Pitino Staying Put

After a few days of rumors and innuendos that led many to believe Coach Rick Pitino's days at Louisville were numbered, Card fans were given reassurance that he is staying put. No Sacramento Kings, no retirement.

Louisville SID Kenny Klein and FoxSports.com's Jeff Goodman both said yesterday that coach was neither going to coach nor interested in the Sacramento Kings opening. These are contrary to alleged confirmed reports by ESPN yesterday the said Pitino's "camp" had initiated contact with the Maloof brothers, owners of the Kings. In a release through the university, Pitino stated:

"I'm not sure how these rumors get started, but there is absolutely no truth that there has been any dialog, either directly or indirectly, with the Kings and I'm sure they would confirm that. I am not represented by an agent, I don't have a "camp," and no one representing me nor have I had any contact with the Kings. Anything else said to the contrary is false. These invalid rumors are unfair to the Kings and are misleading to the many outstanding young men we are recruiting to attend U of L. "

"I'm so proud of our players that have worked so hard to win the BIG EAST Conference regular season and tournament championships in arguably the toughest season since its inception last year. At the same time, our team has also performed very well in the classroom, earning a collective team grade point average over a 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) during the past year. We have worked extremely hard to attract the type of players that have helped us reach the NCAA Elite Eight the past two seasons and have kept us among the top ten in the nation the last two seasons.

"I have great respect for the Kings, their ownership and (President for Basketball Operations) Geoff Petrie. However, I have been totally committed to U of L the past eight seasons and I am looking forward to the future more than ever. We are all very anxious for the start of next season and will concentrate our efforts on what we can control, not on what we can't."

A Perfect Storm?

I can't help but look at this picture and see Back to the Future where all the faces are dissolving of Marty McFly's family members...

The "Pitino contemplates retirement" rumors turned into "Pitino to Sacramento" rumors in a matter of hours Thursday. KentuckySportsRadio, a site that I write for on occasion, first had a post earlier in the day saying there was a "buzz" around town and unreliable Louisville sources said Pitino was "contemplating hanging them up". The posts on KSR are very pro-Kentucky, almost to propagandist levels, so I just took it as blue-bloods being blue-bloods and wrote it off.

This actually seems to have some legs. The rumor became so rampant that UofL SID Kenny Klein's inbox was flooded by people wanting answers and it prompted a call to Pitino, who is in Florida for a charity event. According to The Courier-Journal's CL Brown, Pitino shot the rumor down as bogus through Klein and told KK to tell veteran writer Rick Bozich he'd be "stuck with him" for a while and he "wasn't going anywhere". A few hours later, Adrian Wojnorowski of Yahoo! reported that there has been mutual interest shown between Pitino and the Sacramento Kings which would reunite him with Francisco Garcia. Wojno cites many NCAA and NBA sources who say that both sides have been in contact. I asked a few of my media friends how serious I should take this and it was a consensus that if Wojnorowski is reporting it, it should be taken very seriously.

Pitino is going through one of the hardest times in his life and this recent situation might have caused him to take a step back and re-evaluate a few things. One being whether he would be able to overcome such an ordeal in Louisville - the smallest big-city in America. Various sources have told me that coach took the extortion fiasco very hard (obviously) and coach needed to get away from all the rumors and constant bombardment of questions, so he left town to escape. It's purely speculation, but there's a possibility he decided it was time to explore what else is out there.

These type of rumors come around every year. Last year, it was that idiot Greg Doyell saying Pitino was going to the Miami Heat, then the Arizona rumors this year turned out to be unsubstantiated as well. This is different though. All the recent mess combined with his son leaving for Florida, and his procrastination of naming a new assistant lead me to believe he might be more interested in this than any of the previous flirtations. With continued support from his family and the fans, Coach Pitino should be here for years to come. However, he did say he wouldn't coach for another athletic director and Tom Jurich has been rumored to be flirting with some big-money from UCLA. The waves, wind and lightning look to be on the horizon.

Wojnorowski does state that Pitino isn't the only candidate and Kings co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof. As of right now, former Wizards coach Eddie Jordan is the leading candidate. So this could just be a case of a college basketball reporter looking for some work during a dead time of year and stumbling across this. Pitino has always said he would listen if anyone was interested. Whether or not he goes any further into talks remains to be seen.

We all know Pitino failed miserably in the NBA with the Celtics, but he seems like the type of person that would like to atone his mistakes. Maybe I'm paranoid (very good odds), but this looks to be a possible "perfect storm" that leaves us scratching our heads and looking for a replacement. With the new arena coming very soon, new practice facilities and great support he has here in Louisville, I don't see him going anywhere unless he wants to start anew and can't take the heat for the Sypher situation. After Bobby Petrino, John L. and Pitino at Kentucky, I'd rather err on the side of caution.

There were rumors of a possible press conference tomorrow regarding either the Pitino/Jurich situations, but none has been confirmed as of yet.

Stay tuned in for more updates....

Rumor Mill: Pitino a Candidate for Sacramento Kings Job

This according to a story reported tonight on Yahoo Sports.

According to Yahoo, "it is believed that Pitino intermediaries initiated the contact," and that "several NCAA and NBA sources strongly insist that Pitino has talked by phone with at least one member of the family and has been a major topic of discussion within the organization the past week."

The Courier Journal's take on the rumor was a little less upsetting. Louisville Sports Spokesman Kenny Klien downplayed the rumors, telling the C-J Pitino is "not going anywhere."

Wizards coach Eddie Jordan is reportedly the front-runner for the job, and the Kings have also expressed an interest in Paul Westphal and Mike Fratello.

More on the saga later. Stay tuned to the L Yes! Report. Seriously. Do it.

So I Just Started Runnin'....

After the disappointing end to the basketball season I decided to take a little time off from the blogging thing to recharge my battery. I'd compare it to when Forrest Gump "just started runnin'" after Jenny left him like a thief in the night. Just too much to take and then write about it so I had to get way for the best interest of my future. It was a blown opportunity at the end of a pretty magical season followed by a fiasco that has more conspiricy theories than the JFK shooting. However, nothing should be taken away from the departing seniors (and junior) and their accomplishments this year. The bad part looks to be behind.

