Another Year Of “Enthusiasm Personified”

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Back last summer during a basketball game that Montrezl Harrell was playing in for the U-19 USA team (where he won gold) the announcer of the game used “Enthusiasm Personified” to describe Montrezl on a basketball court. I haven’t heard anything better to describe what he does on a basketball floor since. In my 30 plus years of watching college basketball I haven’t seen anyone with a motor like he has. Today an ordinary Monday became an extraordinary one when Montrezl tweeted out the he was bringing his “Enthusiasm Personified” back to Louisville for his Junior season.

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Coming into his college career some thought he would be in position limbo, but with Pitino’s style of play and his physical growth he has become a nightmare match-up for a small forward and a unique match-up for a bigger guy. He has shown in just the last couple of years that he is developing his game more in the post and also improving his ball skills. All the while taking advantage of the most high percentage shot in the game of basketball, “The Slam Dunk”. This kid has all the raw materials and when he plays he goes hard, real hard “Enthusiasm Personified”. With that Enthusiasm Montrezl has soared to the top of the dunk record books and now resides with the likes of “The Doctors of Dunk”, “Dr. Dunkenstein” and many more who have rocked the rim during their time as Cardinals.

The announcement of his return will all but guarantee that Louisville will have a new dunk leader after next season and it makes our Cardinals a legit contender for the National Title again next season. In a day where kids are leaving school early for that quick paycheck Louisville players have become the standard for doing just the opposite. It is great to see kids be able to embrace the college sports life and it’s great to see them really live the Louisville First, Cardinals Forever motto. Today’s announcement again proves that it’s not just words we speak but has become something real.

I don’t really know how you thank someone for turning down millions of dollars to play for your favorite college team, but I guess it would look something like this:

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Thank you for coming back for one more run Montrezl!.. Can’t wait to see you dominate the front-court in the ACC next season. L1C4..! Go Cards!

-Montrezl Harrell talks about his decision to come back:

Montrezl Harrell “A Year In Dunks”

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(Photo “The Intimidator” by TJ Parks)

We all watched this past season as Montrezl dunked his way into the Louisville record books. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a player go to the basket so aggressively and I enjoyed ever minute of it. Most speculate that Montrezl will take his dunks to the league next season, but it would really be nice if he’d give us one more year of “Enthusiasm Personified”.

Until then for our viewing pleasure Every Montrezl Harrell Dunk of the 2013-14 Season (HD)
By TheLouisvilleShow:

http://youtu.be/O1Ef9HmfEfo

Never Too Early To Look Ahead

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So the college basketball season is over and it’s never to early to look towards next season. The Cardinals have a very good recruiting class coming in next season and maybe one of Coach Pitino’s best hauls since becoming the Louisville head man. It is considered #4 by ESPN, #9 by 247Sports, #8 by Scout, #7 by Rivals and he has done a very good job at addressing all the needs in this next group. He’s got a great back-court duo with Shaqquan Aaron, and Quentin Snider. Aaron has tremendous playmaking and scoring ability at 6-8. He could end up the biggest star of the group. Snider is also a great scorer and has a lot of ability. He will be one of those long term impact players that Louisville fans have grown accustomed to.

This group will also feature some great long term impact players in the front-court with Jaylen Johnson and Chinanu Onuaku. These guys fit Coach Pitino’s system ideally. Onuaku has rapidly improved and is very skilled for a big man. Once he drops some weight, he will make a big impact. Johnson brings a lot of intangibles to the team, and is a great baseline player. Then we have the twin towers with 7-foot-2 Matz Stockman and 7-foot-1 Anas Osama Mahmoud. These guys are a bit of a mystery to most people on the left side of the Atlantic, but apparently, they are loaded with potential. You can’t teach size and these guys have that.

We have a solid group of guys coming back next year as well. In the back-court we will have Chris Jones, Terry Rozier and Anton Gill getting most of the minutes. Jones improved drastically towards the end of this season and once he became more accustomed to coach Pitino’s system was a different player. That will only get better as he has another summer to adapt. Terry Rozier will be a star in his sophomore season. This guy is gonna make some noise in college basketball and the ACC. Anton Gill will be another major contributor on the offensive end of the floor, but will have to get the defense down. Returning is also the next Tim Henderson spark plug off the bench in David Levitch. He is gonna hit some big shots before he is done, and is a great kid to cheer for.

