. The guy defines the word “Hustle”. If my son had been old enough to attend the games with me over the past 3 weeks, I would have pointed to Tim as an example of what overachieving looks like. I’m glad this guy is a part of the Louisville basketball program and he will be a great asset in preparing this team each week.”
Driving home tonight I listed to a sports wrap up show on Sirius radio, and several callers from Louisville expressed their concerns over a replacement for Kevin in the rotation. Tim is not going to give you the athleticism of a Kevin Ware but he will hustle and give the Cards a solid defender when he is in the game. I’ve got full confidence in the young man and think he will give this team valuable minutes in the final four.
Our bench did a great job tonight and they out-scored the Duke bench 20 to 12 behind the solid performance of Luke Hancock who had 10 points. And he went 5-5 from the free-throw line.
The late Jim Valvano said in his famous ESPY speech that If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a heck of a day. Today was a heck of a day for Cardinal fans. I’m spent! Louisville, the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, will next take on surprising Wichita State in Atlanta in Saturday’s National Semifinal at 6:09pm. Then they will await the winner of Michigan and Syracuse. Two more to go folks. No sleep till Atlanta.
The last time these teams played it was a “Battle for Atlantis” but on Sunday it will be a battle to see who goes to Atlanta. The game between these teams in November was one of the most anticipated of the pre-season and watching that game most thought the next time these teams played that it would be for the national title. It’s not the national championship Sunday evening but it will have that type of atmosphere as these great teams play for the regional title. Duke beat the Cards in that early game in the Bahamas 76-71. The Louisville program has been to the elite 8 four times in the last six years. This is the 12th elite 8 in school history. This will be the first meeting between Rick Pitino and Mike Krzyzewski since the classic 1992 battle.
When your team is getting ready to play the Duke Blue Devils one thing comes to mind.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski. He is the winningest coach in college basketball history and has a track record that is unmatched. We are talking 2 Olympic gold medals, a World Championship, over 900 wins and four NCAA titles folks. His record in the NCAA Tournament is 79-24. This is obviously a slight edge that Duke has in every contest. The Devils also return four starters and six key players from a year ago. This includes five starters who all averaged double figures this season. Offense is not a problem for this team. They boast five regular three-point shooters who broke 35 percent or better this season, three guys who shot better than 40 percent on twos, and two players who have picked up over 100 points from the free throw line. This team will also take very good care of the ball as they commit very few turnovers. They don’t rush their offense and usually get good shots with most of their possessions. The Blue Devils have excellent balance, with all five starters averaging in double figures. They space the court and let their skilled starting five go to town in Coach K’s simple but lethal plan.
The Devils are very talented folks, but do have some question marks. Their group is a very capable bunch but sometimes lack the one player who will step up and take over a game if need be. Two point defense has often been a problem as well. They have especially had trouble with teams that have guards who can penetrate the lane. Duke starts three guards, so rebounding can also be a problem at times. They will play 7 guys so their stamina might come into question having to face a Louisville team that goes 9 deep and will press the whole game.
Kenpom:
ADJ Efficiency- Offense 119.5 Rank 4
ADJ Efficiency- Defense 89.5 Rank 17
Kenpom Overall Rank: 4
Their National Statistics:
-POINTS PER GAME
78.3
6th
OVERALL
-REBOUNDS PER GAME
33.8
213th
OVERALL
-ASSISTS PER GAME
14.7
57th
OVERALL
-FIELD GOAL PCT
.476
17th
OVERALL
Duke’s season averages on offense:
3pt-49.3%, 2pt-47.5%, FT-73.8%
Duke’s season averages on defense:
Turnovers Forced- 14.1, Blocks- 3.8, Steals- 6.5
Projected Starters:
C Mason Plumlee SR: He rebounds well at both ends of the floor, and is one of the best-passing big men in the league. He is also a good defender in the lane and blocks a lot of shots. He has 57 points and 27 rebounds in the NCAA tourney.
F Ryan Kelly SR: He can truly be a dangerous offensive weapon. This guy has and is always capable of shooting over 50% from the 3 point line in a game. He is also another good defender in the lane and is a capable shot blocker. He has 26 points and 7 blocked shots in the NCAA tourney.
