Our #5 ranked Cards didn’t miss a beat tonight in Music City as they roll past the HillToppers 78-55 for their sixth straight win. Tonight kicked off a new four game deal between these in-state rivals. Our Cards have won four straight and 21 of 24 overall in this series.

On a night where the Louisville back-court duo of Siva and Smith had trouble getting things going it was the front-court players that would step up and provide the offense in this one. Wayne Blackshear had 18 points and 8 rebounds, Chane Behanan had 14 points and 7 rebounds, and Montrezl Harrell along with some monster dunks had 13 points and 6 rebounds. Russ Smith did end up with 20 points tonight but most of them were junk points at the end of the game as he was involved in a foul fest with the WKU team. This was his 12th straight game scoring in double digits. His counterpart Siva didn’t have a great showing in the Music City tonight as he had his first foul out of the season scoring just 5 points. The Cards shot 27-53 for 50.9% from the field, 5-14 for 35.7% from 3 and were 19-27 from the free-throw line for 70.4%. The Cards did a very good job tonight at finding the open man and shooting good shots. The Cards defense was solid tonight holding the Toppers to 55 points while forcing 20 turnovers and getting 10 steals. The Hilltoppers had very few looks where they didn’t have a Louisville defender in front of them and didn’t have an easy time getting to the basket.

With this game behind the Cards it’s now time for the meat and potatoes portion of the schedule to begin. And it starts with arch rival UK coming to the Yum Center next Saturday. Chants broke out tonight in the Bridgestone Arena from the Cards faithful after the game of BEAT UK! And the social media impact of UK week has already seen an explosion as the term #BEATUK was trending about a half an hour after the WKU game tonight. Should have my UK preview up on Monday. Go Cards!

It was a family reunion in the KFC Yum center tonight as the father and son battle of Rick Pitino and Richard Pitino took center stage. The game tonight was the first time in 12 years that a father and son had coached against each other in a college basketball game and it’s the 17th time in NCAA Division I history that a father coached against his son. The dads are now 15-2 in these games. It was the elder Pitino that came out on the winning end of things tonight as our #5 Cards roll FIU 79-55.

Our Cards shot 49 percent and hit 12 3-pointers, tying a season high. They also committed just 11 turnovers in winning the 11th annual Billy Minardi Classic, named for Pitino’s brother-in-law who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. The MVP of the Classic was Peyton Siva who had a double-double with 15 points and 12 assist. He looked really good at leading his team tonight. And looked really confident shooting the ball. One of the questions I had going into this game was if Wayne Blackshear would finally have his break-out game and he did just that tonight as he tied his career high with 18 points and had a solid night on the boards grabbing 8 rebounds. He is starting to look more and more like the player we seen in that Final Four game last year and you can see his confidence level rise with every game. Chane Behanan continues to show his dominance in the front-court and had another great outing scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Russ was the usual Russ tonight scoring 14 points and dishing out 4 assist. The #1 defense in the country continues to look very good as tonight they hold a team to 54 points that was averaging over 70 and scored 25 points off of 14 turnovers.

Cards will now get ready for their game this weekend in Nashville against WKU. After that it’s game on for the rest of the way starting with the battle against Kentucky on the 29th.

Well, you can knock them down,
Step in thier face,
Slander their name
All over the place.

Do anything that you want to do, but uh-uh,
Memphis, lay off of their shoes
Don’t you step on their basketball shoes.
You can do anything but lay off of their basketball shoes.

(6) Louisville 87 Memphis 78
(9-1, 2-0 away) (6-3, 5-1 home)

Coach Pitino: “It doesn’t pay to work on it all week,” “At halftime, I gave them a piece of my mind saying, `You’ve got a great player here but you’re ignoring him.’ They got the message, and they didn’t ignore him.”

The match-up today was the 87th meeting between the rivals, with the the win today the Cardinals now hold a 53-34 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. They will also be in the same league next season as Memphis comes to the Big East. That’s if Louisville doesn’t leave early for the ACC. I’m glad we are mixing it up with these guys again, and today was another classic battle of many against these old foes.

Hey Memphis fans! “THE CARDS” have left the building!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

– Cards return home from Island with an understanding of where they stand.

UofL 51 UNI 46

Coach Pitino: “Our guys played tight tonight, and instead of playing to win the game they played to not lose the game.”

That was pretty much the takeaway from this one. UNI was not a very good match-up for the Cards and the slow tempo did not do much for a team that likes to get up and down the court on the fast break. Those fast breaks lead to more scoring opportunities. It was good for the Cards to see a team like this early on because they will see it again as the season progresses.