With the news of Co-Captain Montrezl Harrell returning it adds even more depth in the Louisville front-court and I don’t need to tell you what kind of impact he will make next season. He makes the Cardinals a legitimate contender for another National Title run. Not that they wouldn’t have been anyway but Montrezl guarantees it. Having this much depth in the front-court will also give the young guys more time to develop and get comfortable with the college game. The Cards will also have Wayne Blackshear, Mango Mathiang and Akoy Agau returning. Wayne is a real big question mark at this point in my opinion. Will he finally breakout and be the 5* All-American we have expected since he arrived? Your guess is as good as mine, but I’m behind him 100%, and being a team captain next season may help his confidence also. Mango is the most promising of this group and his upside and potential is off the charts. If he adds the weight this summer he’s going to have a huge year, and be a beast in the middle of that Pitino defense with his shot blocking ability. I have confidence that Akoy will get some solid minutes next year also. He is a skilled guy. He just needs to keep his attitude positive.

Some of the different sports sites and talking heads have already came out with their early top 25 rankings:

-Dan Hanner RealGM.com/Louisville #14

-Jon Rothstein CBS Sports/Louisville #11

-Athlon Sports/Louisvill #14

-CBS Sports.com./Louisville #21

-NBC Sports.com/Louisville Unranked

-Bleacher Report/ Louisville #21

-ESPN.com/Louisville #12

I look for these rankings to be adjusted with the news of Harrell’s return. My guess is that Louisville will be firmly in the top 10 of every pre-season ranking. We could possibly crack the top 5 in some of them also.

This season has shown us all that it’s really hard to predict how a season will turn out, but I know I’m looking forward to it. It will be fun to see how all the new guys mold with the returning guys and how the returning guys step up to fill the shoes of those that left the program in such great shape. See you in 2014-15 Cardinal Fans..

Cards Will Renew Old Rivalry At Jimmy V Classic

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The Jimmy V Classic is one of my favorite events of the college basketball season. No Championship is on the line, and no tournament berths are at stake. Instead, the basketball world comes together for one night to celebrate the life of one its own, and help to save the lives of many more. It is rare that there is a charity where 100% of everything you contribute goes to research and the Jimmy V Foundation does just that. They received an endowment which allows them to give all of the donations to fight against cancer, not to pay bills. As I am sure is the case with many of you, a lot of people I know have been touched by cancer including my family. Some have fought and won, others have fought and lost. I hope for a day when we can eliminate the second group and everyone fights and wins. The Jimmy V Classic has been played since 1995.

Today Per ESPN, the Indiana-Louisville game for Jimmy V Classic will be the 2nd game of night at 9:00 on December 9th at MSG in NYC. The game will be on ESPN and follows Villanova vs Maryland. The last time the Cards were in this event was back in 2006. That was a time when Louisville’s luck wasn’t as good in The Garden as it is nowadays. They played Arizona in their first and only appearance in the Classic losing that game 72-65.

I’m looking forward to this old rivalry being renewed when Louisville makes its return to MSG for the V Classic. The Cards and Hoosiers will do battle for the first time since playing a game on February 1st 2003. It was the Cards that came out victorious in that game 95-76. The game will mark the 17th meeting between the two schools in history with IU holding a 10-6 advantage. The teams have met three times since 1990 with IU holding a 3-1 edge in those games. The game is not part of an ongoing series but is instead a one-game contract between the two schools. Coach Pitino has been working hard to get a home and home series with the Hoosiers but that hasn’t came about yet. Let’s all hope that the game on December 9th will spark up the old feud enough to make this a annual meeting.

With this news today Louisville’s non-conference slate for the 2014 season is looking like its going to be loaded. They are set to open up next season with a game against Pitino Jr’s squad Minnesota in Perto Rico, then the game against IU, Kentucky and the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Yup Louisville college basketball 2014 is shaping up to be an exciting time indeed.

The End Of An Era

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Some college sports fans live a lifetime without getting to see their beloved team reach the pinnacle. For 25 years I was starting to think that I may never get to watch my Louisville Cardinals win a National Championship, but in the last four years I got to see that and so much more.

I got to watch great young men lay it on the line for their university, their fans and their city every time they took the floor. I got to watch young men start at the bottom and work their way to legendary status and I got to watch a basketball program transcend into greatness. I’ve enjoyed moments over the last four years that I will hold onto for the rest of my life. I am so grateful for that and words can’t express the gratitude that I feel.