G Rasheed Sulaimon FR: He is Duke’s top-rated recruit. He is a player that takes pride in his defense and is a good three point shooter. He is a really good rebounder for a guard and can be a big x-factor for this team if he has his game. He has 60 points and 17 rebounds in the NCAA tourney.
G Seth Curry SR: Since coach K started using him more as a scorer and less as the guy running the offense Curry has been the most consistent player on the team. Whenever they need a big shot he is usually the guy that takes it. He can be lethal from deep. He has 87 points in the NCAA tourney.
G Quinn Cook Soph: He is a great penetrating guard who can find the open man. He is a great assist guy who has very few turnovers. He is also a very good defender up front for the Blue Devils. He is the player that really hurt the Cards the most the last time these teams played. He has 20 points and 21 assist in the NCAA tourney.
Bench players:
G Tyler Thornton JR: He isn’t a great playmaker, but he takes care of the ball Isn’t a great on-the-ball defender, but may be the toughest, most versatile defensive player. He has 21 points and 6 steals in the NCAA tourney.
F Josh Hairston JR: The Duke coaches like the energy he brings to the court and the fact that he’s a vocal defender. He has 2 points and 7 rebounds in the NCAA tourney.
This will be the first time the Cards have played Duke in the tournament since the 1986 NCAA Championship Game. Pervis Ellison, Milt Wagner, Johnny Dawkins and Jay Bilas were the stars of the show the last time around. Gorgui Dieng, Russ Smith, Seth Curry and Mason Plumlee will play those roles Sunday and will more than likely be the players that determine the outcome in this one. The battle in the paint between Plumlee and Dieng features two of college basketball’s premier big men going head-to-head. With Gorgui being the more physical player and Mason being the more skilled player. Plumlee is having the better NCAA but I’m expecting Gorgui to find his mojo again and step up to the challenge Sunday defensively. Duke struggles with guys that get out well in transition. Russ is the best in the NCAA at that.
All eyes will also be on the battle between two Hall of Fame coaches Sunday as well. Rick Pitino and Mike Krzyzewski are master teachers who really develop their players from an individual standpoint. From start to finish, they emphasize roles and responsibilities. They both do a great job at connecting with their players coaching with high intensity always instructional rather than critical. When coach Pitino last faced Krzyzewski in 1992 it was his team who were playing as the underdogs. Sunday the role will be reversed. It’s gonna be fun watching these masterminds of the game go at it.
Duke has some great players but Louisville has them to and more of them. I think the depth of our Cards will play a huge role in the outcome of this one. Duke typically plays 6 guys and at most 7. While Louisville could have 10 guys see action. And this is a big deal when a team is playing the quick turnaround of the NCAA tournament. I look for our Cards to play that tough man-to-man from start to finish in this one. To beat the Devils, an opponent must exploit their lack of frontcourt speed, doggedly defend the 3-point line and hold its own on the glass. It’s quite a daunting to-do list but this group of Cards will be up for the challenge. And while this one stays close throughout Duke’s legs will eventually give out allowing our Cards to win a close one. I can’t hardly wait it’s gonna be great.
The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 78 Duke 73
It was a battle of the birds tonight in Indianapolis and the Oregon Ducks proved that they were a very formidable foe. They never laid down and fought for the entire forty minutes. But our Cards proved that they could bend without breaking as they won the game 77-69. They have now won 13 games in a row and will now be heading to their 13th elite eight in school history. Coach Pitino is now 11-0 in Sweet 16 games.
This team has proven that they can win games by dominating teams with their suffocating defense but tonight they proved that when that defense is a little off they can also win with some solid offense. On a night where the Louisville defense could only force Oregon into 12 turnovers and could only get 7 steals they scored over 40 points in the paint and dominated in the transition game getting to the rim on most of their possessions. They got so many baskets from close range that they shot 53.8% from the field. The Cards would also get to the rim enough that it caused the Ducks to get into foul trouble. The Cards weren’t as impressive from the free-throw line tonight only hitting 17 for 26 at 65.4% but it did help in a game where it took points to win.
