The King putting the punctuation point in the 3 minute blast that buried UConn.

Gorgui adding his own...

Grandma Justice waving the flag for her boy...

And Russ Smith displaying his new Cardinal leg wings...

But the Cards gave a national TV audience and the 30 NBA scouts in attendance quite an eyeful with a 80-59 blow-out of the supposedly star-studded Huskies.

After a hard fought first half, the Ville seized control in the second period, upping the ante to 46-32 by whipping UConn’s vaunted frontcourt on the boards and on the break.

And then…they tore the souls out of them with a 3 minute blast of 5 dunks and four 3-balls, punctuated in the middle by an emphatic King Kyle dunk.  By this point,  ESPN’s Jay Bilas commented that the Cards were just toying with the Huskies–and they were.

The damage report at the end:  A 45-36 rebounding margin , and 22 assists vs. only 13 turnovers.  A recipe for a rout.

Oh…and two UConn lottery picks named Drummond and Lamb left dazed and confused– and totally shut down.

The heroes– many:

Gorgui Dieng–he of one good wheel– still controlling the paint, with 6 boards, 6 steals (! ), and 7-12 shooting and 15 points, including one spin move and reverse dunk around the UConn center that brought the crowd roaring to its feet.

Chris Smith… continuing his resurgence, leading the team with 16 points, including 4-6 three pointers, and contributing 6 boards and 2 assists.

Chane Behanan… a beast on the boards again with a team – leading 12 bounds, and adding 7 points.

Peyton Siva…  continuing his own resurgence, with a true Siva-like 9 assists and only 2 TO’s.

Kyle Kuric… chastised last game by Pitino for weakness on the boards, showing up with 9 big rebounds and 10 points.

and Jared Swopshire, playing perhaps his finest game of the season, with 14 solid minutes alternating at  both power forward and center, adding 9 points –and the only two blocks for U of L, including one against Drummond.

What next?  Why, Bob Huggins and his always tough West Virginia team.  And in Morgantown– a place we have seldom had success.

But ya know, right now…I’m liking the Cards I’ve been dealt…

Check out other great wallpapers at http://adamlucasdesign.com/

But it was apropos that Coach Rick Pitino invoked that moment to lead off his post game press conference after the Ville’s dramatic win over Rutgers at The Bucket yesterday.

Because Louisville center Gorgui Dieng– the most indispensable player on this team now– went down with a  horrible ankle sprain, had his foot  practically mummified in tape, and then hobbled back into the game  just minutes later with the Cards’ lead dwindling, inspiring and stabilizing the team to a key W.

Louisville center Gorgui Dieng was helped off the court with a bad ankle sprain, only to emerge Lazurus -like minutes later to help lead the Cards to a key victory.

****************************************************************************************************************

It was one of several memorable moments in a game that the Cards led throughout, but could never put totally ice against a dangerously capable  opponent.

I’ll invoke another name from the past to tell this story:  Louisville and NBA great Wes Unseld.  Card fans have compared freshman Chane Behanan’s massive build to Unseld’s from the beginning, but now his game is sparking vivid  memories of Unseld’s dominant play.

Continuing his strong play of late, Chane Behanan controlled the paint with 11 boards--and 6 awe-inspiring jams.

************************************************************************************************************

Chane grabbed what seemed like every rebound (he had 11) , and powered in 6 gorilla dunks, while making all but one of his 12 shots, to help Dieng totally control the front court play against the Scarlett Knights.  With a resurgent Chris Smith adding a team high 13 bounds, the Cards pounded Rutgers on the boards 40-25.

This total dominance helped Louisville overcome a second straight sloppy game of high turnovers vs. assists, and a continuing and disturbing  tendency to let opponents hit the 3- ball (Rutgers made 6 of 12 in the second half to help them hang close.)

Other highlights for the Cards:  Shot machine Russ Smith, continues to shred defenders, and get his points (12 in this game.) But more importantly, he is obviously continuing his recent trend toward truly  trying for assists.  He only recorded 2 A’s vs. 4 TO’s–but 3 of those turnovers were attempted assists on passes that were just a bit too wide or hot to handle.  You can see and relish the progress he is making.