This past weekend was such a low point for me and I have grieved and sulked since walking out of Lucas Oil Stadium. But when I took away the part where we lost to our arch rival it allowed me to put things in perspective. What a great ride we have been on as Louisville Basketball fans and while it is the end of an era those who leave it behind have done so at a level much greater than when they got here. Isn’t that what it’s all about? The group of guys who wore the uniform the last four years have set a new standard for the ones coming in next to maintain. As a fan I have learned that it’s not where you start, but where you finish. It is the End of an Era, but the start of another. I can’t wait to see what the next one holds.

An awesome video was just put out today and it captures a lot of those great moments and really put a big smile on my face today. Hope it does the same for you:

Louisville Basketball- “The End Of An Era”
ByEvan Westendorf

Cards Lose The Battle, But Still In The Fight

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On Friday night in Indianapolis the 46th chapter of the Battle of the Bluegrass was written. For the 32nd time it was Kentucky who walked away with the victory 74-69. The Wildcats now lead the all-time series 32-15 (4-2 in NCAA). The Cardinals are 1-6 against their rivals since John Calipari was hired as their coach. With the win the Wildcats advance to the Elite 8, and the Cards season will come to a close after a great run of basketball that has included 2 Big East Titles, AAC Title, 2 Final Fours, and a National Championship. ”We celebrated an awful lot the last three years,” Pitino said. ”We’re going to be very gracious in this defeat because we’ve had a lot of celebrations, and it’s the end of an era for us, for a lot of us. So it’s something that we’re certainly going to miss.”

The stage was set for what was billed as one of the biggest games in this series as it featured both the 2012 and 2013 College Basketball National Champions competing against each other in the Sweet 16. Our Cardinals led most of the way, but It was a pretty competitive game throughout. I think the script went a different way than what most of us expected. Kentucky was supposed to be the young team that lost focus down the stretch especially with one of their best defenders in the locker room. But that’s not what happen. It was our veteran Cardinals that started taking bad shots, making bad decisions, and struggled to put the ball in the basket in the final minutes of the game.

In the final eight minutes of the game, Louisville scored two points in the paint on 1-of-5 shooting and scored just three points in the final three minutes. The Cardinals missed 10 of their 23 free throws while Kentucky was 22 of 27 at the line, and made five of its last six. Our Cards also got beat up on the boards 37-29 and that led to 8 second chance points. These stats are what sealed the victory for the Wildcats.

Luke with 19 points, Russ with 23 points, Montrezl with 15 points, 8 rebounds Stephan with his hustle/effort and Chris with 6 points all went down swinging. These starters and especially our seniors left their hearts on the floor Friday night and gave it all they had like they’ve done so many times in the past.
I was also very impressed with Mango who had 4 rebounds, 3 points, and 2 blocked shots. I am extremely optimistic about this kids future. His play has been trending upward all season and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store next season.
Wayne’s struggles continue and my comments about him are starting to be like a broken record. He played 17 minutes and had 1 rebound, 3 points, 1 assist and 1 steal. He started his Cardinal career as one of the most anticipated players ever and will now head into his senior season with very minimal expectations. Great kid but don’t know if he’ll ever get it figured out again.

The battle was lost on Friday night and I know every Cardinal fan feels the same way I have all day. While frustrated about being 1-6 to our rivals just remember Cardinal fans that we are headed into the exciting new challenge of the ACC, have the #4 ranked recruiting class and still have an excellent program. The battle has been lost for now, but the Cardinal fight lives on. I’m looking forward to another great group of young men coming into the program and hopefully we can send them away in four years like we did with the seniors this year “Champions”. L1C4

Louisville’s Russ Smith after a loss to UK in NCAA tourney:

Luke Hancock after Louisville’s loss to Kentucky in the NCAAs:

Stephan Van Treese on U of L’s loss to Kentucky:

Montrezl Harrell on his season and his future:

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The Beak Sweet 16 Breakdown: Cards vs Cats

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This week we have flown our flags a little higher and wore our gear with that little extra boost of pride. This is the Cards and the Cats and it just doesn’t get any bigger in college basketball. This year’s Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament will feature the 2012 and 2013 National Champions, and will be a rubber match of sorts between the last two champs of college basketball. The game will also feature programs with very different approaches to winning. The college basketball world will be watching to see if the team of grizzled veterans or the team of super freshman phenoms will rule the day.

