I became an avid Louisville fan in 1980 when I was 9 yrs old. I remember as if it was yesterday watching that title game on my parent’s old console. Those were the good old days. I wasn’t concerned with conference alignment and it was something that never even crossed my mind. The only thing that mattered was if my Cards were going to win or lose. Since 1980, I have watched the Cards play in three conferences (Basketball). In total, they have played in six different leagues (Basketball). They have belonged to the Big East Conference since the 2005–06 seasons. Before that, they belonged to the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from the 1925–26 to 1947–48 seasons, the Ohio Valley Conference for the 1948–49 season, the Missouri Valley Conference from 1964–65 to 1974–75, the Metro Conference from 1975–76 to 1994-95, and Conference USA from 1995-96 to 2004-05. They played as an independent school from 1911-12 to 1924-25 and from 1949-50 to 1963-64 (29 total seasons). Note: Football has belonged to three of these leagues. The Missouri Valley Conference, Conference USA, and Big East

I don’t know about the rest of you but I thought once we got into the Big East that it was going to be for the long haul. I remember how excited I was to hear we were joining the league. But things started to change and the Big East slowly started to fall apart. Now all that is left is a group of Catholic Basketball Schools. The Louisville program will now spend a year in the make shift American Athletic Conference before moving to the ACC in 2014. Thanks to our superior athletic programs and our great Athletic Director, we seem to have found a new home again. This time it looks like it may actually be for the long hall as news broke today that – the Atlantic Coast Conference presidents approved a grant of media rights for the league through 2026-27, effectively halting the exodus of any schools to other conferences. The move solidifies the future of the ACC, which had several teams that had been speculated as targets of the Big Ten and possibly the Big 12. The ACC’s grant of rights makes it untenable financially for a school to leave, guaranteeing in the 14 years of the deal that a school’s media rights, including revenue, for all home games would remain with the ACC regardless of the school’s affiliation. With this move the ACC becomes the fourth league with a grant of rights, along with the Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big 12. The SEC is the only conference among the “power five” leagues that does not have a grant of rights.(ESPN)

Like 8 years ago, when we got the news about our membership to the Big East I will be very happy to join the ACC. But that happiness will now come with much more optimism. The move taken by the ACC today will hopefully give us conference stability and that’s something I have never seen as a Cardinal fan. I had always hoped that one day we would find our place in the shuffle and I’m just glad that it finally appears that has happened. Now all any of us can do as fans is the same thing I have done since I was 9 years old. Look forward to that next Cardinal victory. Louisville first Cards Forever!

Four Louisville signees Akoy Agau, Anton Gill, Dillon Avare and David Levitch will play in tonight’s Derby Festival Classic in Louisville’s Freedom Hall.
Three of the Four finalist for the 3-point contest will include 3 of the Louisville guys Akoy Agau, Dillon Avare and David Levitch. Anton Gill is also in the finals of the dunk contest.

First held in 1973, the Classic is the oldest high school all-star game in the nation and is known for showcasing players who’ve moved on to stardom at the collegiate and professional levels. Former players include Jamal Mashburn, Moses Malone, Rex Chapman, Pervis Ellison, Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, Darrell Griffith, Derek Anderson, Anfernee Hardaway and Michael Beasley.

The Spring game is in the books and we are a little over 4 months out from another exciting football season. Today social media was dominated with several stories involving the Louisville football program.

Cardinal Nation found out that Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium will get new field turf to start the new football season and that means that the field will also be getting a design makeover. U of L football tweeted out the following image about what the new PJCS field will look like this fall. And below you can see a picture of them already getting to work replacing the old turf. I really like the new design and especially the Cardinal head at the 50 yard line and the black end zone designs.

Along with the news about the new turf design being installed at the stadium, we also found out some very good news about next years football schedule. The Chicago Tribune reported that the Cards and Irish would meet in 2014, although we don’t know if it will be in Louisville or South Bend. This is very promising news and will be a great thing to look forward to when we are watching some of the games on the not so pleasing schedule this year. Notre Dame will be joining the ACC on July 1st. And their membership means all sports but football and hockey, but they will play 5 ACC schools in football annually. Louisville will join the ACC in the 2014 season for all sports. Along with the Irish on the schedule the rest of the Cardinals’ 2014 slate will include Kentucky, Florida State, Georgia Tech, NC State, Wake Forest and probably Virginia Tech. It’s a shame we don’t have this schedule this season but like I mentioned above it does give us something to look forward to.

At 6-6 250 when Chane Behanan goes up to dunk the ball he tries to rip the rim off. And the sight of this young man elevating as he attempts to rip a rim off its foundation is stunning. The size-to-glide ratio is uneven. The backboard’s survival is surprising. It’s an assault that causes a very loud clang as the cylinder is violently snatched before it ricochets back into place. You can hear it echo through the arena.

Below is the video of the Behanan dunk:

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”

CardinalNation now knows who the first opponent of the post season will be as Villanova knocked off St Johns on Wednesday night. They will now meet our Louisville Cardinals in the Quarterfinals of the Big East tournament on Thursday night. The all-time series between these teams is tied at 9 to 9 and Nova leads the Big East regular season series 6 to 3. These teams have faced each other one time in the Big East tournament and Louisville won that game 69-55. The Cards played Nova back on January 22 and lost that game 73-64.