Another turning point for the team has been Russ Smith relishing the dish almost as much as the shot.

***********************************************************************************************************

And although I’ve already noted Chris Smith’s rebounding, he also contributed a game high 6 assists–and 0 TO’s.  After a horrible slump, Chris has continued to come on strong since the Providence debacle (and subsequent, perhaps season-turning team meeting.)

Chris Smith ignited the crowd with this lightning slice through the lane for a slam. Chris has continued his strong play since that all -important team meeting, and remarkably led the team in this game in both rebounds (13) and assists (6).

******************************************************************************************************************

Speaking of that Providence game…it now seems a long time ago, as the Cards have now won four in a row, and 5 of their last 6 since that ugly rout.  And the only loss was against a tough Marquette team in Milwaukee when we had to play without an injured Kyle Kuric.

The next three games though will tell whether the Cards are truly a top 10-15 ranked team again.  Over the next 7 days– with Gorgui Dieng no doubt playing injured– the Ville will face a resurgent UConn at The Bucket, travel to Morgantown to face a tough WVU squad, and then come home again to take on a top 5 Syracuse team.

Then they will have a week to heal, but this next week will be an interesting measuring stick of just how resilient the team is and how far they have come since that Providence game.

GO CARDS !

(BTW…ck out the full set of photos from Hell in the Hall photographer, Matt Wickham, at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kylures/sets/72157629177337903/detail/    and at the right sidebar .

Another quite memorable moment from this game was the sight of Rutgers head coach Mike Rice going ballistic, and being ejected from the arena-- a first for The Bucket, and the first in a longer time than anyone in the press room could remember.

Yes, the LadyBirds were there--but hey! so were the cheerleaders!

Russ Smith taking his usual "open" shot--on his way to a team high 25 points, leading the Cards to a much needed "W".

****************************************************************************************************************

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.

Gorgui played like a man possessed, dropping a double-double on the Demons, as well as blocking 4 shots

***************************************************************************************************************

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 .

Senior co-captain recorded his second straight solid game, with 20 pts and 4-5 on 3-balls

***************************************************************************************************************

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.

Kevin Ware was a bright spot, showing some nice moves to the hoop, and grabbing 4 bounds.

**********************************************************************************************************

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…)

Peyton Siva dished 7 assists--but still had an ugly 6 TO'sto go with it. Later, he admitted his ankle had just come out of a brace and was still on the mend.

******************************************************************************************************************

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/.

Oh, yeah...the LadyBirds were there too...

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!”

And at least a LadyBird or two…

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….

Don't worry, be happy...the LadyBirds are here to make it all feel better....

I’ll share my thoughts soon on the current situation –and what possibly can be done to right the ship to salvage the hoped for  big year that’s turning small quickly.

For now…check out photos of the game by HITH photog Matt Wickham:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kylures/sets/72157628770004657/detail/

We were sitting 7 rows back at half court, seats we only dream of at the Yum Center.  The arena was less than half full. The Cards looked menacing in their away black uniforms.   St. John’s starts 4 freshmen, no match for the likes of Kuric, Siva, Dieng or the Dynamic Smith Duo.

So Louisville again starts slow with St. John’s connecting of 2 early 3 point baskets.  But quickly the Cards turn up the defense and hold the Red Storm to but a light rain.  The Storm shoots 14% for the 1^st half as the Cards race to a 29 – 18 pt lead at half.    The cards hit a blistering 53% from the field including 62% from 3 pt land for the second half and bury the Red Storm 73-58.

Kyle Kuric had a good offensive performance but lacked on the boards and assists.  Peyton Siva was hampered by foul trouble, playing only 18 minutes and looking out of sorts while in there.  Gorgui Dieng just missed another double/double and showed why he is a defensive threat with 7 blocks.  Kevin Ware played a lot of minutes dishing out 4 assists but looking awkward on the 4 TO’s. Chris Smith looked good and Jared Swopshire had his best game on the boards with 9.