Lucas Oil Stadium will be rocking Friday night and this will be the most anticipated Battle of the Bluegrass in years. It has been the Cats who have won the last 8 out of eleven in this battle head-to-head, but when looking at their entire body of work these teams have had similar success in the last 30 years. A series that started in 1913 these old rivals will meet for the 47th time on Friday night and for the 6th time in the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky holds the all-time lead in this series 31-15, (3-2 in NCAA).

This game was named the #1 OOC game by Sports Illustrated. Here’s what they said: “Two elite teams meet once again, eternal bragging rights (at least for another year), HoF coaches who can’t stand each other. It’s not always a pretty watch, but it’s compelling TV and the best soap opera in the sport at the moment.”

Once again, Kentucky started from scratch this season after losing a host of players to the NBA and transfer. The Wildcats started this season ranked number #1 in the country despite returning only two players who contributed to their NIT first round loss last season. That says a lot about their coach John Calipari and his success in recruiting the best. As they have done since Calipari arrived on campus, the Cats once again have many blue chip athletes leading their team and many have dubbed this year’s UK freshman class as the best ever. This team does not compare to any team that Calipari has had since he’s been in Lexington, and he doesn’t have that group of upperclassman that can contribute on a nightly basis. He will start 5 freshman Friday night.

This group of UK freshman had been struggling to find their mojo. That resulted in a 9 loss regular season and a tumultuous plunge in the national rankings becoming one of only a few teams to start the season ranked 1st and finish unranked. Kentucky had suffered from defensive lapses against better teams. In their 9 losses, they allowed teams to be offensively efficient and shoot a high effective FG%. They could not score consistently, because they did not communicate, share the ball and play solid basketball. In the post season all that has changed. They are now playing more consistent on the defensive end of the floor and playing more like a team on the offensive end. In the Ken Pom ratings they currently have a 116.0 Offensive Adjustment efficiency ranked 17th and 96.0 Defensive Adjustment efficiency ranked 25th.

Much has been mentioned this week about match-ups in the game on Friday, and while the eye test suggest some obvious match-up issues the numbers would suggest those issues may not be as bad as they look. College basketball analyst Dan Hanner of RealGM.com took a closer look at all 150 players left in the Sweet 16 and below is a look at where UK and UofL players were listed as top players in certain categories:

-Among his top 7 Rim Protectors he has UK’s Willie Cauley Stein ranked 2nd with a 12.2 Block% and UofL’s Mango Mathiang ranked 5th with a 9.9 Block%.

-Among his top 16 players who rely on offensive rebounds to score due to their limited offensive skills he has UK’s Dakari Johnson ranked 2nd with a 17.5 offensive rebound%, UofL’s Stephan Van Treese ranked 4th with a 13.8 offensive rebound%, and UK’s Alex Poythress ranked 10th with a 11.6 offensive rebound%. Not mentioned by Dan in his research, but important to note that Van Treese has 43 rebounds in his last five games.

-Among his top 26 scorers he has Luke Hancock ranked 6th shooting 34% from the 3 point line (65 made, 192 attempted), and has Wayne Blackshear ranked 17th shooting 40% from the 3 point line (45 made, 112 attempted). Dan also mentions Luke and Wayne don’t just fit into one category. Mentioning Luke’s ability to drive to the basket and get fouled. And mentioning Wayne being a versatile defender. No UK players made this list.

-Among his top 13 pass first point guards he has Terry Rozier ranked 12th with a 116.9 offensive rating, 17.0 assist%, and 3.0 assist/turnover ratio. No UK players are listed in this category.

-Among his top 7 players when it comes to passing and scoring he has UK’s Andrew Harrison ranked 4th (11 PPG, 21.7 PctPoss, 104 ORtg, 23.1 A%, 1.4 A/To), and has UofL’s Chris Jones ranked 6th (10.4 PPG, 21.7 PctPoss, 110.2 ORtg, 20.6 A%, 2.1 A/To). He also mentions Harrison’s ability to drive and get to the lane.

