Hell in the Hall – Louisville Sports Blog

It was streetball at its best/worst, and we amazingly covered the 16 pt Vegas spread–even with 40 minute/game Kyle Kuric on the sidelines with an ankle sprain, and center Gorgui Dieng arriving in a neck brace (but playing.)

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The post-Providence team meeting seemed to produce better body language as well as results, as the Cards rebounded from that humiliating beatdown–and losses in 4 of their previous 5 games– with a win finally.

Even though it came against a relatively weak DePaul team, Hey! Anything, ANYTHING to break that loser mindset.   Recent sports studies have shown–not surprisingly–that a loss will strongly statistically lead to another loss, until a win is achieved.  There is definitely a basis for such things as losing and winning “streaks.’

The game was not a pretty affair, and the Cards continued there woes in defending the 3 pt arc, allowing the Demons to nail over 43% from there–including 50% in the second half.   And this , plus a ragged 17 TO’s,  permitted DePaul to hang around all game long, even to pulling within 8 pts with still 3 minutes left to play.

But the scowling faces and sagging body language was not there, at least for now.

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Russ Smith and Chris Smith resurfaced after slumps, and with a determined Gorgui Dieng led the team.  Russ led the team with 25 pts–and actually had 6 assists and only 3 turnovers too.  Mind you he took 25 shots–and missed all seven 3-pointers he tried.  But the man made things cook.

Chris popped in 20 pts–including 4 for 5 on 3-balls, and added 3 boards.  After a severe slump,he has now put together two solid games in a row, and in interviews sounds like he mentally has his head screwed on right finally .

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Gorgui– what can you say?  He arrives game time in a neck brace, asks the team doc if there is anything he can do to play, they give him  a shot –and he pounds in another double -double, with 13 pts and 14 boards…and 4 blocked shots.  My already high estimation of this young man just went up exponentially.

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Other bright spots?  Kevin Ware displayed some nice athleticism on some smooth moves to the bucket, and finished with 6 pts on 3-6 shooting–and added 4 big boards.  And Peyton Siva at least seemed more determined and focused–although his 7 assists would seem gaudier if not for his 6 TO’s too.  (Still no decent jump shot to keep opponents from sagging back  yet either…)

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And so now what is to come?  Well, we knew at the beginning of the season we had no true back-ups at center , or at the point.  Along the way we have also discovered that only Siva and Russ Smith can beat their man off the dribble– and that has limited Kyle Kuric’s and Chris Smith’s production relative to last season.  And continues to make the offense sputter for life at times.

By this time in the season, it is apparent what a team’s strengths and weaknesses are–to both the players, the fans, and definitely your opponents. Each team has that mix–and by you can only fight to maximize the good, and minimize the bad.

That’s where we are now.  Fighting to maximize our strengths–and fighting off a dose of team turmoil.

Can this team still achieve at least some degree of greatness as predicted pre-season?

We will begin to see very soon with tomorrow’s trip to #20 Marquette…

Check out the full set of game  photos of the game from HITH photog Matt Wickham at the right sidebar and at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kylures/sets/72157628872412915/detail/.

After the DePaul game, I questioned Coach Pitino  in his post game presser about the team meeting after the Providence loss and whether any more team building exercises were planned.  He indicated that nothing else was planned and that the team routinely has “5-6 team meetings each year.”  And I am not here to doubt that statement.

Then I interviewed Peyton Siva, Chris Smith, and Rak Buckles– and posed some questions about the team meeting to them.  This is what I got:

• This was the first team meeting.  No other one had taken place previously.
• Who was the most vocal?  The answer to that one varied.  But what was clear from all three was that players that normally were quiet, “such as Kyle”, spoke up too.  Of the players not normally suiting up, Luke Hancock’s name was somewhat surprisingly and  prominently mentioned.
• The purpose of the meeting was to clear the air and let everyone know “we got each other’s backs with each other and with  Coach.”  Another was that “we were not having fun playing.”
• No other team meetings or team building exercises are planned right now, but as Peyton crowed : “Yeah we might go bowling–I got Rak’s number in bowling, tell ‘em, Rak!”

 

 

Victory.

And at least a LadyBird or two…

 

What can be said?

Enough blather about injuries.  This was an effortless, heartless– yes, gutless– performance.

Anyone with eyes and a modicum of basketball IQ knew some foul brew has been cooking for a while on this team.  Now it has come to full boil.

This is not just Siva.  This is not just the players.  This is a total indictment of the team and coaches.

Other coaches and teams have had us sliced and diced for several games now.  And with little adjustment by us, by either our  players or coaches.

Over 40 years of watching Card Bball,  I have seldom seen such a gutless, futile effort against a foe whose players represent rejects by us–and who was a 7 point underdog to us.  It’s gutless when a mediocre rebounding team pounds you on the boards by a 40-25 margin.  That’s just lack of heart.

This is not a pure talent issue.  While I have never thought we were a top 10 team and have said so since watching the first few games this season, I do firmly believe  we are a top 15-20 team in terms of sheer talent.

It’s something else.  And a big part must be team chemistry–or rather, lack thereof.

How do you solve this issue now– in mid season, and mid-meltdown?  Hell, I don’t know.

And judging from his stunned and confused look in his C-J post game interview video, I frankly doubt Coach Pitino knows how either….