But the catalyst was Russ Smith coming off the bench to score 17 pts, 7 assists in 23 minutes in front of his hometown crowd and of course one proud grandmother !

Ever since Pey-Pey went out with a sprained ankle, and Russ emerged from his shadow, Siva has had maybe one good outing –and several truly bad ones, including the last two.

In fact, as Russ has come on even stronger in the last few games , Peyton has regressed just as fast, back to falling down on his drives, fouling out, TO’s–geez, you name it.

Is it a nagging injury? Severe ankle strains CAN linger. Four games back, I asked Pitino in the post game presser whether Siva’s ankle was still hurting and causing issues. Coach said no, it was just lack of conditioning due to missing practice time due to the injury. The next day, Siva tells Rick Bozich that his ankle was still sore…

I personally don’t think it’s his ankle or lack of conditioning at this point. I think Russ is in Siva’s head.

At the Card Chronicle, Carolina Cardinal made this point in one of the threads: ” Remember that last year they tried to make Russ the back up point guard, Siva’s understudy so to speak. And now he is the leading scorer and getting tons of rebounds and steals. Continuing the theatre reference, imagine how a leading man might feel if his understudy suddenly was the headliner…. One more thing, a few games ago, in a post game presser, Siva said that “Russ Smith was saving us……” . I thought it odd that he would use Russ’ first and last name. Teammates are generally much closer than that and far less formal. Struck me as an odd way to put it. Again, could be nothing but just struck me funny.”

ItsAllintheCARDS chimed in with this cogent thought: ” Also you gotta go back and look at every magazine article for preseason CBB. We had the high preranking and guess who’s picture was almost always sitting next to our name? ‘Siva’ He def might have put to much pressure on himself going into this year because every analyst said he was our only player in the top 100.”

So…is Russ in Pey-Pey’s head? It’s a question I plan to put to both Coach and Siva separately the next time I get a press pass (maybe this Sat *fingers crossed*)

We just took two “Denny Crum” losses.

As anyone familiar with our history knows, Denny used to schedule difficult games early in the season, and we always took our lumps. He did it to toughen the team, humble them so their minds would be more open to the need for improvement, and because our Conference schedules back then were not like the Big East gauntlet we have faced since 2005. That is why Denny’s teams seldom generated 12-0 starts, like a few of Pitino’s teams have done.

Obviously, Denny’s strategy worked. The fans accepted this logic– in large part because of Denny’s sheer brilliance in March. (He took us to a Final Four his FIRST year here, and to other ones every 2.5 years on the average through 1986. )

So…what am I saying here about this year’s team? Here’s my take thru less emotional lenses: 1) We have beaten some pretty decent teams this year during the streak. Ohio U. , Long Beach St. , and Vandy were no slouches. That alone showed some talent and grit–to keep the winning streak alive. Particularly in light of the injuries; 2) We finally played two top-notch, ranked teams. We lost but we had a chance to win in both games, and certainly were not blown out. Again– a show of more talent and grit even in the losses.; 3) Now that we have taken our lumps, I guarantee the team’s minds are more open to needing to improve. Maybe even Chane’s mind and mouth will be tempered. We have been measured against some of the best, and come up lacking–but only at this moment. I believe that same talent and grit we have shown throughout will now serve us well in striving to improve for the future.It least it SHOULD.

We are in my mind a top 10-15 ranked team… with upside…. as Siva, Buckles, Van Treese, and Blackshear all get healthier, and as we now doubly focus on the areas we now clearly know need improvement.

We lost both those games because of two things that have plagued us since the beginning of this season: Lack of rebounding and scoring droughts. Again, these can be improved as injuries hopefully minimize, and as full practices can become the norm.

We may never be a great rebounding team and possibly not even a great scoring team. But…if we can minimize those weaknesses, and build on our strengths we can be a legit top 5-10 ranked team. And if we can get to that point, believe me, anything can happen come NCAA tourney time. Remember history again: the 1980 squad was not favored to win the title even with Darrell, and certainly the 1986 team was a surprise winner.

We are not far away from putting us in a strong position to be a legit contender. And that’s about all you can ever ask for, come time for the Dance…