I tweeted out earlier that Russ Smith is becoming legendary. Some think he is already there and you could make the case no doubt. It is my opinion though that you have to win the big one to become truly legendary. But the Cardinals are now only 3 games away and Russ Smith is the biggest reason why. This kid is a scoring machine and on the grand stage he has took his scoring ability to the next level. Tonight with a very bad cold he had 31 points and now has 81 points in the NCAA tournament. I don’t know if Russ can keep topping himself but I’m looking forward to him trying.
Rick Pitino: “Russ Smith has had a year and a half like no other player I have ever coached.”
We all know that a big reason we are in the elite 8 is because of Russ but the play of Kevin Ware hasn’t hurt. He continues to get better and better and really has started to play the game he’s capable of. He is one of the more athletic guys on this team and we are gonna need him to keep it going to win three more games. He was the second leading scorer tonight with 11 points.
Peyton is in the early stages of strep throat and it showed tonight in his most underwhelming performance of the season. The guy still came out and gutted through it so kudos to him. Hope he hits the bed until Sunday because we are gonna need his leadership. Wayne and Chane combined for 7 boards and 12 points. And that’s decent production especially against the speed and versatility of the Oregon players. I thought Gorgui also did a great job with their quality bigs. He had some nice offensive possessions scoring 10 points and looked good on defense with 4 blocked shots. He also had 9 of the Cards 32 rebounds.
Hancock and Harrell came off the bench and did what they do. Luke provided some offense scoring 7 points and Montrezl provided some big time rebounding grabbing 7 boards.
Our Cards have only trailed for a little over four minutes during the entire NCAA tournament but now it has reached the level of survive and advance. The Cards took Oregon’s best shot tonight and they got within six points late in the game before our guys finally shut the door for good. The Ducks also outscored the Cards tonight in the second half 38 to 32. Most of our team is battling through illness and it was great to see them respond the way that they did. I’m glad they had a game like this because on Sunday they are gonna face a team just as capable of winning a national championship as they are. Three more to go Cards fans buckle up “no sleep till Atlanta baby!”
Coach Pitino: “We just had to get our guys to the finish line tonight. Now, we can get some rest and some medication and we’ll be fine.”
On Friday night our Cards will be in Indianapolis to face the Oregon Ducks in the Sweet 16. The Cards will be looking to win their 13th straight game in what will be their 25th appearance in the Sweet 16. Coach Pitino is unbeaten in ten Sweet 16 appearances, his average winning margin is 19.8 points. At Louisville that average margin has been 21.3 points. Louisville is just 1-2 all-time versus Oregon. The Cards last beat the Ducks December 20, 1954. Nearly 59 years ago. The last two times these teams have played it hasn’t been pretty for Louisville. The Ducks blew out the Cards 88-65 in Denny Crum’s final season and 90-63 in Pitino’s First Season.
Our last opponent Colorado State was a team laced with senior leadership and veteran players. But this Dana Altman Oregon team is lead by Six freshmen, two JUCO transfers and a redshirt freshman. Many thought this would equal unavoidable headaches for Altman and his staff this season with a reliance on so much youth but it offered satisfaction and surprise as the Ducks somehow bonded together quickly, and have had a very good run. This young Oregon team really spurred their success on the defensive side of the floor. The Ducks use athleticism and quickness to turn their opponents over and block shots at a high rate. They turn opposing teams over 22.3 percent of possessions good for 56th in the nation, and block shots on the interior 6.9 percent of possessions good for 15th in the country. Their ability to generate possessions via steals and blocked shots is a staple of their defense. On offense they like to pound the ball inside to their bigs. They love to dominate the paint area and 57 percent of their points come on 2-point shots. This is a team that shoots well from inside the arc and poorly from behind it. They also score a large percentage of their points from the free throw line. This young group of Ducks do get careless with the ball turning it over an average of 17 times in their last three games and their 21.6 percent turnover figure makes them the 263rd worst team in the nation in coughing up the basketball.
