Tag Archives: Louisville Cardinals

That Dunking Cardinal Court & Other U of L Quick Shots

Basketball, ,

My memory is hazy, but if I recall correctly, and I’m probably not, during the early Doctors of Dunk days of the 70s, it was Grif’s idea for the team to wear those old timey M.D. shirt/ jackets during warmups.

I believe it was a cool idea, but one and done nonetheless. Since the garment was too restrictive, and the players didn’t like the feel.

Fortunately the most cool U of L hoops logo ever has never gone completely away. And, thanks to Chris Mack’s respect for the tradition of Cardinal basketball, is back with a vengeance.

The court at the practice facility now sports a 94×50 Dunking Cardinal logo.

Too damn sweet.

So, when I first saw it, my immediate reaction was to write Kenny Klein, and ask if there were any plans to do the same to the game court at the Yum!?

Unfortunately, not at this time. Sigh. Continue reading That Dunking Cardinal Court & Other U of L Quick Shots →

‘Dores Slow Cards’ Mo’ at the Jim

Baseball,

Irresistible force. Immovable object.

Unless Tuesday evening’s matchup found the powers battling at 3d & Central knotted when curfew hit, somebody’s momentum was going to be thwarted, if only temporarily.

The Vanderbilt Commodores (39-9) took the field for the midweek Battle of the Barrel, ranked either #2 or #3 depending on which poll you look at, on an 11 game winning streak. RF JJ Bleday leads the nation with 23 taters. At .429, Austin Martin, is among the leading hitters in the land.

The #6 or #3 Louisville Cardinals (39-10) victory skein stood at nine, after recently sweeping then #2 NC State in Raleigh. Pitching ace Reid Detmers is a lock All-American.

The visiting nine in the black hats prevailed, 6-2, in the relatively close but laborious three hour forty six minute game.

Since 2007, when Dan McDonnell took the reins at U of L, the schools have developed what is arguably the most intriguing rivalry in college baseball. Continue reading ‘Dores Slow Cards’ Mo’ at the Jim →

The Coach, His AD, A Provocateur & His Provocation

Basketball, Football, Recruiting, , , , ,

There are some arguments, to which there is essentially no resolution, back and forths that simply get carried on until lungs are depleted of breath.

Until then, the protagonists bray on.

These are common when the issues involved are local in nature and many people have a significant vested emotional interest.

I’ve just returned from my 31st New Orleans JazzFest, the original and sole focus of which from the get go was as a showcase for the indigenous music, food and culture of the Crescent City and Louisiana. But the economic realities of modern times have forced the festival, in order to survive, to feature big name acts with zero connection to the area, but are a draw for enough patrons to keep the Fest financially alive.

In the festival’s chatrooms, purists have railed year around about the situation for more than a decade. The Fest and the arguments proceed.

It was no surprise really that during Derby season, when the focus is usually on whether to buy the blue or pink patched Madras sportcoat, or which hat the size of a beach umbrella to wear on the 1st Saturday in May, that a new brouhaha broke out, when the winning thoroughbred was set down.

But this is Louisville, where basketball is the overriding passion of the populace but for two weeks a year, and the University of Louisville Cardinals are the beloved favorite of the city. Which brings me to the argument that will never end.

Even during Derby time, the fire was stoked yet again. Continue reading The Coach, His AD, A Provocateur & His Provocation →

Checking In On Cardinal Hoops

Basketball

It has been an oddly busy first month after the season for U of L basketball — both for the males and females, for good and not so good.

And I’m not talking about Coach Chris Mack’s replacement body part.

So it’s time to inventory the whole situation.

Let’s start with the asset side of the ledger.

Former Cardinal, former Final Four MOP as a freshman in ’86, Pervis Ellison, who coached him in AAU ball, has dubbed St. Joe grad transfer Lamarr Kimble, not only “Philly tough,” but an incarnation of Cassius Winston.

How positively “Fresh.”