-Among his top 19 pure scorers he has UofL’s Montrezl Harrell ranked 5th (14 PPG, 69.1 Tempo, 72.9 PctMin, 22.1 PctPoss, 117.6 ORtg), UK’s Aaron Harrison ranked 7th (14.1 PPG, 66.5 Tempo, 79.7 PctMin, 20.7 PctPoss, 116.6 ORtg), UofL’s Russ Smith ranked 10th (18.1 PPG, 69.1 Tempo, 72.9 PctMin, 30.8 PctMin, 30.8 PctPoss, 114.5 ORtg), UK’s Julius Randle ranked 15th (15.1 PPG, 66.5 Tempo, 75.9 PctMin, 26.3 PctPoss, 111.2 ORtg), and UK’s James Young ranked 17th (14.3 PPG, 66.5 Tempo, 80.1 PctMin, 22.0 PctPoss, 110.4 ORtg).
In this Dan adds that Russ is the highest volume scorer left in the tournament and has the second highest steal rate. He also mentions that Julius Randle is a monster on the offensive glass,

To read Every Player In The Sweet Sixteen By: Dan Hanner click here:

The Cardinals come into this game having a more consistent and effective back-court while Kentucky has the more consistent and effective front-court. In college basketball guard play is crucial to a team’s success rate especially in the NCAA Tournament. The speed of Russ Smith and Chris Jones is going to be very difficult for the bigger Kentucky guards to stay in front of. I really think they win that battle. More importantly in this one is if Montrezl, Stephan, and Mango can somehow neutralize the play of Cauley-Stein, Poythress and Randle. The winner of that three spot battle between Young, Blackshear and Hancock will also be a huge factor in this game.

Coach Pitino has had these guys away from all of the hype all week. He will have them ready to go. It will just come down to the execution of the game plan. Our Cards aren’t far removed from the biggest stage in college basketball, so the game on Saturday should be a walk in the park for our veterans. All the pressure is on the young guys in blue. Their room for error has been and will be very narrow in this game. I think it will all be too much for them to handle.

I’m ready to stop reading and talking about this game. I’m ready to head to Indy and watch what will be another great chapter in this rivalry. I do think this will be an incredible game and it will come down to the smallest intangibles that will make the difference. I like our Cardinals in this game and think they’ll be headed to the Elite 8 on Sunday and Coach Pitino will be 12-0 in the Sweet 16. Go Cards!.

Is It Still A Dream?

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Here we go again folks. Once again the NCAA Committee has set up the brackets so that The University of Kentucky and The University of Louisville will face each other in the NCAA Tournament. This will be the second time in the last three years that these bitter rivals will do battle in the post season. In 2012 it was the Final Four and this time the Sweet 16 will be the battle ground for the Bluegrass’s modern version of a Civil War. We have called these meetings in the past “The Dream Game”. Is it still a dream?

The original “Dream Game” happened in the 1983 NCAA Tournament. That year Louisville defeated Kentucky 80-68 in the Mid East Regional Final. The game took place in Knoxville Tennessee. I wasn’t old enough to appreciate that game, so in 2012 I vowed that I would take full advantage of the moment. I wore my colors proudly all week. Then loaded up and headed to the Big Easy with a group of guys I had grown up arguing this rivalry with. One side of the car had a blue flag and the other side had a red one. When we reached Tennessee we stopped at a local restaurant for a meal. We walked in decked out in our colors and sat at the bar. Some of the local patrons asked if we were headed to the big game and then asked how we could all be friends while cheering for opposite teams. We explained to them about how that made this rivalry so special, and this game so big.

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We reached New Orleans early Saturday morning and had an awesome time that day partaking in the festivities of the French Quarter. While there we met up with other friends and family to celebrate our teams’ achievements. Later that night we would attend the Final Four version of the Dream Game. My Cardinals gave a valiant effort and came up short against the arch rival Cats losing the game 69-61. But on this night and on this weekend in March I didn’t feel like there were any losers. It was just an awesome time to be a college basketball fan in the state of Kentucky.

This time it’s much different. When the brackets were reveled on selection Sunday and I seen the possibility of a potential Sweet 16 match-up with Kentucky I didn’t feel any type of excitement or jubilation. This past weekend when both teams advanced to the round of sixteen I didn’t feel excited about playing our arch rival again and if I’m being honest it really put a damper on the whole post season for me. I will be heading to Indianapolis on Friday afternoon, but this time I won’t be with my friends that cheer for Kentucky and this time there won’t be any meeting up for pre-game pleasantries. I will be with Louisville fans from beginning to end.