Coach Pitino on Smith: “Russ is a home run player. Every possession you really have your heart in your mouth, but he really hits a lot of home runs.” “He bothers everybody, and he allows Peyton to do a lot of good things out there because he is so intense.”

Coach Pitino: “Our bench won the game. The starters finished it off, but when Peyton and Gorgui are out and you extend the lead, that’s special.”

The take away from this one was the fact that if Louisville is more patient and finds better shots for themselves instead of just jacking them up it pays off. They shot fewer shots in the second half but scored more points with 65 % shooting against a very good team.

The Cards come home 2-1 from the Battle 4 Atlantis and with a lot of very good experience heading into the rest of the season. They learned an awful lot about themselves against 3 very different teams. Was good to see Luke Hancock have a great game, and was very good to see our bench step up at critical moments for this team. We found out that we have strengths all over the court. I can’t think of another season when we knew so much about the basketball team this early. I am looking forward to the rest of this season and looking forward to watching this team mature and develop along the way. They took those first steps this weekend.

(Hat Tip to @EricCrawford for the stat sheets)

– Redhawk Down

“Redhawk Down” is an understatement as our Cards completely dominated this game from start to finish. And looked pretty good in the last dress rehearsal before the big trip to the Bahamas this week to “Battle 4 Atlantis”. Cards roll 80-39.

When watching this game tonight it was very apparent that talent is everywhere on this squad. Yes Cards fans this team is very deep and loaded. They are the strongest at the most important spots on the floor point guard and center. Peyton Siva was the talk of the college basketball world before the season started a few weeks ago and so far he is living up to his billing. He is averaging 9 assist a game and that time he spent attending the Chris Paul point guard camp seems to be paying off. His shots seem more effortless and fundamentally sound. Tonight he had 6 points, 10 assist, and 4 steals. Gorgui Dieng was probably the second most hyped player in the time leading up to this season behind Peyton and he hasn’t disappointed either. He was one rebound shy of having his 3rd double-double in a row. He was not only great on the defensive side of the floor tonight but was very efficient on the offensive side of the ball as well. He had 11 points which included a monster dunk that will surely be on the top 10 plays of SportsCenter tonight. To go along with 9 boards and one steal.

And perhaps the biggest surprise of this early season has been the offensive performances by Russ Smith. He has been a scoring machine averaging over 20 a game and has lead in that category the last 3 times out. He had 23 points and was 5-7 from 3 point land tonight. One of my questions coming into this game was if Russ could start putting together more complete games by adding some assists and rebounding to his performances? Well tonight that answer was no. He didn’t have a rebound, assist, or a steal. I’m very impressed with his offensive out-put but in order for this team to go Russ is gonna have to add more to the stat sheet than what he’s done so far.

Tonight was a great dress rehearsal for the tough week ahead and without question our Cards played the part of the #2 team in the country.

Coach Pitino: “This was a great game for us, and we definitely played well in all facets of the game.”

– “Samford” and “My Son”

The “Battle 4 Atlantis” started tonight in the KFC YUM center. It is expected to be one of the most entertaining and challenging early season tournaments of the year. At times our Cards did provide some entertainment but this one was far from being challenging as Louisville rolls to 2-0 on the early season beating Samford 80-54 on Thursday night.

Coach Pitino: “We improved our rebounding and that was a staple.”

If you have been paying attention the last couple of weeks then you have noticed that Wayne Blackshear has been really quite on the court. So quiet that Coach Pitino came out during his weekly press conference and said that he didn’t think Wayne was back from his injuries at a 100% yet. I think Wayne has heard the rumblings about his early performance and the answer to my second question tonight was also answered with a yes. Wayne started the game and in 24 minutes of play he was the second highest scorer with 13 points. He also added 5 rebounds to go along with 2 steals. Tonight he did look more involved and in the post game interview he said that he played more aggressive and that he was starting to get his confidence back.

Coach Pitino: “Fans have no idea how down Luke is right now.” He also mentioned that shoulder injury was still a factor.

Was really good to see Russdiculous continue to provide an offensive spark to this team as he lead all scorers with 18 points. Would really like to see him add some assist to go along with that and after listening to Coach Pitino’s post game it sounds like he would also.

Coach Pitino: “Russ took some challenged shots there at the end so he could go home and call his father and tell him he scored 30.”

The Cardinals didn’t shoot well hitting just 39 percent from the field, 22 percent from three-point range, and 57 percent from the free throw line. But still had no problem winning the opener and concludes its home-stand Sunday against Miami (Ohio). These tuneups will hopefully prepare our Cards for tougher competition when it resumes the Battle 4 Atlantis on Thursday against Northern Iowa.