Kenpom:
ADJ Efficiency- Offense 105.2 Rank 99
ADJ Efficiency- Defense 87.5 Rank 9
Kenpom Overall Rank: 31
Their National Statistics:
-POINTS PER GAME
71.7
69th
OVERALL
-REBOUNDS PER GAME
37.4
52nd
OVERALL
-ASSISTS PER GAME
13.0
151st
OVERALL
-FIELD GOAL PCT
.447
97th
OVERALL
Colorado State season averages on offense:
3pt-31.3%, 2pt-44.8%, FT-70.7%
Colorado State season averages on defense:
Turnovers Forced- 15.4, Blocks- 4, Steals- 9
Projected Starters:
C Tony Woods SR: He serves as the defensive anchor of the group swatting away 40 shots this season. He isn’t that great on the defensive glass. Considered a legit NBA prospect when he started out at Wake Forest, Woods simply hasn’t progressed enough on offense to justify the hype. He finishes decently but rarely creates his own shot.
F E.J. Singler SR: The versatile senior can play anywhere from shooting guard to power forward, and there’s an intangible sense of leadership and determination in the Oregon native that has rubbed off on the rest of his team. He shot 67% against St Louis and has scored 22 points in the NCAA. He is the Ducks best player.
F Arsalan Kazemi SR The first Iranian-born player in Division I men’s college hoops Since transferring from Rice University last year, Kazemi has become a popular and important member of a surging Ducks basketball team. He is a rebounding machine and has 33 rebounds in his last two NCAA games. He has also scored 19 points.
G Damyean Dotson FR: He was voted Houston’s player of the year last season. He is a hard nosed player and can be a prolific scorer. He has scored 40 points in the two NCAA games.
G Johnathan Loyd JR: The 5-8 guard from Las Vegas has yet to reach expectations but is a solid ball-handler. Loyd is the team’s best playmaker, but does struggle to make shots. While obviously limited by his height on defense, Loyd does generate plenty of steals. He has 14 points and 9 assist in their two NCAA games.
Bench Players:
F Carlos Emory SR: A very athletic wing improved as the season continued and has much more potential. He is a good shooter. He shot 60% from the field in the last game and has scored 26 points. He also goes after the boards with 13 in the last two games.
G Dominic Artis FR: ESPN rated Artis a four-star recruit and the No. 8 point guard in the 2012 class. While Artis is actually listed at 5-11 by some recruiting websites, he has long arms, good quickness and an ability to change gears. He’s also a savvy gym rat who has picked up the Ducks’ offense quickly. He has scored 13 points in the NCAA.
C Waverly Austin JR: The Ducks picked up a late commitment from Austin, a junior college transfer, after he was unable to attain eligibility at South Florida before school started. Rated the No. 5 transfer in the country by Jucorecruiting.com, He gives the Ducks size when Woods is on the bench. He has 6 rebounds in their NCAA games.
This is another one of those games that is going to take a team effort on the boards. This Oregon team really goes after it on the glass but the Cards just out rebounded the best rebounding team in the tournament in Colorado State so this doesn’t concern me. They are going to go right at Gorgui and Chane with their bigs. This will be the first time in the tournament that our front-court will really be challenged. I think our guys are the more athletic group but Chane might have problems with their length. But no fear as that will just require more minutes out of our freshman sensation Montrezl Harrell. If our front-court does a good job guarding their post players straight up it will force them into a jump shooting team and with only two good shooters on their team this will lead to a lot of fast shots by the Ducks and transition offense for the Cards. Our back-court is going to have a field day with this high turnover team. Also where they go 6 deep before falling off we go 9 deep without falling off so the benches will come into play. There are no easy ones at this point in the season but this one is very winnable if the Cards take care of their business.
The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 78 Oregon 61
The 1983 match-up between Louisville and UK was ranked as one of the top 75 moments of the NCAA tournament by ESPN but for folks of the state of Kentucky it was a defining moment that would ignite a feud that would become one of the greatest rivalries in all of college sports. Today is the 30th anniversary of that moment in 1983 and the rivalry that started that day is as passionate as it ever was.