- I haven't touched on the Karen Sypher extortion fiasco and I won't anymore after this. I think it is very unfortunate that a coach coming on one of his best regular season's ever has top basically go into hiding because of a crazy woman who is obviously in the wrong. We should be seeing Rick on PTI and at Millionaire's Row talking about his great season and how no new coach is going to change who is on top right now. Instead, we have to hear about that stinky substance up I-64. All the rumors and speculation will continue until this woman and her accomplices are dealt with by the justice system. I have my sources about the situation and all the crazy rumors are simply that...crazy and probably started by the inhabitants of that stinky substance. Card fans should show there support for a coach that has guided us to 2 elite 8's and a final 4 in the last 5 years. If he were in the wrong, he wouldn't have gone to the FBI. Simple as that.

What's even crazier is the fact that Sypher's mom pretty much threatened Coach Pitino's life to Pat Forde in his ESPN.com article covering the situation. "I want to kill him for what he has done to my family". What he has done? It sounds like she's more angry about what he didn't do. Sorry Mrs. Cunagin, you're going to have to find another way to upgrade to the quarter slots and the name-brand cigarettes. This is just completely ridiculous that our coach is getting dragged around in the mud by this trash. The next news we'll hear about this is how much time the goldy-locked gold-digger and her minions are going to spend in jail.

- Pitino's next order of business will be to name a replacement for his son Richard who left to join Billy Donovan's staff at Florida. the obvious choice is former UK and NBA player Ron Mercer, who traveled closely with the team over the course of last season. Also, i have seen mercer sporting Louisville basketball gear around town, so take that for what it's worth. I can not confirm in any way if this will be the choice or not. I'm just using deductive reasoning. I think having a former pro as an assistant is great for recruiting and competition in practice, but 3 former UK players as assistants for the former Godfather of UK basketball wearing Louisville red? I never thought I'd see the day. I expect the elder Pitino, Walter McCarty and Steve Masiello to increase their recruiting workload for the time being and name an assistant sooner than later.

- It hasn't been completely confirmed, but the reasoning behind Richard's departure had nothing to do with his father's situation. By my understanding, it was just a matter of him trying to get away from the father's shoulders and make a name for himself and had been in the works for weeks. Still he will have the comfort of someone I'm sure he is familiar with in Donovan. Whether or not the extortion case pushed him away is unclear, but I believe it was just a matter of a father allowing and helping a son develop his own identity as a coach. His recruiting will be missed and as of right now all the guys he got to commit are still on board.

- Jeremy Tyler is another story. As you've probably heard, Tyler is doing something Brandon Bender mentioned in 2000 and is skipping his senior year in high school to play professional ball in Europe. I'm just glad this time the Cards have enough time to recover and sign someone close to his caliber in the 2010 class. Donte Smith, Amir Johnson and Sebastian Telfair have all burned Pitino is recent years causing him to miss out on the likes of Rajon Rondo. I thought the NBA's age limit would put an end to that, but I guess loopholes are meant to be found. Tyler would probably have been amazing in a Louisville jersey, but for how long and at what price? The days of going after kids like that should be in the past for Pitino.

- T-Will's draft stock is rising faster by the day and he is currently right inside the lottery at #13 according to draftexpress.com. The lottery selections don't come out for another couple weeks, but that spot is presently occupied by the Indiana Pacers. Depending how the ping-pong balls fall, both T-Will and Earl Clark could easily get into the top 10. Earl Clark is currently projected as the 10th overall pick to the Milwaukee Bucks. I think it would be great to see one get drafted by the New York Knicks as they continue to shave money off their salary cap in preparation to go after as many as 3 max contract superstars in 2010. LeBron, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, Josh Howard, Shaq, D-Wade, and Steve Nash are just a few of the marquee names that will become free agents that year. Put E5 or T-Will with a couple of those guys and it would be must-see-tv for Cards fans. The Nets are also in a similar situation and both should have top 10 picks. With Cisco banished to the land of Vlade Divac, it would be refreshing to see one or both of those guys get drafted by a team with the potential to be on TNT with Ernie, Kenny and Charles.

- I'm back to posting the latest in the world of Cardinal sports on a daily basis. Expect updates on former players such as Larry O'Bannon and recruits such as 2010's Josh Smith, Fab Melo and Dominique Ferguson along with 2011 standouts Tony Wroten and Marquis Teague. Keep checking back for updates as long as TC's not still upset that I took a vacation and gave him the keys to this Porche.

Derby Posts

What would a Louisville, Kentucky-based sports site be without a little Derby chatter?

Today the posts were drawn for the 135th Kentucky Derby.

Favorite I Want Revenge will break from position 13 on Saturday. His morning line had him at 3-1.

Two ponies, Dunkirk and Pioneerof the Nile, (pictured because the Santa Anita Derby winner is this blogger's pick) were at 4-1 this morning and will be posting at positions 15 and 16, respectively.

Louisiana Derby winner Friesan Fire is 5-1 and has a good starting position at post number 6.

Good luck, ladies and gentlemen.

Derby Eve Bash

Keep Checking Back for some new news on recruiting....

As a lot of you know, I produce for The Freak Show with John Renshaw which streams live weeknights at 11:30PM on louisvillesportsbuzz.com as well as being broadcasted on television via WBKI-34 (Channel 7 on Insight). LouisvilleSportsBuzz is putting on a Derby Eve Bash with live music and an abundance of pro athletes that you will have the opportunity to meet. This is all in addition to a selection of beer and liqour, but I think that goes without saying. Tickets can be purchased at the Buzz Store at LouisvilleSportsBuzz.com or if you have any problems email me @ lyesreport@gmail.com and i'll get you set up.

For the record, If you knew what die-hard Eagles fan and L Yes! contributor Trevor Kelsey said he would say to Terrell Owens if he ever encountered him, you would pay hundreds of dollars, not just the inexpensive $15 ($20 at the door). Chalk-talk with Bob Stoops or drink a Natty Ice with Matty Ice. It's being held close to the corner of Floyd/Central, which is definitely walking distance from the track. Click on the flyer for more details...

Eric Wood to Buffalo

Former Louisville center and L Yes! favorite Eric Wood was drafted in the first round and No. 28 overall by the AFC East's Buffalo Bills Saturday.

He was the second center taken in the draft.

OT George Bussey was drafted in the fifth round by the the New England Patriots.

Congrats to both former Cardinal linemen.

Backcourt Help Coming for the Cards

Chris Smith, a New Jersey native, will be coming to the Ville, the Courier reported tonight.

Smith is the little brother of J.R. Smith of the Denver Nuggets. He's transferring from Manhattan, where he averaged better than 15 and 5 boards per game. He'll sit out next year but has two years of eligibility left.

