I guess I really didn’t mean what I said.

Sorta.

To one and all in extreme anticipation for this edition of U of L vs. UK, I was adamant.

I wish they didn’t play the game.

Too much emphasis is placed upon it.

I am really looking forward to Wednesday morning when it will be over and I/ we can move on.

And then Game Day arrived, I mall walked until my legs ached. The new quarter zip arrived from Rally House, me hoping it had a W woven in. I washed it to wear. An hour before leaving for the game, which itself was over two hours before tip, I was walking in circles in my condo. I did a couple of laps in the concourse before tip.

Which is to own that this particular battle, to me, was the most important one since the one and only Dream Game in Knoxville.

All the marvelous upticking that’s been going on since Pat Kelsey arrived, all the enthusiasm and hope and ReviVille stuff would have been clouded had the Cards fallen.

Wednesday morning’s coffee breaks would be the same ol’ same ol’.

This was a game U of L had to win.

The oh so proverbial Must Win.

There I said it.

Before the final buzzer I pulled a Sara Kaplan. In close games, she’d walk the halls and simply gauge what was going on by the sound of the crowd.

When the Cardinals almost unfathomable 20 point advantage, 78-58 at 12:24 had been macheted by Blue threeballs to 88-84, I turned into my mother’s son.

I left my seat in the Media Section, and went out and watched the rest on the TV in the concourse.

Mr. Bunny was in the house, and I knew exactly what he was thinking.

“Do Not Relinquish the Lead.”

U of L did not.

96-88.

Ladies and Gents, wear your red to the office tomorrow, and enjoy those coffee chats.

Be gentle.

 * * * * *

So nervous was I throughout, I had to stop taking copious notes less than ten minutes in.

Just a jot here and there.

How did the Cards survive, even missing 7 charity tosses in the final minutes?

The little things we are prone not to remember.

Sananda Fru and J’Vonne Hadley prolonging a possession during that FT meltdown when Louisville seemed to be hanging on with a couple of fingernails on our weak hand.

Forcing turnovers and bad shots. (UK wasn’t going to keep dropping those bombs forever and they didn’t.)

After that lead was whittled to four, the best player on the court all night, Mikel Brown tallied on the next two trips.

The Cards tank was empty. So too Kentucky’s.

This was one intense mo fo of a hoops battle in front of 22,586. Of course there was a lot of BBN in the house; it’s just what happens. And as loud as they got when the Wildcats kept a comin’, here was the prettiest sight of the night. One of ’em anyway.

Standing in the hallway, I had a view of hundreds and hundreds of frowning blue clad attendees on the down escalators before the clock struck 00:00.

“Go Big Blue.” Home.

 * * * * *

Here are a few key moments. I’m not going to take a deep dive, because frankly Scarlett I don’t give a damn, the game was won.

Fast starts: To open the game, to open the 2d.

To start, Cards forced a turnover and scored on three of their first five possessions.

Down 19-22 at the 11:35 mark, Cards ran off 13 in a row for a 32-22 advantage.

Ahead 7 at the break, U of L drained two triples and Fru flush in the first four possessions after halftime.

U of L 6 turnovers. UK, 14.

The Cards essentially kept Kentucky measured the whole way, the team guru Ken Pomeroy had #1 (before their L at the Yum!).

Kentucky is good.

The University of Louisville Cardinals, it can now be said, are More Good.

 * * * * *

America’s best backcourt led the way.

Mikel Brown: 29 points. 5 assists against one turnover.

Ryan Conwell: 24 points. 2 steals.

Helped by that stoic dude from Deutschland, Sananda Fru. 10 points (4/4, 2/2). 7 rebounds. 2 assists. 2 steals.

They had lots of help.

My apologies to all I didn’t mention. It’s after midnight. My eyes are fluttering shut.

I’m going to reread this one more once, hoping I catch all the typos and misspells.

Then I’m going to lay my head on the pillow with a big ol’ Cardinal smile on my face, wearing this new victory pullover I bought, knowing I got a basketball team.

— c d kaplan