When you grow up in the state of Kentucky and get old enough to start watching sports it becomes time to make a decision. Are you going to cheer for the Blue or the Red. Sometimes family can influence this decision but in some cases it just becomes a matter of choice. I started watching and becoming interested in basketball when I was 13 years old. By this time Louisville had become one of the dominate teams of the 80’s and had established itself as a national power house. I grew up in the rural town of Owenton, Kentucky and lucky for me the owner of the local drug store was a Louisville Alumni and sold Louisville merchandise. Maybe this access to the merchandise or the fact that Louisville was doing so well influenced my decision. But in 1985 I became a Louisville Cardinal fan.
I can’t say that for the last 27 years I have enjoyed all the constant back and forth between me and my friends that cheer for UK. But rivalries are what define sports. Every competition needs a great rivalry and on this day 30 years ago one was born in the state of Kentucky that will live on for many generations to come.
Happy anniversary to the game that sparked one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports. “The Battle of The Bluegrass”
This is the time of year when the name on the jersey doesn’t mean anything when the ball is tipped at center court. This is the time of year when you gotta bring your game and not just your name if you want to survive and advance to the next round. Today the fans turned out in force to represent the Louisville name and the team brought their game as they overwhelmed a scrappy Colorado St team beating them 82-56 in Rupp Arena to advance to the Sweet 16. The Cardinals have now won twelve straight games and this will be the 25th time that they have advanced to the Sweet 16. Coach Pitino is unbeaten in 10 Sweet 16 appearances, his average winning margin is 19.8 points. At Louisville that average margin has been 21.3.
Coach Rick Pitino: “We can play much better,””This is the best we have played so far at both ends of the floor. But we can definitely get better and improve.”
This group of Cardinals have made their name on defense this season. It has been the foundation from which this team thrives. They have been considered the best defensive team in the country all season including having the lowest adj efficiency in the history of Kenpom’s system. To think this defensive could get any better is crazy but it has. If fact every game they play the defense just keeps getting better. This Louisville team has now recorded more steals than their opponent for 15 consecutive games and have 31 steals so far in the the NCAA tournament. Today they had 11 steals with 5 players that had 2 each. The Cardinals defense also forced the Rams into 19 turnovers. They have forced 32 turnovers in the last two games. In a game where they faced the number one rebounding team in the country the Cards also won that battle 25 to 22 and rebounded 9 of their 24 missed shots for 37.5%. It was a great team effort on the boards as seven players would get three or more. I knew that our front-court would be hard for the Rams to handle due to the Cardinals physical style of play and they completely dominated them in the paint 42 to 14. With the defense being so great it is easy to overlook a offense that also keeps getting better and better. The Cards have become much more efficient on the offensive end of the floor and have been been taking better shots. They shot and impressive 56.4% from the floor tonight and 55.6% from the three. And this team has been clutch from the charity stripe. Tonight they shot 83.3%
Colorado State coach Larry Eustachy: “I don’t want to put the pressure on Rick and his guys, but they’re special,””They need a little luck like everybody does to win it all, but that’s as impressive team as I’ve been against, certainly.”
Russ Smith has had a great start to the NCAA tournament. He has performed so well in Rupp Arena over the past couple of day that Louisville fans renamed the place Russ Arena. He had a awesome stat line tonight with 27 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assist and 2 steals. Rick Pitino was talking about Russ after the game and said that he has really grown up over the season. He said that the old Russ would have tried to get 50 tonight. He really has come a long way since November. Not only is he the best player on this Louisville team but he has become one of the best players in the country. And is one of the most effective players left in the NCAA tournament. Russ had 50 points, 5 assist and 10 steals in the first two games of the NCAA tourney.
Our fearless leader of this team Peyton Siva had another very effective game. He did a great job at driving into the lane to score and finding the open man. He had one highlight reel play with a give and go alley oop play with Montrezl Harrell. You can see that in the pictures below. He had 10 points, 5 assist and 2 steals tonight and did a very good job at controlling the pace of the game for the Cards. He had 13 assist and 6 steals in the first two games of the NCAA tourney.
Gorgui, Wayne and Chane had very solid nights for the Cards. Their athleticism, size and agility was really a lot for the Colorado State front-court to to handle and when they are playing well will be a lot for any team to handle. Between these three guys they accounted for 10 rebounds and 23 points. These guys are going to be very important as we move further down the line. An it appears that they are up for the challenge.