Welcome to Louisville, good news.

Wolfe to Transfer

The University of Louisville Athletic Dept. has announced that QB Tyler Wolfe will transfer at the end of the spring semester, most likely to a I-AA school so he would be eligible immediately.

Wolfe's transfer will bring Coach Kragthorpe's count to 8,162 in the department of premature departures.

"I'm sorry to see Tyler leave our program," said Kragthorpe. "He is a solid person and I wish him all the best in his future endeavors."


Speaking of bad news and the name Tyler, if you haven't heard already, (former) Louisville hoops commit Jeremy Tyler is reportedly foregoing his senior year of high school to play ball overseas, meaning he won't wear a Cardinal uniform.


In other news the University confirmed it will be changing its banner off I-65 from "Welcome to Louisville: The Greatest College Sports Town in America" to "Welcome to Louisville: Where When It Rains, It Pours."

McShay: Eric Wood to go Early in Round 2

In ESPN's Todd McShay's latest 2009 NFL Mock Draft, former Louisville center and L Yes! favorite Eric Wood is projected as the No. 6 pick in the second round. Wood, a Cincinnati native, would be swooped up by the Bungles -er, Bengals if McShay's projection is on the money.

I hope it's not.

Wood is McShay's No. 2 center in this year's crop.

McShay has Hunter Cantwell going in the sixth round to the the Denver Broncos and OT George Bussey late in the seventh, also to Denver.

Former Georgia QB Matthew Stafford is the projected overall No. 1 pick to the Lions.

Reynolds to Enter Draft

Villanova guard Scottie Reynolds will cease to be a thorn in the side of Cards fans, as it was announced today that he is to enter the NBA draft.

Maybe.

Reynolds didn't hire an agent, leaving open the possibility of a return to Jay Wright and the Wildcats for his senior season.

As a junior, Reynolds averaged better than 15 points per game.

What is going on up here?

It has been a busy day full of rumors and allegations as well as he said she said crap floating all over town like a turd in the toilet. In case your in a coma, you have heard the news of Rick Pitino and the FBI being involved in an extortion case.

Yes her name is now being leaked all over the media and even one of this websites contributor's has posted a photo of her. I will keep referring to the woman as "her" instead of an actual name due to the fact this isn't just an average story. This has the attention of the FBI and I am the last person who needs to bring attention to myself from any form of the law.

This statement was released by Pitino last night regarding the situation....

"My family and I were recently threatened as part of a criminal scheme to extort money," Pitino said in a statement. "Upon receiving these threats, we reported this extortion attempt to the FBI. While I did not want to make this matter public, I recently learned that the individual behind this extortion attempt has already gone to the media with false, defamatory and outrageous allegations in an attempt to pressure me to cave in to this scheme.

"I want to make it clear that I intend to vigorously defend my reputation and the character of my family against any criminal scheme to extort money. I am hopeful that the media and public will recognize the slanderous nature of this direct and malicious attack."

This is a very messy story and I can guarantee you even after it is resolved in the media, know one is really going to know the truth. This morning the husband of the woman, Tim Sypher released this statement...

"I am devastated by the bizarre allegations that my estranged wife is making against both Coach Pitino and myself. At this point, my primary concern is for my young daughter and four stepsons, both to the impact of their mother's actions on them, as well as the impact on Coach's family and the University. I love my children, and want to protect them. At the same time, I intend to defend the allegations vigorously and will have no additional comment at this time. "

This isn't something that is going to go away quickly. This is going to be drawn out and talked about on the message boards for hours and hours over the next few months or more. I don't read message boards. I am smarter then that. Every media outlet is keeping the info of this story close to their vest and sorry everyone but I am doing the same.

Pitino: A Victim of Extortion

The FBI is looking into Coach Rick Pitino's allegation that he is being extorted by the estranged wife of U of L equipment manager, Tim Sypher, the Courier-Journal is reporting.

Her name is Karen Sypher, and oh yeah - the L Yes! got a picture.

ESPN has picked up the story too.

So has Fox Sports, Gary Parrish at CBS, and the good folks at Sports Illustrated.

So I guess the good news is that it's flying well under the radar, huh?

Stay tuned to the L Yes! Report for your up-t0-the-minute sex scandal/extortion/FBI investigations updates.

What is going on up here?

I have no life but watching sports, movies and tv sitcoms so why not share the thoughts and ideas that are floating around in this head of mine....

At first hearing about Richard Pitino leaving Louisville to be an assistant at Florida puzzled me. Jeff Goodman broke the story. Then it was brought to my attention of him "stepping out of his fathers shadow" and that made since to me. Makes more sense then the absurd rumors that I am sure are UK fans are starting about some kind of sex scandal or point shaving. I am sorry Kentucky fans that your program once were dirty enough to do that it doesn't mean we are or did. I understand that Richard wants to be a head coach and no matter what he does at Louisville, people are going to try to claim its because of his dad. He was up for the Boston University job and didn't get it. Was that really the reason? I mean first off you are Boston University. This is basketball not hockey, you have really little room to be that picky. On the other hand it wouldn't shock me if that had something to do with it. Not everybody is as intelligent as me. So Richard will move to Florida, wanting to make a name for himself. Where better to go then dad's friend, who could use a recruiter and assistant and who has produced several head coaches himself. If this is really the reason for the move then I will be shocked if Richard is at Florida more then two years.

Maybe most people don't like the NBA but I love it. The Bulls and Celtics was a good game and while the Celtics will win the series I am going to enjoy watching Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo match up over the next 5 games or less. Yea the Bulls won and Rose had a great game but so did Rondo. I know its bad to talk about a UK player on here maybe but the fact is he is a great on ball and team defender and while he still does struggle with his jump shot he he doesn't force his shot. Rondo out up 21 points in game one and had 6 assists with zero turnovers. Rose had 8 assists but 4 turnovers. The Celtics are a better team, with or without KG, and that will show in the long run but doesn't mean we can't enjoys watching these two young guards go one on one every now in then.

I am a huge fan of what the Hawks have done and of Joe Johnson. He is still underrated despite getting an All-Star bid this year. Their (Hawks) series with the Heat should be a slug fest with every game being great to watch. Horford against O'Neal (Jermaine of course) and Johnson against Wade will be worth your time. The Hawks are a deeper team though and will win this in a tough 6 or maybe 7 game series. That being said I want it to be known now that I think the Hawks are good enough to knock off the Cavs. I'll get into that another day though.

