Our #5 Cards will travel to Music City on Saturday to face a in-state rival in Western Kentucky. And it will be a game between two teams going in two very different directions. The Cards are on a tear and even with the loss of Gorgui Dieng seem to be improving every game. WKU on the other hand is a banged up team that just had one of their worst losses ever Tuesday against VCU. The Rams turned over WKU 32 times in the 76-44 romp.

Coach Harper: “We’re still a young basketball team,””but I think we’ve got some talent. I’m excited about what the future holds.”

In-conference offense: 0.99 points per possession (8th)
In-conference defense: 1.01 points allowed per possession (7th)

Jamal Crook SR (14.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg) 6-3 G was scheduled for surgery Wednesday and will be out four to six weeks with a right foot fracture. Will miss game Saturday.

Teeng Akol SR (7.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg) 6-11 F/C is a very good shot blocker and will be counted on to give this team valuable minutes in the low post. He has scored 92 points this season and grabbed 50 rebounds in 214 minutes of play.

Kene Anyigbo JR (2.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg) 6-5 F has scored 24 points this season, grabbed 27 rebounds in 100 min of play.

Caden Dickerson JR (3.4 ppg, 0.7 rpg) 6-5 G separated his right shoulder and is out indefinitely. Will not play Saturday.

Brandon Harris JR (6.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg) 6-1 G is a very good player who led Otero (Colo.) Junior College to a 30-4 record last season. He has scored 72 points this season, grabbed 69 rebounds, dished out 16 assist in 319 minutes in play.

O’Karo Akamune JR (3.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg) 6-7 F has scored 37 points, and grabbed 38 rebounds this season in 166 minutes of play.

Kevin Kaspar Soph (5.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg) 6-0 G is playing but has been limited by a hamstring injury. He has scored 62 points this season, grabbed 39 rebounds, dished out 23 assist in 290 minutes of play.

Spence Sheldon Soph (0.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg) 5-11 G has not played this season.

Nigel Snipes Soph (0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 6-6 F tore his right ACL, knocking him out for 2012-13.

Stephon Drane Soph (1.9 ppg, 0.9 rpg) 6-7 F played one game last season before redshirting with a knee injury. The 6-7 sophomore averaged 4.2 minutes in 18 games his freshman season. He has scored 23 points this season, and grabbed 11 rebounds in 68 minutes of action.

George Fant Soph (11.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg) 6-6 F has gotten a little bigger and a little stronger and is poised to have a big sophomore season. He has scored 121 points this season, and grabbed 79 rebounds in 313 minutes of play.

T.J. Price Soph (16.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg) 6-4 G shot 35.6 percent while making 52 3-pointers last season. He has missed the past three games with a right ankle sprain and will be a game-time decision on Saturday. He has scored 152 points this season, grabbed 55 rebounds and dished out 22 assist in 295 minutes this season.

Eddie Alcantara FR (1.0 ppg, 1.4 rpg) 6-5 F averaged around 21 points and nine rebounds and shot more than 40 percent from 3-point range as a senior for Chicago-Hales Franciscan. He has scored 5 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in 30 minutes of play.

Percy Blade FR (2.8 ppg, 1.1 rpg) 6-4 G is a preferred walk-on who prepped at Louisville-Eastern. He has scored 22 points this season, and grabbed 9 rebounds in 82 minutes of play.

Aleksejs Rostov FR (2.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg) 6-10 C played last year for the Canarias Basketball Academy and also played on Latvia’s bronze-medal U18 team in 2010. He has scored 25 points this season and grabbed 14 rebounds in 62 minutes of play.

Despite the loss of Gorgui Dieng our Louisville Cardinals still have the #1 ranked defense in college basketball and have 131 steals on this young season with 13 a game. They are also averaging over 20 forced turnovers a game and scoring over 20 pts on those turnovers. This is not a good thing for WKU a team that in their last game had 32 turnovers and turned the ball over on 45.7 percent of their possessions.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 90 Western Kentucky 53

Our #5 Cards will bring their game back to the KFC Yum Center this Wednesday after their best win of the season in a gutsy effort against Memphis on Saturday. It will be Pitino versus Pitino for the first time ever as the Cards face Florida International University.

Coach Richard Pitino: “When you bring in so many new guys, I think you certainly are concerned,” “You have a lot of guys on your roster who don’t have a lot of D-I experience, and the rest of them are guys who didn’t play a whole lot last year.”

In-conference offense: 1.00 points per possession (4th)
In-conference defense: 1.02 points allowed per possession (8th)

Manuel Nunez SR (0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 6-5 G has not played this season.

Cameron Bell SR (0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 6-3 G has not played this season.