Another great night for the Louisville bench as they outscore the Rams bench 22 to 16. Montrezl lead the way in bench scoring with 11 points and 4 rebounds. This kid has become a very good source of energy for this team. When he gets into the game it seems like the level of intensity goes through the roof. He is one of those players that just has the type of motor that never stops. We also got very good minutes from Stephan, Luke and Kevin. These guys accounted for 11 points, 5 steals and 5 rebounds. This bench is a big reason for the current twelve game winning streak and will a big reason I think we cut down the nets here in a few weeks.
There were 20,600 folks in Rupp Arena tonight and probably 19,000 of them were Louisville fans. Earlier in the week I called on the Cardinal Nation to turn Rupp red and you answered that call. It was a really great environment and was awesome to see the building that is usually blue be red. This team now moves to the next round in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium to face the Pac 12 Oregon Ducks in the Sweet 16. 2 games down and 4 more to go Cardinal fans. Lets continue to get out there and support these guys all the way. Go Cards!
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The Cards just completely overwhelmed their first opponent in the NCAA tournament Thursday night in Rupp Arena. The match-up was just the perfect fit for the Cards up and down style of play. On Saturday the competition starts to get a little tougher as they will face the 8 seeded Colorado St Rams. They beat Missouri 84-72 to advance to the round of 32. The Rams had a great season with a 25-7 record and a second place finish in the Mountain West conference. They made their way to a 22nd ranking and it was the first time this team had been ranked since 1954. This is the second straight NCAA tournament appearance by the Rams, which hasn’t happened since the mid 1960s.
Thanks to the fine work of former coach Tim Miles, who parlayed it into the top job at Nebraska, Larry Eustachy took over a Colorado State program that was very good. The Rams return three starters and five seniors. Eustachy previous head-coaching jobs were at Southern Miss, Iowa State, Utah State and Idaho. He says this is the best job he’s ever had. They have a pretty good offensive and do a great job of spreading the court to execute their inside out game. They have some solid shooters and players that use good fundamentals. They take very good care of the ball. Their defense is not great but they are a scrappy bunch and are very active on that end of the floor. They are the best rebounding team in the country with a +12 average margin. They do struggle with their perimeter defense allowing opponents to shoot well from the 3 point shot. They rank 157th in that category.
Kenpom:
ADJ Efficiency- Offense 117.5 Rank 7
ADJ Efficience- Defense 96.7 Rank 96
Kenpom Overall Rank: 24
Their National Statistics:
-POINTS PER GAME
73.1
50th
OVERALL
-REBOUNDS PER GAME
40.4
4th
OVERALL
-ASSISTS PER GAME
13.1
145th
OVERALL
-FIELD GOAL PCT
.448
94th
OVERALL
Colorado State season averages on offense:
3pt-33.7%, 2pt-44.8%, FT-71.3%
Colorado State season averages on defense:
Turnovers Forced- 17, Blocks- 2, Steals- 5
Projected Starters:
F/C Colton Iverson SR: He started his career at Minnesota. He is the teams leading scorer with 14.6 points a game. He is a great rebounder and will alter some shots. He had 13 blocks in their win against Missouri. This guy is the tallest and best player on this team.
F Pierce Hornung SR: Any coach in the Mountain West will say a big factor in the Rams’ recent success is due to the play of this 6-5 senior. He is considered the Rams’ glue guy, and despite his lack of size, he leads the team in rebounding with 9.2 per game.
F Greg Smith SR: He is solid, and what he lacks in height at 6-6 he makes up for with speed and athleticism. He averages 11.3 points a game.
G Wes Eikmeier SR: An Iowa State transfer who is a three-year starter, was a first-team All-Mountain West selection. He is one of this teams better shooters. He averages 12.5 points a game.
G Dorian Green SR: This guy has been a starter for his entire career and is the 19th player in school history to score more than 1,000 points. He is very good on both ends of the floor. He averages 13.1 points a game.
Key Reserves:
G Daniel Bejarano SOPH: Sat out last season after transferring from Arizona, where he played sparingly as a freshman. He was ranked as the 40th-best high school prospect in the nation by one recruiting analyst, and the 13th-best shooting guard in the country by another. Averages 6.1 points a game.
