Category Archives: Basketball

Sunday Afternoon PG

As we sports junkies await the penultimate pigskin playdowns, there was a weekend of hoops.

A veritable hoopadelic bounty of b-ball.

Can I get a witness?

Say Hallelujah!!!

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Today’s quote from a national hoops scribe:

The point is, even the best teams in college basketball sometimes have to grind out ugly ones. Beating a middling team by one or two points is by no means disqualifying come the Big Dance.

The reference was to Florida’s recent escape against South Carolina.

Of course, the same can be said of Louisville’s fending off of Eastern Kentucky. Thanks to a late layup by broken-thumbed Noah Waterman.

It happens.

Especially as the season grinds from January to February, and some fatigue sets in even for the most settled of squads. Continue reading Sunday Afternoon PG

Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Coaches, Best & Beleaguered

The other night on CBS Sports Network college hoops nightly wrap up, Walt Szczerbiak uttered this often invoked take about the sport and a once proud program gone fallow but now on the comeback.

“College basketball is better when XXX is good.”

And as my loyal readers have surely guessed, he was not referring to the three time national champion Louisville Cardinals.

But by a school coached by a former Cardinal mentor, Rick Pitino.

St. John’s.

Of course, as others have indeed said, if that’s a truism, it certainly applies to U of L. The sport is better when the Cardinals are relevant.

Johnnie fans are having dreams of Chris Mullen era success, as we locals are moving back into the halcyon bliss of Grif and the McCrays.

Do we love J’Vonne Hadley doing the dirty work like Herb Crook?

Duh. Continue reading Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Coaches, Best & Beleaguered

U of L CardFile: SMU

It was a somewhat surprising turn for Louisville Basketball the past few days after the Cards 8th consecutive W in front of the largest home crowd in years.

Hoopsylvanians everywhere outside the Greater Louisville Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area began to take notice.

One might offer — OK c’est moi — that the hunter has become the hunted.

Circumspect, I call it unnerving.

The analytics dudes and NET place the Cards firmly in the 29-30 range. While the AP writers have vaulted them to #25. After starting the campaign without anybody looking in this direction.

From underdog to the data gurus saying the Cards should be faves in every game after tonight’s.

Yes, bets’r’us.com had the Mustangs as a short favorite. But U of L hoops is legendary. The Cards are sitting above SMU in the league standings. Andy Enfield was ready to make a statement in his new home.

So, yeah, Cards became the hunted.

Which is what faced this surging mature squad in Big D.

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And . . . and . . . and . . . well . . .

. . . uh, never-mind. Continue reading U of L CardFile: SMU

Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Cards, Quad +++

U of L Cardinal fans, raise your hand if you expected to be calculating NCAA NET rankings and Quad parameters on January 20, 2025?

Here’s what I say to the few of you bold enough to take the bait: “Liar, liar, pants on fire.”

But, it’s fun, right?

Indeed. (Not talking about the ubiquitous commercial either.)

The Cards are currently ranked #29 in the official NCAA NET.

Which is good. Q1: 3-5. Q2: 3-0. Q3: 4-0. Q4: 4-0.

Buuuuuuuuuut, the woefulness of the ACC this year could kick ’em in the arse.

I’ll explain. Here’s how the ruling body itself explains the importance of Quad Ws and Ls: “The number of Quadrant 1 wins and Quadrant 3/4 losses will be incredibly important when it comes time for NCAA tournament selection and seeding.”

Key word: “incredibly.” Continue reading Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Cards, Quad +++

My Agathokakological Sports Saturday

Though Dylanian in the elegance of its poesy and the truth of its message, the phrase comes from the intro to a TV sports show.

Wide World of Sports.

Iconic Jim McKay’s voice over the opening credits.

Who can shake the image of that ski jumper careening off the launch ramp, a Irish hurler being dropped by an errant swing. Pele’s ecstatic leap into a teammate’s arms after a big goal for Brazil?

The phrase lives Methuselahian in the lexicon of athletics.

The thrill of victory.

The agony of defeat.

My Louisville Cardinals 81, Virginia 67.

Thrill of victory.

My Detroit Lions 31, Washington 45.

Agony of defeat.

A healthy helping of both. Continue reading My Agathokakological Sports Saturday

U of L CardFile: UVa

Here’s a ’24-’25 Louisville Cardinals trend.

Another game another player unavailable.

That Noah Waterman thumb thing.