Maybe in 2012 knowing that both teams had won a regional championship and made it to the Final Four there was a sense of accomplishment without having to worry about who would win the game. Maybe I was just so thankful that our Cardinals had made it to the Final Four that year I didn’t even care about advancing any further. Or maybe this rivalry has become so hate filled, so vitriolic that it’s just not that much fun anymore.

I never thought I’d see the day where I didn’t love the rivalry between UK and UofL. I have defended it so many times to those who have claimed that they didn’t want to play it. I have been to 20 games between the Cardinals and the Cats. I used to look forward to this game more than any on the schedule, but something has changed. Back in December I was given the opportunity to watch the premiere of the Red vs. Blue movie. It was a fun night that I shared with my brother and his sons. They are UK fans and we’ve always had a good time with it. But attending the game in Rupp the next day didn’t make me feel the excitement it had in years past.

I don’t know what has happened to my passion for this game and this rivalry. Maybe I’ve outgrown it, and for the first time in my adult life I think I could live without it. I do think it’s the greatest rivalry in college basketball and I’ll continue to give it the proper respect it deserves. But if there ever comes a day when it comes to an end I don’t think I’ll miss it.

St Louis The Cardinal’s Gateway To The Sweet 16

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It’s been anything but sweet over the last couple of days in Orlando, but nonetheless our Cards are headed to their third straight appearance in the Sweet 16 and 20th overall after beating St Louis 66-51. With the win the Cards have won seven straight and eight straight in the NCAA Tournament. And they have now won 67 straight games when leading at half time. Louisville is just the fourth reigning title winner to win a game by 15 points since the tournament expanded in 1985. Each of the previous 3 teams reached the Final Four. This win today wasn’t that pretty from a viewing standpoint, but big picture it was a great victory. This is the worst loss that St Louis has had all season.

Luke Hancock: “We knew to win this one it was going to be ugly.” This game was ugly and as I predicted in my breakdown was pretty much a slugfest for most of the way with the key word being “slug”. Their defense forced the Cardinals into 19 turnovers, held them under 44% from the field and 35% from behind the arc. The Cardinals defense forced them into 18 turnovers, held them to 39% shooting from the field and 0-15 from behind the arc. Coach Pitino: “We had to be as good defensively, take away the 3, and wear them out with the pick and roll.” The Billikens’ 15 missed 3-point shots is the most attempts without a make in Men’s Basketball Championship history. They only made one shot outside the paint in 20 attempts, and that’s the lowest percentage for any team in the last five tournaments. Much like the Manhattan game in the Cards first round this one was a defensive battle all the way. Coach Pitino: “We grinded out a win and that is exactly what the NCAA Tournament is all about.”

Even with the offensive struggle Chris, Montrezl, Russ and Luke all had double digit scoring. Luke was the most clutch performer of the group hitting several timely three point shots at key moments in the game. He finished with 21 points and has been the answer to the Cards shooting woes for the last two games. He’s picked right up where he left off in Atlanta last year in terms of stepping up for this team. Luke has scored 79 points (14 3-pointers) in his last 4 NCAA Tournament games.
Russ had a quiet day from an offensive standpoint, but it was his 7 assist that gave the other guys the opportunity to put the ball in the basket. Hancock said about Russ after the game: “He might not be scoring a lot of points but he found me several times. He’s just a playmaker.” He has been roughed up over the last two games and Orlando hasn’t been kind to him. Russ after the game said that he needs to get treatment on his back, his knee and his fingers. He also said this…“I need to shave my callouses.”
Chris had 11 points, but he also came up with 3 big steals in the game when the Cards needed the momentum boost. Coach Pitino on Chris after the game: “Chris Jones is playing terrific basketball. He gives us big steals…He’s adjusting to all these multiple defenses.”
There wasn’t much available in the paint today but Montrezl battled his way to 10 points, but it was his work on the boards grabbing 11 rebounds that had the biggest impact on the Cards win. His rebounding effort has been a difference maker in the first two rounds grabbing 24 total in two games.