Baseball is here and I couldn't be more bored at times. I have the privilege of listening to the Reds broadcasts for work, I also "Tweet" updates of the game on my twitter account

Anyway...the Reds need offense. Joey Votto is good and I will give you Brandon Phillips but they (Reds) just don't out enough runs up to be a real contender. Harang despite a 1-1 record has looked solid as has Johnny Cueto and Bronson Arroyo but you can't win if you can't score. Starting shortstop Alex Gonzalez has one hit this season. To quote Harry Doyle "That's all we got, one goddamn hit? "

Johnny Be Gone

Syracuse point guard Johnny Flynn will sign with an agent, according to sources close to the program.

This comes days after Syracuse starters Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris announced they would test the NBA waters.

Some sources are reporting that Flynn's decision to enter the draft a year earlier than expected has something to do with his reluctance to match-up against Louisville's incoming freshman Peyton Siva next season.

McCaughtry #1 Overall Pick in WNBA Draft

Louisville's own living legend of women's basketball, Angel McCaughtry, has joined former stand-out center Pervis Ellison as the lone Cardinals to be selected #1 overall in their respective drafts. Angel was drafted by the Atlanta Dream earlier today, so make sure you save up for that authentic jersey.

Not that I'm a WNBA fan by any means, but it is great to see McCaughtry get the respect she deserves and continue to be an ambassador for the university. The Dream could use all the help they can get, as they finished a DePaul-esque 4-30 in it's inaugural season in the league. They have added former Tennessee stand-out Chamique Holdsclaw as well to try to get on that win train. Congrats and Good Luck to Angel as she attempts to dominate the pros just as she did college.

Dream Draft McCaughtry with First Pick (ESPN.com)
Watch McCaughtry's reaction to Selection (Must have Windows Media Player) (WNBA.com)

T-Will Awarded Second Team All-American by ESPN

The self-annointed Worldwide Leader in Sports annointed Louisville senior Terrence Williams Second Team All-American. First Team members included Ty Lawson, James Harden, Tyler Hansborough, Dejuan Blair, and Player of the Year Blake Griffin.



Joining T-Will on the Second Team was Hasheem Thabeet, Gerald Henderson, Stephen Curry, and Jodie Meeks.

Tuesday Afternoon National Championship Reads

For your viewing pleasure. Check out these links to get your Louisville-is-playing-UConn-for-the-National-Championship-tonight fix.

Doug Fienburg at Yahoo Sports says Geno Auriemma insists his Huskies are beatable.

UConn is on the verge of a “dynasty” and the sole reason we should all tune in tonight, according to the folks at USA Today.

A UConn insider’s take regarding the relationship between Coach Auriemma and senior guard Renee Montgomery.

Eric Crawford has a good piece on one of this writer’s favorite Lady Cards, senior Candyce Bingham.

And finally, if you haven’t yet, don’t forget to get the full scouting report on the Lady Huskies from your friends here at the L Yes! Report. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

Gov. Beshear to Wage Ham Against Huskies Tonight

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has placed a "friendly bet" with Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell on tonight's National Championship game between Louisville and the Lady Huskies.

Beshear has put up a Kentucky country ham, while Gov. Rell waged a lobster dinner for two.

It doesn't look like Beshear is getting the 16.5 points the Lady Cards are underdogs. It's also unclear whether this is part of his campaign to implement expanded gaming in the Commonwealth.

Said Beshear: “As a great seafood lover, I gladly welcome Gov. Rell’s lobster dinner wager. The First Lady and I will savor this lobster just as we will savor the NCAA victory of our University of Louisville Lady Cardinals.”

That's governor talk for "it's on like donkey kong."

Let's keep the ham in the K-Y. Go Cards!

Best 3 Minutes in Sports

I'm sure this will be taken down soon, so enjoy it while you can....

Show Me My Opponent - Connecticut Huskies

Event: 2009 Women’s NCAA Basketball National Championship

Date: Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Time: 8:30 p.m. EST

Site: The Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri

TV: ESPN

Radio: 840 WHAS in Louisville, also available on Sirius Radio

Series History: U of L trails 1-7 all-time, its only win coming back in 1993 (0-2 at home, 1-4 at UConn, 0-1 neutral)

Last Meeting: UConn 75, Louisville 36; March 10 in Hartford, Connecticut

Spread: Louisville plus 16.5

National Rankings: Louisville ended the season ranked 7th in the AP poll, while UConn has remained the No. 1 team in the country in all polls since Week 1

University of Connecticut Huskies

Location - Storrs, CT

Arena- Gampel Pavilion

Head Coach – Geno Auriemma (695-122 and 5 National Championships in 24 seasons at UConn; 6 time Coach of the Year)

Assistants – Chris Daly, Jamelle Elliot, Shea Ralph

Record – 38-0, 16-0

Famous alumni
Moby (musician)
Paige Turco (actress, best known for her role as April O’Neil in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
Meg Ryan (actress)
Leigh Montville (legendary sports writer)
Kirk Ferentz (Iowa football coach)

Women basketball alumni
Ashley Battle (Liberty)
Sue Bird (1st overall pick in the 2002 WNBA draft, Storm)
Asjha Jones (Sun)
Rebecca Lobo (former WNBA player and current analyst for ESPN)
Jessica Moore (Sparks)
Shea Ralph (Starzz)
Nykesha Sales (former WNBA player)
Ann Strother (Dream)
Ketia Swainer (Sun)
Dianna Taurasi (Mercury)
Tamika Williams (Sun)

Probable Starters
#23 Maya Moore F
#31 Tina Charles C
# 3 Tiffany Hayes G
#30 Renee Montgomery G
#32 Kalana Green G

Outlook
The Cards (34-4) upset No. 2 seeded Baylor in the Sweet 16, then No. 1 seeded Maryland in the Elite 8 to march to the Arch, where Sunday night they handled No. 1 seeded Oklahoma. Not to mention they had to play No. 6 seeded LSU on their home floor to advance in the second round. Their reward? A second rematch with the No. 1 overall and undefeated Connecticut Huskies for the National Championship.

So, this team is good. The storyline going into Tuesday night’s game will be how the Huskies destroyed the Cards by an average of 33.5 points in two meetings this season. Player of the Year Maya Moore led the way, averaging 27.5. This may have something to do with all the “experts” at the Worldwide Leader going with the undisputed No. 1 team. But it must be pointed out that both games were in Connecticut, the first at UConn in Storrs, and the second in Hartford, UConn’s second home.