Gaby Belardo SR (8.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg) 6-2 G is not a game-changer but he handles the ball and does lead the offense. He averaged 2.6 assists and made 46 3-pointers while shooting 32.6 percent for a 5-25 Canisius team in 2011-12. He has scored 60 pts, has 23 assist in 148 min this season.

Tola Akomolafe SR (5.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg) 6-6 F is one of the key returners for FIU and is one of the more versatile players on the team. He has scored 40 pts and grabbed 32 rebounds in 192 min this season.

Steven Miro JR (0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 6-3 G has not played this season.

Tymell Murphy JR (14.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg) 6-5 F helped South Plains (Texas) College to a 36-0 record and a JUCO national championship last season. He’s a very versatile, very athletic and very quick player. He has scored 98 pts, grabbed 40 rebounds, has 21 assist in 193 min this season.

Malik Smith JR (16.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg) 6-2 G made 84 3-pointers last season at Jacksonville College in Texas. He has adapted smoothly to Pitino’s system, which mirrors his father’s pressing, 3-point shooting, uptempo trademark. He has made 27-63 3 pointers for 43% this season. He has scored 118 pts, and played 231 min.

Ivan Jurkovic JR (2.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg) 7-0 C provides some size for this FIU team. The skilled and savvy Croatian has scored 15 pts and grabbed 12 rebounds in 51 min this season.

Deric Hill SOPH (4.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg) 5-9 G is a returner from last season. He averaged over 13 minutes in 23 games and made one start. He has scored 34 pts, grabbed 10 rebounds and has 14 assist in 113 min this season.

Marco Porcher Jimenez SOPH (1.4 ppg, 0.9 rpg) 6-4 G is a Fairleigh Dickinson transfer who prepped at Oak Hill Academy. He has scored 10 pts in 50 min of play this season.

Juan Ferrales SOPH (7.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg) 6-2 G made 38 3-pointers while shooting 36 percent behind the arc last season at Broward (Fla.) Community College. He has scored 52 pts, 7-15 3 pointer for 47% this season in 147 min.

Joey De La Rosa SOPH (3.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg) 6-11 C is another returning player from last season. He has scored 22 pts this season in 66 min of play.

Jerome Frink FR (10.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg) 6-6 F played at prep power St. Anthony’s (N.J.), which won a national title and went 65-0 his final two seasons. He has scored 71 pts, grabbed 47 rebounds in 206 min this season.

Dee Lewis FR (0.0 ppg, 0.5 rpg) 6-3 G has not play significant minutes this season.

The Cards finished strong on Saturday against Memphis but did have a very sluggish start. Will be looking for a faster start from them on Wednesday night. Chane Behanan got back to the player he was last March in that Memphis game and will be looking to see if he keeps that going with another solid performance. We are still waiting for that one big breakout game from Wayne Blackshear and waiting to see him return to the player he was in that Final Four game. Just maybe this will be his game for that return.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 87 FIU 56

Our #6 Cards (8-1) will mix it up with an old foe on Saturday when they travel to face Memphis (6-2). Its always great when these two long time rivals get together. After a six-year hoops hiatus, Memphis and Louisville renewed their longtime rivalry in the 2011. The contest Saturday will be the 87th meeting between the rivals, with the Cardinals holding a 52-34 advantage in the series. In addition to being fellow C-USA members from 1996-2005, they also competed as league foes in the Missouri Valley Conference from 1968-73 and Metro Conference from 1976-91. I’m glad we are mixing it up with these guys again.

Josh Pastner is entering his fourth season as Memphis head coach and is 75-29 over three seasons. And even though the Tigers haven’t been able to win a NCAA game during that time they have been solid in the regular season. Pastner will get some key minutes from some talented youngsters, but his roster is heavy with proven veterans. The Tigers were in the Bahamas with the Cards and they had a rough go of it losing 2 out of the 3 games they played. After struggling early Pastner decided to make a lineup swap and moved Joe Jackson to shooting guard with Chris Crawford playing point. Since he made this switch they have been dominating their opponents. But none the caliber of Louisville. The Tigers are currently ranked 69th in points per game, 103rd in rebounding per game, 47th in assist per game and 35th in field goal percentage per game.

Ferrakohn Hall SR (2.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg) 6-8 F doesn’t pile up lofty statistics, but he does provide energy and contributes a lot of the little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet. He has scored 20 pts this season grabbed 21 rebounds in 61 min of PT this season.

Charles Holt SR (0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 5-10 G Has not played this season.