Gotta give credit to Stephan, Wayne, Mango and Terry for giving the Cardinals some good minutes off the bench in these last two tough games. Stephan said after the game that Coach Pitino called him “The Eraser”. Very fitting because he does erase mistakes with his all out hustle. Wayne had 6 points today and has provided some spark when he has played. Thats good to see and could be huge down the stretch. Mango seems to be gaining more and more confidence with every minute he plays. He’s had 3 blocked shots in the last two games. Terry has also had some timely rebounds, assist, steals and points in the past two games. The Cards got 11 points from their bench today off 5-5 shooting.

Our Cardinals will now head to Indy for their 20th Sweet 16 appearance. It is 5th-most in college hoops since 1975. And they have been to at least the Sweet 16 in 6 of the last 10 years. But as Russ reminded us after the game today: “Sweet 16 is nice, but we don’t celebrate Sweet 16s in this program.” Things get real now as they are 4 games away from another National Title and just two away from another Final Four. I am ready for next Friday and if you can be there I encourage you to get some tickets. Cardinal Nation is going to take over Luuuuuke Oil Stadium. Go Cards!

U of L’s Luke Hancock after a win over Saint Louis:

Montrezl Harrell on U of L’s win over Saint Louis:

Wayne Blackshear on his game against Saint Louis:

Louisville’s Terry Rozier after a win over Saint Louis:

Stephan Van Treese after U of L beats Saint Louis:

Chris Jones talks after Louisville’s win over Saint Louis:

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The Beak Second Round Breakdown: The Billikins

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The madness rolls on for our Louisville Cardinals after they survived a tough first round game against Manhattan. Up next is the St Louis Billikens from the Atlantic 10 Conference. They beat NC State in overtime to advance in the tournament. St Louis is making its third straight appearance in the Tournament and their ninth overall. They will be looking to get to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history. The Cardinals are looking to make their third straight appearance in the Sweet 16 and 20th overall. These teams do have a history that dates back to 1920, and have faced each other as members of the Missouri Valley, Metro and Conference USA. The Cardinals lead the overall series 45-20.

This St Louis team is defined by its play on the defensive end of the floor. They have maybe the best man-to-man defense in the country holding teams to 44% from the field and they also guard well from beyond the arc holding teams to 28% from 3 point range. This is a team like our Cardinals who pride themselves in shutting down their opponents.

On offense this team is very deliberate in their approach. They feed off of the defense’s turnovers and they will run multiple sets using most of the shot clock on every possession. They use so many offensive plays that Coach Pitino said that they are a nightmare to prepare for on short notice. Like the Cardinals they are led by a group of seniors who are the winningest group in school history. 5 of those seniors lead a balanced offensive attack: Dwayne Evans (13.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.3 apg), Jordair Jett (13.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.8 apg), Rob Loe (10.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.0 apg), Mike McCall Jr. (10.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.4 apg), and Jake Barnett (4.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.2 apg).
Jett and Evans are very important on offense and create most of the opportunities for this team to score. Jett has lightning speed, quick hands and can penetrate the lane quick if not closed out.
Rob Loe is a 7-footer that creates a matchup nightmare for opposing defenders because of his ability to step away from the basket and knock down the outside shot.

Here are the Billikens’ rankings:
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There are no easy games this time of the year as our Cardinals found out in their opening round. This one is not going to be an easy one. After a very tough and physical game against the Jasper’s our guys are feeling the effects. Russ Smith told the media on Friday afternoon that his body was in shambles. He has a badly sprained thumb that will be taped up on Saturday. Due to the game ending so late up in the morning the team is also feeling the effects. Chris Jones told the media on Friday that he didn’t get to sleep until 4am. With another very tough defense ahead of them our guys are going to have to dig deep to find that extra gear. St Louis’s grind it out style will be brutal to a tired team.

In all of the Billikens’ losses this season their opponents had a low turnover rate and kept them in check on the offensive end of the floor. The Cardinals will have to make the most of their possessions on Saturday and limit their turnovers. They will also have to shoot a decent percentage if they want to move on to Indy. I really think our bench is going to have to have a big impact in this one and Montrezl, Van Treese, and Mango are going to have to own the paint. Will also be interesting to see who will have the task of keeping up with Loe.

I do think our Cards will move on to the Sweet 16, but under the circumstances this one is going to be the toughest game of the entire season. It really could come down to the last few possessions. These are two very proud veteran ball teams with the winningest seniors in all of college basketball. Get ready to be on the edge of your seats again folks. 5 to go! Go Cardinals!