But it may not make any difference where these teams meet. UConn coach Geno Auriemma is a perfect 5-0 in National Title contests. His current squad has beaten everybody on the schedule by double-digits and is coming off two consecutive 83-64 wins to reach the Championship game. Both Moore and guard Renee Montgomery are All-Americans. 6’4 center Tina Charles is arguably the best center in the Big East and had her way with the Cards both outings this season, averaging 19.5 points and 12.5 boards.

But don’t count the Lady Cards out. Under the tutelage of Coach Jeff Walz, who’s become a household name in women’s college hoops since taking over at Louisville, the Cards are playing inspired ball. He’ll call on Deseree Byrd to slow down Montgomery, and look for the Cards to try to pick up the tempo to keep Charles out of the game.

For Louisville to stay competitive, its All American, Angel McCoughtry will have to come out to play both halves. The X-factor in keeping this one close will be Angel’s fellow senior, Candyce Bingham, who’s been a steady hand for the Cards in their historical Final Four run.

Nobody, including top 5 teams Oklahoma and North Carolina, has been able to keep up with the Huskies this season. But the Cards have relished in their role as underdog in the tourney. Coach Walz has been brilliant in implementing strategy to get his girls to where they are today. And who can forget the Biblical story of David slaying Goliath, especially this close to Easter Sunday?

If the Cards can keep it close, or maybe even grab a piece of a lead, it’ll be interesting to see how the mighty Huskies respond. But to the “experts” at ESPN: This is why we play the game. Let's see just one more bit of Madness before the season concludes.

Go Cards.

Lady Cards Look To Shock The World

39 and 28 points. 168 to 101. Those are the deficits and combined scores of Louisville's Lady Cards previous match ups this season with UCONN. The Huskies handed Louisville two of it's four losses this season. The last time they met for the Big East Tournament finals, UCONN beat the Lady Cards by 39 points, while Louisville only scored 36 points as a team. Maya Moore (UCONN) scored 28 points by herself. Angel McCoughtry led Louisville with 9 points (3-16).

The Huskies haven't lost a game since this time last year when they fell to Stanford in the Final Four (a game they got revenge for this year). That is 38 in a row. A streak that doesn't have a win that isn't by double digits. In fact the closest anyone has got to UCONN is ten points in defeat (Notre Dame and Rutgers). They (UCONN) are beating this years tournament opponents by an average of 25 points a game. Well no one is giving Louisville a chance in this game, the Lady Cards are a 16 point underdog.

You think any of this matters to coach Jeff Walz and the rest of the team?

"Nobody expected us to be here," McCoughtry said after the upset of Oklahoma. "We have not one high school All-American on our team, but these girls worked hard. I'm so proud of them."

If Angel McCoughtry and the rest of the Lady Cards can pull off the upset it would truly shock the world in a 1983 North Carolina State size upset. Louisville will have to control the tempo or they (Louisville) will get destroyed as expected. The Lady Cards can not get into a track meet with a much deeper bench. I loved watching coach Walz throw junk defense's (box and 1, triangle 2) at Oklahoma, while mixing in man to man (or woman to woman) to confuse the Sooners and try to prevent them from feeding the Paris sisters.

Tempo and turnovers are the keys, as they are in a lot of games. Louisville can not lose the turnover battle. They (Louisville) only committed 9 turnovers as at team against Oklahoma (forcing 17) but in their two meeting against UCONN this year they (Louisville) turned the ball over a combined 38 times (23 and 15). If Louisville is going to have any chance they must keep their turnovers down (single digits). I was going to put my prediction on here but I think I don't want to do it. Lets just say I think the Huskies will cover the spread but I really want to see Louisville pull off this upset so I will go out with this final score...

Lady Cards - 68

Lady Huskies - 65

Cards Baseball Is Rolling

Well basketball season is over and the first game in football isn't for 5 months. You know what that means? It's baseball season and manger Dan McDonnell's Louisville Cardinals are off to a great 20-9 start. To steal a line from the great Harry Doyle, "In case you haven't noticed and judging by the attendance you haven't". The Cardinals are 16-2 at home this season and since dropping their first three games in Gainsville against the #11th ranked Gators, Louisville has gone 20-6.

Third baseman Chris Dominguez (drafted 5th round by Rockies) decided to return to Louisville and has been destroying the ball. He is leading the team in home runs (9), RBIs (40), and slugging percentage (.641) but is also leading the Cards in strikeouts (24). He is hitting .333, good for 4th on the team behind Phil Wunderlich (.348), Josh Richmond (.336), and Freshman Ryan Wright (.336).

Wunderlich just recently had a career high 3 home runs in one game against Cincinnati. First baseman Andrew Clark, who was big in the Cards post season run last season, is one of six Cards batting over .300 (.313) and has hit 4 home runs with 26 RBIs.

Louisville returned several key players from last season but has also added to that with the additions of Freshman Ryan Wright and JUCO Adam Duvall. Both have been consistent starters and contributors. Wright (2B/SS) is second on the Cards in batting while recording 2 home runs, 2 triples, and 5 doubles so far. He (Wright) is from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Adam Duvall (2B) come to the Cards from Chipola JC, where he was named to All-World Series Team after leading Chipola to Junior College World Series. He (Duvall) is batting .329 (5th on team) and 11 doubles (tied for 1st on team) this season but has committed 8 errors (2nd on team, Dominguez leads with 9) already.

The Cards pitching staff has been led by Justin Marks, who is 4-2 with a 3.43 ERA in 7 starts. Marks has been impressive as expected this season, holding batters to a .235 BA, striking out 57 batters in 42 IP and only allowing 1 home run. The Cards pitching staff is kinda shaky after Marks though. Sophomore Dean Kiekhefer has also started 7 times, going 2-2 with a 6.40 ERA. Freshman Mike Nastold has added 4 starts this year, recording a 2-0 record with a respectable 4.44 ERA. Louisville's pitching staff as a whole has a 4.40 ERA and holding opponents to a .258 BA.

The Cards will begin a five game home stretch at Jim Patterson Stadium (where it is free to go to), starting with Indiana on Tuesday (April 7th) at 6:00 PM followed by three game series against Big East foe Pittsburgh (4/9 & 4/10 at 6 PM and 4/11 at 1 PM) capped off with a showdown with Kentucky (4/14 at 6 PM).