D.J. Stephens SR (5.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg) 6-5 G/F is one of the more athletic players on this Memphis team and has impressive leaping ability. He doesn’t have to score points to make an impact. He has helped the Tigers win a lot if games. He has scored 45 pts this season, grabbed 42 rebounds in 144 min of PT this season.

Stan Simpson SR (2.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg) 6-10 F The junior college transfer, who began his college career at Illinois, had a disappointing first year with the Tigers. And he hasn’t been that productive this season either. He has scored 16 pts, grabbed 9 rebounds in 59 min of PT this season.

Joe Jackson JR (10.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg) 6-1 G is ultra-quick and naturally talented. But some think he hasn’t lived up to his full potential. He has struggled with consistency and there have been times over the last two seasons that Jackson has been a special player. At other times, though, he’s not played up to his ability. The recent move back to SG has got him going though. He has scored 85 pts, grabbed 21 rebounds, has 31 assist in 219 min of PT this season.

Antonio Barton JR (7.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg) 6-2 G is a under the radar guy who has been really good for Memphis. He’s a tough hard-nosed guy who does his job. Shares PG spot with Crawford. He has scored 63 pts, grabbed 17 rebounds, has 12 assist in 203 min if PT this season.

Chris Crawford JR (9.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg) 6-4 G is a very good perimeter defender and although he’s inconsistent, he’s one of the team’s best 3-point shooters. Since being moved to PG he has a very impressive assist-to-turnover ratio of nearly 3 to 1. He has scored 73 pts this season, grabbed 37 rebounds, has 25 assist in 233 min of PT this season.

Tarik Black JR (10.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg) 6-9 F is money when he gets the ball around the basket. He converted a school record 68.9 percent of his shots last season. He is also an excellent offensive rebounder but does struggle on the defensive glass. He has scored 73 pts this season and grabbed 34 rebounds in 153 min of PT.

Trey Draper JR (0.7 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 5-10 G has only played 2 min this season.

Geron Johnson JR (11.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg) 6-3 G is an explosive athlete who landed with the Tigers officially in late August, after finishing up some schoolwork and being admitted into the university. He is a dynamic combo guard and is an all-around talent who has fit into this Memphis rotation quickly. He has scored 55 pts this season, grabbed 21 rebounds, has 17 assist in 115 min of PT this season.

Adonis Thomas SOPH (10.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg) 6-7 G/F would probably be in the NBA had he not had to sit for most of last season with an ankle injury. The former McDonald’s All-American is a great shooter and rebounder. He has scored 87 pts, grabbed 30 rebounds, has 12 assist in 216 min of PT.

Hippolyte Tsafack SOPH (0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 6-8 F has not played this season.

Shaq Goodwin FR (8.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg) 6-9 F is the most decorated player in the Memphis’ signing class and probably the most talented C-USA newcomer. ESPN rated him a four-star recruit, the No. 8 power forward in the class of 2012 and the No. 31 player overall. He is still adjusting to the college game but is a very good player. He has scored 69 pts, grabbed 49 rebounds, has 14 assist in 172 min of PT this season.

Damien Wilson FR (1.7 ppg, 0.2 rpg) 6-6 G was part of an Oak Hill team that was 44-0 and won the FAB 50 national championship last season. He is a winner. He is a slasher and is very aggressive at getting to the rim. He has played limited min this season scoring only 10 pts.

Anthony Cole FR (0.0 ppg, 0.3 rpg) 6-0 G has only played 2 min this season.

This game was named the #5 OOC game of the season by Sports Illustrated’s Andy Glockner. Here’s what he said: ”The Tigers know CUSA isn’t that strong this season, and their non-conference schedule is providing them with numerous chances to impress. This is probably the choicest of the bunch, though, getting a top-5 team and a regional rival to come to them. We’ll know a ton about Memphis’ maturity after this one.”

The Tigers have been a team that don’t handle pressure well, don’t guard the three well and they haven’t rebounded well. They will be facing a Louisville team that is out-scoring opponents by 21 points per contest, and holding them to only 54 ppg. They force 22 turnovers per game, and out-rebound the opposition by 8 per outing. I do think this is a good match-up for our Cards but this Memphis team is very talented and very capable of pulling of the upset in this early season game. They are very good at sharing the basketball and are one of the best assist teams in the nation. They do get out in transition very well. So our defense will be tested as they were against Duke. They will have a great home crowd behind them and will play the best game of their season.

This will be one of the toughest games of the season for the Cards. In probably one of the most hostile environments they will face all season. We will find out a lot about our team in this one. I like the Cards in this up and down the floor slug-fest. “IN RUSS I TRUST”.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 89 Memphis 83

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.

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

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.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 90 UMKC 43

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.

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)

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.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 83 College of Charleston 79