G Jon Octeus SOPH: Has the coolest name in the NCAA tournament. He provides some good shooting off the bench. He averages 43% from the field. He scored 12 points against Missouri.
F Gerson Santo JR: Is another reliable big guy for this team who will come in and provide quality minutes. He had 3 rebounds and 4 points against Missouri.
In the NCAA tournament you have to bring your game and not rely on your name. That statement will never be more true than when our Cards face the Rams on Saturday. These guys won’t care about the fact that they are playing the number one overall seed in the NCAA tournament. In fact it will probably encourage them to play harder. This will be the most veteran squad the Cards have played all year and one of the most inspired basketball teams they have played all season. We will really need our perimeter shooters to take advantage of the Rams poor perimeter defense. Hopefully Hancock and Blackshear can get it going from deep. Kevin Ware and Russ Smith should also be able to get open looks from the three. Another advantage our Cards will have is their length and athleticism. Their tallest player is 6-10 and they are a undersized team. They also don’t have that much versatility. Gorgui and Chane should be able to bully their way inside and will need to be aggressive on the glass. This is also a game where Stephan Van Treese will be good to have. It’s funny but a lot of their guys are blue collar players like SVT. Peyton’s speed will also be a huge advantage. He should have no problem getting into the lane and the free-throw line.
The NCAA tournament gets real on Saturday folks. This Colorado group of Seniors are in it to win it. And they have a great head man leading their charge. I don’t think you’ll see a cake walk here but we will survive and advance in this one.
The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 69 Colorado St 57
We have entered into the greatest time of the year for the college basketball fan. The NCAA is one of the purest forms of sports and it is always humbling and refreshing to see amateur athletes giving it their all on this grand stage. This is the time of year that no matter how big or small the school is every athlete gives it their all for the name on the front of the jersey. March Madness has started Cards fans and the journey to Atlanta for the Cardinals is now one game shorter after they took care of A&T tonight in Rupp Arena 79-48.
The Cards got to start off this tournament as the number one overall seed. A big part of their success this season and the reason they were able to win enough to reach that number one overall seed is because of their great defensive efforts. Tonight that defense was clicking on all cylinders. At times it was just downright relentless forcing A&T into 25 turnovers and getting 20 steals. Coach Pitino said after the game during his press conference that the Cards had 67 deflections. That is the highest total of the year. This defense just keeps getting better and better. Another thing that keeps improving with every game is the front-court production. Tonight the Cards scored over 40 points and dominated in the paint. They also dominated the offensive glass 12 to 4. Stephan Van Treese with another great rebounding night had 4 of those. Between Chane, Wayne, Montrezl and Gorgui they scored 36 of the Cards 79 points. Was great to see Wayne with a little more fire in his belly tonight. He loves the tournament. And if we can count on him to produce for the next 5 games be afraid rest of the field, be very afraid.
Our back-court duo of Russ and Peyton were very solid tonight. Russ had a great stat line of 23 points, 7 steals and 3 assist. He was the most active player on the floor offensively. Peyton just went about his business and really knows how to dominate a game very quietly. He just has those intangibles that are so valuable to this team. He had 5 steals to go along with 8 assist and really was solid.
One game down Cards fans and 5 more to go. We will now face the winner of the 8 seed Missouri vs 9 seed Colorado St match-up on Saturday. We have already faced Missouri earlier this season in the “Battle 4 Atlantis” tournament where the Cards beat the Tigers 84-61. I will have the break down of our next opponent once we find out who that will be.
The Brackets are out and let the madness begin. Our Cardinals got the number 1 overall seed in the Midwest but many believe that we will have the toughest road to Atlanta. Especially with an elite 8 match-up with Duke or Michigan St in Indianapolis looming. The bottom line is that in order to be the best you have to beat the best. It appears the Cards will get their chance to do just that. When this thing is over here in a few weeks and Louisville is the last team standing there will be no questions about who the best is.