The Dance Party Continues

The University of Louisville women's basketball team upset the Oklahoma Sooners to advance to its first NCAA National Championship, despite a poor first half after which they found themselves down 12.

Angel McCoughtry and Candyce Bingham led the way with 18 and 14, respectively.

They await the winner of the Stanford/UConn match-up. I'm going with UConn.

The Cards will play for the National Championship Tuesday night. 'Til then, you know what time it is.

Reds 2009 Team Preview

Projected Starting Lineup

CF- Willy Taveras
LF- Chris Dickerson
1B- Joey Votto
2B- Brandon Phillips
RF- Jay Bruce
3B- Edwin Encarnacion
C- Ramon Hernandez
SS- Alex Gonzalez
P- Aaron Harang

Break Down:

The Reds have an exciting new look this season. Without veterans Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr. general manager Walt Jocketty has put a young and exciting team on the field. The Reds had another disappointing season last year with a 74-88 record. They are looking to avoid their 10th straight losing season. Many people are saying that the Reds are this years “dark horse”. Some are even comparing them to the 2008 Rays. I would not go that far yet.

Best Player: Brandon Phillips- Phillips is without a doubt one of the best second basemen in the game. He is coming of a Gold Glove season and is a consistent hitter, but could still get better. He is the new leader of this team and he needs to take the young players under his wings and make them better.

Best Pitcher: Edinson Volquez- If he can pitch like he did last season he could be one of the best in the game. He is coming off of a 2008 All-Star appearance.

Pitching: The Reds might have the best rotation they have had in years. They are actually having a battle for the fifth spot in the rotation. Homer Bailey and Micah Owings who was acquired in the Adam Dunn trade last season, will be battling for that fifth spot. A key to the Reds success is that their “ace” Aaron Harang starts pitching like he did in 2007. He needs to have a nice bounce back year.

Infield: The infield is very solid this season with young players on the corners. Joey Votto at first, gold glover Brandon Phillips at second, veteran Alex Gonzalez coming back after missing the 2008 season with an injury will be at shortstop and Edwin Encarnacion will be at third base. Also new catcher Ramon Hernandez will hopefully bring some consistency behind the plate for the first time in several years.

Outfield: The outfield will be occupied with a young core. In right will be second year player Jay Bruce. In center will be the newly acquired Willy Taveras, and in left will probably be the young Chris Dickerson.

Bullpen: The bullpen should be strong this season after resigning veterans Mike Lincoln and David Weathers. There is a chance if Homer Bailey does not make the starting rotation that he might come out of the bullpen as a long reliever. Also solid closer Francisco Cordero will be coming in to close the door.

Prediction:
Record: 82-80
Finishing 3rd in the NL Central

Louisville's Home Schedule

Tom Heiser at the Courier-Journal describes the U of L football team's home schedule as "deplorable." I used the investigative journalism tactics I've acquired while writing for the L Yes! Report and discovered that means it sucks.


You be the judge. Here's who's visiting the Pizza Palace this season:


Sep 5 - Indiana State


Oct 2 - Pittsburgh (Friday night at 8:00 pm)


Oct 10 - Southern Miss


Oct 31 - Arkansas State


Nov 14 - Syracuse


Nov 28 - Rutgers


Heiser might be on to something. But there are two sides to the coin, as he acknowledges. BCS bowls are fun, but the (dare I say "ultimate") goal for this year's Cards is six wins and bowl eligibilty. With away games at UConn, Utah, South Florida, Morgantown, and Lexington, it's safe to say there's a chance we may drop one or two on the road. And, in the event you forgot about the state of affairs on the gridiron during hoops season, it's becoming increasingly clear that Coach Steve Kragthorpe's support in this town isn't unconditional.

This is a young team. Whoever's under center on opening day will likely be taking his first snap in a Louisville uniform. (I say "likely" because one candidate, Tyler Wolfe, was 2 for 4 on passing last season for 14 yards.) It'll be a different offense than we saw last season. Our defensive personnel is littered with more question marks than X's and O's. That side of the ball will also be integrating a different system under new DC Brent Guy. Yes, I'd be more inclined to get pumped up if it were Kansas State, Miami, FSU, or even UNC invading Papa John's, as opposed to the Indiana State Sycamores. But, unfortunately, we've been shoved back into the trenches of mediocrity since that 2007 Orange Bowl Championship. Are we trapped? Not completely. But ISU and Arkansas State will give this green and unpredictable 2009 team a better chance to climb out than the Hurricanes or Seminoles.


I say (with a sigh): Bring on the Sycamores.

T-Will a Wooden All-American

Louisville senior Terrence Williams was named to the John Wooden All-American Team Wednesday. He was one of 11 players selected. The rest are household names: DeJuan Blair, Sam Young, Hasheem Thabeet, Luke Harangody, Stephen Curry, Blake Griffin, Tyler Hansbrough, James Harden, Gerald Henderson, and Ty Lawson.

Congrats T-Will.

McDonald's All-American Game Tonight

Don't forget to pick up a Big Mac on the way home from work and check out McDonald's All-American and Louisville signee Peyton Siva on ESPN tonight at 8:00 p.m. EST.

Peyton Siva on ESPN2

Tonight ESPN2 will air the 2009 All-American dunk and three-point contests at 8:00 pm. Louisville signee Peyton Siva competes in the dunk contest. Yes, he's got what the kids call "bunnies." (That's just a hip and cool way of saying he can jump high. You can use it.)

The Lady Cards Make History

One day after Louisville's men's team watched their final four dreams crash like pookie when the crack was all gone. The Lady Cards kept the schools final four and championship dreams alive beating the #1 seed Maryland to advance to the final four in St. Louis for the first time in school history.

Louisville wasn't intimidated by Maryland's top seed as the Lady Cards came out firing on the Terps and never looked back. Superstar and all everything Angel McCoughtry led the Cards with her 3rd straight 20 plus game, putting up a game high 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. McCoughty wasn't alone in this game though. Fellow Senior Candyce Bingham had 15 points and Deseree Byrd added 17 points and nine assists.

The Lady Cards forced Maryland into 21 turnovers and held them to just 38% shooting for the game. Louisville outrebounded the Terps 37-35 (Cards had 16 offensive rebounds) and collected 12 steals as a team (Bingham and McCoughtry with 3 each). Maryland had no answer, like everyone else but UCONN this year, for Louisville's 2-2-1 press and spread offense.