Projected Starting Lineup for the Wildcats:

F Mouptaou Yarou: He was the top performer of the game against St Johns scoring 18 points with 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 blocked shot. He is their most experienced player and is playing like it.

F JayVaughn Pinkston: He was named to the All Big East third team for the season and has started to play very well for the Wildcats. He had 12 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot against St Johns.

G Darrun Hillard: He is a good defender and a solid ball handler. He had 4 points, 4 assist and 2 steals against St Johns.

G Ryan Arcidiacono: He was named to the Big East All Rookie team. He is a very good shooter and can really get hot from behind the arc. He had 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assist and 1 steal against St Johns.

G James Bell: He shows flashes of being a good scorer and defender. He had 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assist and 2 steals against St Johns.

Projected Bench Players:

G Tony Chennault: He is a Wake Forrest transfer and is a very solid bench player for the Wildcats. He provides leadership when on the floor. He had 8 points, 3 rebound, 2 assist and 1 steal against St Johns.

F Daniel Ochefu: He is known for his shot blocking and his rebounding. He had 2 points and 2 rebounds against St Johns.

The Cards are 2-0 this season in revenge games and will now get the opportunity to get some revenge on the Wildcats and send them packing from the Big East tourney. The Cardinals played well enough to beat them during their regular season match-up but poor free-throw shooting down the stretch in that game cost them. The Cardinals are a different team than they were back in January and are now firing on all cylinders. With Gorgui now playing his best basketball of the season he should dominate the middle in this one, and look for Peyton Siva and Russ Smith to be ready to take over the back-court battle. And as good as our bench has been this will also be a big advantage. Hancock, Ware and Harrell will be very important in this game. I don’t think this one will ever be in question.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 76 Villanova 59

As I was watching Rick Pitino cheer for his son tonight it was very moving. You could see that even after all he has been through he is still a father that just wants the best for his son. Rick Pitino fan or not that is something that every father can cheer for.

Coach Richard Pitino and his FIU team would come up short in the Sun Belt title game against WKU 65-63 but after watching the improvements to this program in just a year there is no question that the future is bright for the young Pitino. And there is no question that here is a son following directly in his father’s footsteps. Last Thursday Richard Pitino was named one of 10 finalists for the Joe B. Hall Award by CollegeInsider.com, presented to its top first-year Division I men’s basketball head coach. The winner will be announced April 5 at the CollegeInsider.com awards banquet. Three days later on April 8, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will announce their Class of 2013 at a press conference in Atlanta prior to the NCAA’s Men’s Championship game. That announcement will include Rick Pitino. This is very symbolic of the circle of life as one Pitino’s coaching career heads into the twilight and the other one is just beginning. The Pitino name has been a part of college basketball most of my life and it looks like that will continue as my son grows up watching the game.

The 2012-13 regular season is over and the Gorgui Dieng and Russ Smith accolades continue to roll in. Today the Big East named Gorgui the Big East defensive Player of the Year and Sporting News named Russ to their third team All-American list.

These guys deserve all the kudos in the world and they both are a big reason this team is doing so well right now. Each have adjusted to their roles and will be a big part of this teams success going forward into March Madness.

University of Louisville junior Russ Smith is one of 30 candidates for the 2013 Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year award presented by AT&T, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Tuesday.

Smith, who has also been mentioned by ESPN as a breakout star this season and has emerged as an All-America candidate for the No. 10 ranked Cardinals. He has been listed on the 2012-13 Midseason Top 25 Wooden Watch list and was named one of 19 third team recipients of the Academic Momentum Award. He is 4th in the Big East in scoring with 17.2 points a game and is 4th in free-throw shooting at 86.7% a game. Russ is only 15 points away from the 1000 club at Louisville.

Overall, Smith averages 18.4 points, 2.9 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 steals in 29.7 minutes per game for the Cards. He is hitting 40.2% from the field and 31.8% from long range.

The top 30 candidates were selected by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances to this point in the 2013 men’s college basketball season. In late March, the Naismith Trophy voting academy will narrow down the list to four finalists. The Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year presented by AT&T will be awarded on April 7, 2013 in Atlanta.

For the ninth consecutive year, fans will have the opportunity to text their votes for the player of their choice and help determine the 2013 Naismith Trophy winner. Voting will open to fans on Monday, March 25. Naismith Trophy presenting sponsor AT&T is making the voting open to other wireless carriers, enabling even more fans to participate.

“This season has re-defined excellence on the court, as numerous talented players have put themselves in a position to win the prestigious Naismith Trophy,” said Shane Battier, spokesperson for the Naismith Awards and the only men’s player to win both a high school (1997) and college (2001) Naismith Trophy. “I am excited to see which of these great players emerges down the stretch to win this award and become the newest member of the Naismith Awards family.”

“For nearly a decade, AT&T has helped honor college basketball’s elite and their amazing performances on the court,” said Jamie Kerr, Director, AT&T Corporate Sponsorships. “AT&T enables fans to play a central role in the selection process while bringing them closer to their passion for college basketball. With such a competitive pool of student-athletes, next month’s voting is sure to be close.”

Other notable Naismith Trophy alumni include a pair of three-time winners in Bill Walton (1972, 73, 74) and Ralph Sampson (181, 82, 83), Michael Jordan (1984), Kevin Durant (2007) and last year’s winner, Anthony Davis of Kentucky. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T is the most prestigious national award presented annually to college basketball’s best player.

For more information visit www.naismithawards.com