Plus, the sphincter-tightening moment with 8:20 to play, when Terrence Edwards takes a bump, immediately hobbles off the court, and back to the hallway. Fortunately nothing significant . . . yet.

Here’s a trend.

Rough around the edges, but seriously tough Kader Trarore impacts the affair as soon as he moves from pine to hardwood.

KT’s first three defensive possessions. Blocked shot. U of L gets the rock. Strong rebound. Steal, going end to end for a slam. .

He’s far from what one might call a finesse player, but oh my..

Of course, the battle was won, but his +1 sandwiching the last media stoppage was sweet.

Then there’s that rebound he simply ripped out of Cavalier’s hand.

Here’s a trend. Continue reading U of L CardFile: UVa

U of L CardFile: Syracuse

There have been some classic games in the Louisville/ Syracuse series.

The Kyle Kuric DunkFest in Freedom Hall’s final curtain.

And that Big East tourney turnaround that propelled the ’13 Cards to the title. Down 29-45 with 16:00 to play. Scored 16 straight out of the media timeout. Won 78-61.

A few others, including besting the Pearl Washington/ Rony Seikaly juggernaut in the Hall.

Tuesday’s game was NOT a classic. Instant or otherwise.

There have some memorable games against other foes at the ‘Cuse.

Most famously when then upstart Georgetown bested the #2 Orange in their old gym before moving to the Carrier Dome in February ’80. After which, John Thompson declared, “Manly Field House is officially closed.”

Tuesday’s shall not be especially memorable.

What it was was simply another solid steady* W  by the Louisville Cardinals over a truly underwhelming, overwhelmed league foe. Continue reading U of L CardFile: Syracuse

Coping With These Cardinals

A pal once dubbed me a Not So Accidental Tourist.

Our families were traveling together in Spain. In Granada we’d visited the Alhambra, and were walking back to our hotel after having dinner at a restaurant in a nearby neighborhood.

Night had fallen, and we didn’t know the exact route and were sort of wandering about to get our bearings. I, among us, got nervous with the unknown. Even though the area was safe by all accounts.

I like to know what’s ahead. At every moment.

Not a great character trait. For too many reasons to enumerate.

Spent too much of my life worrying about what might happen, instead of just diving in.

Which is not an especially healthy thing for a hoopaholic diehard who for way too long now has allowed the athletic performance of 19 year olds dictate my sense of well being.*

*I’m getting better now mired in my dotage. But I’m far from cured.

So, as heartening as recent evidence would indicate the future of my beloved Louisville Cardinals will be, I’m having trouble diving fully in. Continue reading Coping With These Cardinals

U of L CardFile: Pittsburgh

The train kept movin’ all night long/ The train kept a-rollin’ all night long/ With a heave and a ho . . .

That Burnett Brothers tune came to me sometime during this rock fight of a hoops encounter. Jotted it down. Just in case, ya know, the University of Louisville Cardinals pulled it out.

Well, Johnny and Dorsey and that gal from NYC made stops in Albuquerque and El Paso.

The Cards stopped in Pittsburgh on their way to Syracuse.

Took the time to quiet the wildebeests in the Oakland Zoo.

And those sillies thought it was feeding time.

Louisville 82, Pitt 78. Continue reading U of L CardFile: Pittsburgh

U of L CardFile: Clemson

OK, there’s an iconic SNL sketch, where the characters are sitting around kvelling about Barbra. I think Mike Meyers might have been in it.

Anyway, unbeknownst to them ahead of time, Streisand herself is on hand and walks into the scene.

They are verklempt.*

*Yiddish for “overcome with emotion.”

Louisville (11-5, 4-1) 74, Clemson, still ofer for Derbytown, 64.

I am absolutely, positively, VERKLEMPT.

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I really oughta shoula start with J’Vonne Hadley, but rest assured I shall get to him soon enough.

But I want to begin with what seems here to be the biggest moment in the game.

After Kader Traore had made consecutive dunks early in the 2d, the Cards led. 56-45.

Then Clemson connected on three consecutive triples. Without an answer. The margin was two. Louisville looked as wobbly as they had all night, as they had been since the EKU game.

At which juncture, the only rookie on the squad, Khani Rooths, the only Cardinal to play but single digit minutes, drained his only bucket of the game. Mark it, three.

Consider it triage. Bleeding stopped. 59-54. Continue reading U of L CardFile: Clemson