With just under 3 minutes to play, Maryland made their final push at the Cards but it and the game was slammed shut as Angel spotted up for three (her only one, 1-6 for the game) to put the Cards up 65-52 and seal the deal on Louisville's first final four.

Congrats to coach Jeff Walz and the Lady Cards. They will now wait and play the winner of Oklahoma and Purdue on Sunday, April 5th.

Coming Up Short

Louisville shot 38% from the field and allowed Michigan State to shoot 46%. Louisville's had 12 assists and 12 turnovers, while Michigan State had 19 assists and 12 turnovers. Louisville had 27 rebounds and Michigan State had 35. Those three stat lines tell you why the Cards lost the game. I have said the Cards play Rope-a-Dope basketball this year but in this game Michigan State didn't wear down and just kept punching finally landing a haymaker, which I think came when Chris Allen went back door and just slammed the ball with 4:31 to play, putting the Spartans up 60-46 and slamming the coffin on the Louisville Cardinals season...

-Of course the Cards would end up losing 64-52 and as I said in the breakdown of this game that Louisville was more talented then Michigan State. I still feel I am right about that. I also said though that Tom Izzo teams no matter what the talent level is will always make you play their style (tempo) and will attack all rebounds and loose balls harder then their opponent, who this time unfortunately was Louisville. I hate being right so much. The Cards lost the battle of tempo and on the boards and those were the most important things in the game when you play the Cards. When Louisville doesn't win at least one of those two things, they lose. Just look at Minnesota, Western Kentucky, UCONN, Notre Dame, and now Michigan State.

-Goran Sutan played the greatest game of his life. He will never play any better then he did today. Don't get me wrong, he is a solid player. I pointed that out in the breakdown but he was hitting three pointers with guys in his face as the shot clock was winding down...twice. He got his hand on basically every rebound, whether he grabbed it or not,his hands touched it. Every time the Spartans needed a shot, Sutan hit it. Nothing is more deflating then playing good defense just to have a 6'10 guy hit a three in your face. Sutan may have only scored 2 of his 19 in the second half but he was just as effective even when he wasn't scoring.

-I loved the intensity that the Cards showed after halftime. They came out and went right after the Spartans throat. I guess no one told Durrell Summers that he was supposed to choke cause the 6'4 guard answered the Louisville attack alone. Nailing back to back threes, followed by a Kalin Lucas bankshot for three. It was the run, with 10 minutes left, that turned the entire game and if it weren't for Summers (who scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half), this game could have gone down to the wire.

- Despite how much Gus Johnson wanted to go Ammad Rashad all over the Spartans guards how they handled Louisville's press, lets keep in mind that Louisville never had the chance to even get their press going. Credit Michigan State for that because when the Cards did get the press set up it drove MSU crazy and was very affective. But hey Gus does call Terrence Williams, T-Williams the entire game. I don't like that whole nickname thing and refuse to use it but if you are going to try to act "hip" and "cool" Gus at least get it right.

-Terrence Williams did not play that bad a game. People around the country who don't know Louisville and haven't watched them play like me and others have would know that. Michigan State did a great job face guarding him and every time he touched the ball, he was swarmed like an ice cream truck at a fat kids camp. I was disappointed by the way he disappeared on the glass after the first 5 minutes of the game. MSU had 12 offensive rebounds and that's not going to cut it if your Louisville. Williams all year was best at taking the ball of the backboard on the defensive end, only giving team one not so good look. He finished the game with 5 rebounds. He had 4 of them in the first 5 minutes of the game. Williams finished the game 1-7 from the field with 5 of those forced bad shots, including 2 0f his 3 deep attempts (missing all three). It wasn't the type of game you would like to see a guy like Terrence end his Cardinal career on but if he would have had a typical Terrence game, the Cards would be cutting down nets instead of trying to keep their heads up.

-A big turning point in the game came around the 13 minute mark when the refs and MSU took Edgar Sosa out of the game. Sosa had just knocked down a 3 point shot (would be his only shot) and was playing solid defense on the press. Edgar then would sorta flop and there was no call. No problem there but the falling couple plays turned the tide, Sosa wound get mugged on the floor with no call and then would be whistled for back to back fouls that looked like they came from the Don Denkinger school of officiating. I saw the death in Sosa's eyes as he headed to the bench. We could have really used Sosa's offense in this game.

-Preston Knowles is a very good player. He played his heart out in this game but Louisville is not at it's best when Knowles is forced to play 24 minutes. He is suited at this point in his career for 15 at the most and that should be during the month of January. I love his intensity on defense (he almost lost it at one point though) and his ability to hit the three is always appreciated from Card fans. Preston put out 11 points on solid shooting (4-7) but he is a limited offensive player. All Preston can so is sit back and shoot the ball. Michigan State knew that,not allowing Williams to penetrate takes Preston out of the game.

- Jerry Smith shot the ball well. He did a great job of moving without the ball but it doesn't help when you get into foul trouble. Smith has had problems all year with foul trouble, he slaps at the ball to much and has trouble moving his feet, getting most his fouls in the back court while pressing.

-Earl Clark forced some bad shots but you know what, everybody did so that will no longer be mentioned. Clark was the only one that was aggressive on offense, shooting 8-17 for 19 points but he only had 5 rebounds. He wasn't very aggressive on the glass and I only saw the anger in his eyes that makes him play like a lottery pick once through the entire game.

- Samardo Samuels was 0-6 shooting, committed 4 turnovers, and never scored. Good news is after this game I am pretty sure he will return. Samuels struggled with Sutan's ability to play up high like he was David Padgett, while struggling even more with Sutans obvious size advantage. It looked like when George Zidek shutdown Corliss Williamson in the 1995 title game. Samuels was solid when he was forced to play low post defense on Sutan but that was very few and far between when Sutan was on the low post.

Two Are In Detroit, Still Two To Go

Well two of the four have been decided and so far it's Big East - 2, rest of the country - 0. With the Cards playing later today it could (and should) make it three out of four. I went into Saturday's games waiting to see UCONN beat Missouri and to watch Villanova go to war with Pittsburgh ans I got everything I wanted and then some. Here is what I came away with after watching two good games....


- I knew Missouri wasn't going to go down like a punk but I also didn't think they could really threaten UCONN. They showed a little more heart then I expected from them but as I assumed in the end UCONN was to much. The Huskies kept the Tigers at arms length the entire game. Every time Missouri would get with in a point or two or even tie the game UCONN would have answer from A.J. Price (18 points) or the star of the game, Freshman Kemba Walker. He (Walker) hit big shot after big shot, putting up a game high (and matching his career high) 23 points off the bench. I mean with UCONN's size and skill in the post with Jeff Adrien, Hasheem Thabeet, and Stanley Robinson (two Seniors and Junior), that matched with the guard play of Walker and Price. UCONN is such a scary scary team to have to play.