Our Cardinals learned on selection Sunday that they would play the winner of the play-in game between 16 seed North Carolina A&T and 16 seed Liberty in their first game to kick off March Madness. And tonight A&T beat Liberty in the play-in game 73-72. So our Cards will play A&T in the first session in Lexington at Rupp Arena on Thursday night. The Cardinals will be going into the NCAA tournament as the number one over-all seed. This makes the third number one seed for Louisville and second over-all number one seed. The committee began ranking 1 seeds in 2004. Cards were a number one seed in 83 and a number one over-all seed back in 09.
North Carolina A&T is a team out of the MEAC conference and they got that conferences automatic bid by winning the conference tournament. They beat Delaware St 84-78 for their first MEAC title since 1995. They did play two Big East teams this season Cincy and Seton Hall. They lost both of those contest. They also played EKU this season and beat the Colonels 78-67. A&T last went to the NCAA tournament 17 years ago, also the last time the team won any sort of MEAC hardware. The Aggies hadn’t finished above the .500 mark in 15 seasons, and after logging their fourth one-and-done exit from the MEAC tournament in a five-year span, A&T terminated Jerry Eaves with one year left on his contract and brought in former South Carolina State and Tennessee State head coach Cy Alexander to replace Eaves. A&T will likely be an up-tempo team under Alexander, as his past squads have often finished near the top of D-I in pace. He runs an aggressive man-to-man defense that results in a high number of steals, but an even higher number of easy looks for the opposition. Expect the Aggies to work at a more deliberate pace running an offense that uses a variety of sets and emphasizes an inside-out philosophy. Five seniors and a junior return, so the Aggies will be nothing if not experienced.
Kenpom:
ADJ Efficiency- Offense 89.6 Rank 317
ADJ Efficience- Defense 95.3 Rank 81
Kenpom Overall Rank: 226
Their National Statistics:
-POINTS PER GAME
62.2
290th
OVERALL
-REBOUNDS PER GAME
35.4
131st
OVERALL
-ASSISTS PER GAME
11.1
293rd
OVERALL
-FIELD GOAL PCT
.399
317th
OVERALL
North Carolina A&T’s season averages on offense:
FG%-39.9%, 3PT-29.9%, FT-65.8%
North Carolina A&T’s season averages on defense:
Rebounds-35pg, Steals-7, Blocks-5
Projected Starters:
F Adrian Powell: He is a 6-6 senior swingman who is their top performer averaging 12.5 points per game and 5 rebounds. He is a solid shooter from anywhere on the court, and may be taking a lot of the catch- and-shoot looks.
F Austin Witter: This guy is also one of their top returning senior performers leading the team in rebounds at 7.1 per game and assist at 2.1 per game. Witter is versatile enough to play either forward spot, as well as center.
G Jean Louisme: Is another senior with a lot of experience and can shoot the deep ball. He averages 9.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
F Bruce Beckford: He is a freshman from one of the most prestigious high school programs in the country, Montrose Christian Academy. And came to A&T with a college body, so he gives the Aggies a physical presence in the paint. Averages 7.9 points per game and 4.4 rebounds.
G Lamont Middleton: A junior that has a scorer’s mentality. Likes to get to the rim and finish. Is an excellent rebounder for a guard. Averages 12.4 points per game and 4.1 rebounds.
Key reserves:
F DaMetrius Upchurch: A senior who is one of only two Aggies to top 100 with his offensive rating, is a low-post player with solid offensive rebounding abilities. Averages 4.5 points a game and 3.6 rebounds.
G Jeremy Underwood: A junior that has tremendous speed and excellent court vision. Averages 6.1 points per game and 1.6 rebounds.
I don’t think our Cards will have too much trouble from A&T and I don’t think you’ll see any chance of a 16 over a 1 here. The Cards front-court will be way too talented and advance for this team to defend. Gorgui and Chane should have a field day in the opening game and the new post season beast Montrezl Harrell will have these guys hanging off his arms. Our dynamic duo in the back-court will be licking their chops about this match-up. This game will be like a tennis match with the action going up and down the court. This is a match-up that will be perfect for the Cardinals style of play.
The real challenge will start in the second round on Saturday when the Cards will play the winner of the 8 seed Colorado St vs 9 seed Missouri game. I will have the breakdown of the winner of this game on Friday.