It was a tale of two halves as the Cards start slow but finish with a flurry to beat Rutgers on Wednesday Night 68-48 in the Big East match-up. The Cards have now won three games straight and are now in third place in the Big East behind Marquette and Syracuse.

The Cards came out to start the first half very sluggish and disinterested. It took two minutes for a Louisville player to find the basket when Chane Behanan hit a layup at the 18:02 mark. The only player that seemed to be awake was Wayne Blackshear as he had 11 of the total 28 points of the first half. The Score at half-time was 28-26. Louisville came out with a burst of energy and blew the game open in the first eight-plus minutes of the second half, taking a 21-point lead. They would never look back as they looked really good in the second half and were making good things happen on both ends of the floor. I’ve been waiting to see Wayne Blackshear have a game like he did tonight ever since he stepped on the floor for Louisville. This kid is a big time talent and could be a big difference maker for this team if he can produce these kinds of numbers more frequently. Wayne had a career high tonight with 19 points and provided a much needed spark to this Cardinal offense. Gorgui is ranked 1st in the Big East in rebounding with 11.2 per game and tonight he had another big game on the boards leading the Cards with 8 rebounds. He’s 2nd in the Big East in blocked shots with 2.8 per game and tonight he had 6. Peyton is 2nd in the Big East in assist with 6.4 per game and tonight he led the Cards with 7. Russ Smith had a quite first half but in true Russ fashion made some noise in the second half with a monster dunk that will surely be a Sports Center top play. He finished the game with 14 points.

This Cardinal team has hit their bump in the road, and now seem to be getting into that end of the season mode with three straight victories. We are starting to see a more consistent substitution pattern with a 9 man rotation and are beginning to hit our stride. Things get a little more difficult again on Saturday as the Cards head to South Bend to face a Notre Dame team that is very tough to beat at home. Plus they will have extra hype added to the game as the guys from ESPN College game day will be there to take in the action.