- Villanova and Pittsburgh didn't disappoint when I said they would have a slug out battle for the final four. The Wildcats jumped out early but Pittsburgh rallied right away and from then out this game went back and forth, blow for blow. Sam Young was just awesome in what turned out to be his last game. He scored 28 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, including hitting a huge three to pull the Panthers with in 1 at 72-71 with under a minute to play. 'Nova's own Senior big man Dante Cunningham had a slow first half (4 points) but came out in the second half with a new fire and finished the game with 14 points and 5 rebounds, of course most importantly he made a David Tyree like catch on the last inbounds play to set up teammate Scottie Reynolds to do his Bryce Drew / Tyus Edney / Danny Ainge (stop me cause I can go all day) impersonation to win the game. Reynolds struggled from the field throughout the game but even though he was 4-11 from the field only one of those really mattered. He did go 7-7 from the free throw line and finished with 17 points. DeJuan Blair was his usual beast like self as well, going 9-9 from the floor (20 points) to go along with his 10 rebounds.

- As I thought though, Villanova's depth was the big difference. Well that and the fact Villanova shot 22-23 from the free throw line (Pitt was 21-29) and outrebounded the Panthers 29-27 but the minutes that the Wildcats bench brings, most notably the Corey's, was a huge lift. Fisher (Corey) and Stokes (Corey) were big, with Fisher throwing in 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists and Stokes contributed 7 points and 2 rebounds. What doesn't show up in the stats though is the relentless defense these two brought and their ability to play the point guard position with out the team missing a beat. Taking much needed pressure off the normal point guard Reynolds at times in the game.

- I have bragged all year that no team is deeper at the guard position then Louisville. I altered that opinion about a month ago when I admitted to maybe be second to Villanova's guard rotation. I am still on the fence between the two but this is more of a 1A and 1B thing then a 1 and 2 thing.

Meet The Spartans

I have to start this breakdown of the Spartans by saying I really haven't watched Michigan State play much this season. No disrespect the the Big Ten's finest but I have an easier time staying awake watching James Lipton interview Janeane Garofalo about her up coming Lifetime movie "Girl's Best Friend", then I would watching an entire Big Ten game.

I have though spent the last few hours watching highlights, reading scouting reports, and combing over their roster from top to bottom to learn everything there is to know about the Spartans of Michigan State and trying to find this woman's name and number cause she has a cool attitude toward things. I couldn't find out her identity but here are some of my thoughts about the Cards next victim.....uh uh I mean opponent....




- Kalin Lucas is the heart and soul of this team. He is an explosive at times Sophomore guard, who is put up 14.7 points a game this season to lead the Spartans. He had 18 in their win over Kansas, including a big three point play to give the Michigan State the lead. Lucas can be a threat from deep, shooting 38% on the season but has only taken 21 attempts (hit 10 of them) from deep in the last 8 games. In fact he hasn't hit more then 1 three in a game since 3/13 (4 games), when he went 2-4 against Minnesota. Kalin is a talented Sophomore but he isn't ready for this Louisville defense. He has a Allen Iverson mind set to scoring though. Meaning 20 points is usually the result of a minimum 20 shot attempts. While he is leading and averaging 4.5 assists a game, he is turning it over 2 times a game. Over the last two games though he has been excellent controlling the ball. Collecting 14 assists to just 3 turnovers.



- If Lucas is the heart and soul, then Raymor Morgan is their legs. He is a stereo type swing man athlete. The Spartans have struggled on the offense at times this year but their ups and downs basically coincide with Morgans ups and downs. Michigan State is 13-1 this season when the 6'7 Junior scores in double figures. Their only loss coming to North Carolina (He had 21 in that loss). Raymor torched Oklahoma State for 29 earlier and 16 in their first round blowout of Robert Morris. He has been off the last two games though, scoring a combined 7 points in rounds two and three, including shooting 1-10 from the field in that span. When he gets to the free throw line is when he helps the Spartans the most but is he does disappearing acts, this team will struggle to beat anyone.



- So Lucas is heart and soul, Morgan is the legs, then that would leave the arms to be the 6'10 445 pound creature they call Goran Suton. If Morgan is a stereo type swing man, then Suton is a stereo type Big Ten goofy white guy center. Yes in the long but lustrous line of goofy white centers from the Big Ten that included MSU owns Paul Davis, Purdue's Brian Cardinal and Brad Miller, Minnesota's Joel Przybilla, and my personal favorite Indiana's Uwe Blab. I know there are many more to be named but I had to start some where. Now back to the current guy. For real though, Suton has been a force in the paint for Tom Izzo, putting up 20 points (keeping them in the game) and 9 rebounds against Kansas. He has had 10 or more rebounds in 6 out of his last 10 games, grabbing 17 against Robert Morris. Goron the Great has collected 10 offensive rebounds through the three games in this tournament. Louisville has to keep him off the glass or MSU could win this game.


-Well I guess I pretty much covered the entire anatomy of the Spartans here, oh wait, I almost forgot the head and brains. Who else could that be but Tom "UK job is a joke to me" Izzo. Do the Cards have better guards the MSU? Yes. Doth Cards have a better big men the MSU? Yes. Are the Cards deeper then MSU? Yep. Hell, are the Cards more talented and better overall then MSU? Your damn skippy. Problem though is that Michigan State does have talent, even if it's not as much as the Cards and no one this side of Rick Pitino gets more out of his kids then maybe Tom Izzo. His teams will always make you play the style they want (my grandmother can run the mile faster then this team can score 70 points in a game) and will do everything in their power to beat you on the loose balls and rebounds. Tempo and rebounding are two huge keys in this game. Tempo most of all. Louisville must do to Michigan State that they did to Arizona. Go at the Spartans guards like Peter McNeeley and harass them like a wife finding another girls panties in your car.


Louisville plays the speed they want and keep Michigan State to one shot and done possessions, I am not going to lie and sound to over confident but the Cards will cruise if they do those things and will win by at least 12 points or more. Can they do those thing? I can't answer that yes as quick as I did before but I think they can.
My prediction....

Louisville 79

Michigan State 68