Of course, the worry wort Red & Black Faithful are wondering how Darius Perry and David Johnson, the other PGs on next year’s team are taking the news of another grad transfer? It’s not even Derby yet and there is worry over team turmoil. Hopefully it will make the others work on their skills, and compete harder for PT.

Having a trio is better than having nobody competent to distribute the rock. Continue reading Checking In On Cardinal Hoops →

Opening Playoff Games a Mixed Bag for Former Cards

Basketball,

We got your Terry Rozier wearing Celtic green. Silent L Harrell coming up big in the paint for LA’s other team. And Donovan “Did We Call Him Spider When He Was A Cardinal?” Mitchell.

If the object of the game is to win, score more points than the other team, then Rozier had the best first tilt.

Because, bottom line, Boston prevailed over the Pacers, 84-74. The Clippers and Jazz fell.

Rozier played a solid, but statistically inconsequential 18 minutes. (Seems like Kyrie Irving is playing both guard positions at the same time anyway.) The former Card was a mathematically neutral +/- 0. A veritable place holder.

He scored 5 points, but was only 1/6 from the field, grabbed five rebounds — He was one of the best rebounding guards ever to wear the Red & Black — and dished out a couple dimes.

If the point of this exercise is which of the trio had the best individual game, Montrezl is the easy winner.

He was a beast underneath — Imagine our surprise — especially in the first half, though his Clippers fell by 17 to Golden State.

26 points on 11/15 shooting. Five boards. Two assists, two steals, two blocks. Alas, he was -13.

It was an under par evening all around for Mitchell. He scored 19 but didn’t have an assist. Five rebounds.

The Jazz — Isn’t it time Utah changed its nickname which worked in New Orleans, but doesn’t fit at all in Salt Lake City? — were overwhelmed by Houston, 122-90.

DM shoulda stayed in bed.

— Seedy K

Louisville CardFile: Minnesota

Basketball, ,

Now is not the time for coulda woulda shouldas.

Neither for the finale, a ten point loss to the Golden Gophers, nor for the season as a whole.

This Louisville contingent, as Reggie Miller pointed out, composed of last year’s subs and three unheralded grad transfers, won 20 games, and, beyond any reasonable expectations, made it to the Dance.

It is time to cherish the positives of this transition season, not to belabor the issues that have discussed ad nauseum from the get go.

Soooooo, if you’re looking for the Cards mighta been in it, mighta moved on for a rematch with Michigan State, if this guy had drained this three, if that guy hadn’t lost the ball trying to do too much, or if Mack hadn’t subbed Z for Y with XX:XX minutes to go, you need to look elsewhere.

There are no breakdowns contained herein, no exposition on turning point moments, no strategic extrapolation. Continue reading Louisville CardFile: Minnesota →

Louisville CardFile: North Carolina

Basketball,

Every team with a legitimate shot at sitting on the top shelf, every quintet that yearns to be among the upper echelon, needs a go to guy.

A baller who can hit the J, who can get it to the tin, who has the will and talent to take over a game if need be. At both ends of the hardwood.

In this regard, the Cardinal moment I often refer back upon came in Knoxville in ’83. The Cards couldn’t quite catch up with the Cats in the 2d at Stokely. After a Big Blue score, Lancaster Gordon grabbed the ball as it dropped from the net, slammed it to the floor and exclaimed with force and conviction, “Enough of this shit!”

I needn’t explain to U of L fans what Caster and his mates did from then on.

It is this ’18-’19 overachieving but still not-quite-ready Louisville Cardinal contingent in microcosm that Jordan Nwora aspires to be that guy. There are instances when it works, for him and the Cards. And just as many, probably more when it doesn’t.

At the 7:35 media break of the 1st, the Tar Heels iconic transition game had the Cardinals heads spinning. Jay Bilas noted, “it looks like a lay up line for Carolina.” U of L was down 21-34.

Then came this boffo interlude. Continue reading Louisville CardFile: North Carolina →

Louisville CardFile: Notre Dame

Basketball,

The good news for the University of Louisville Cardinals is they got to play Notre Dame in their ACC tourney opener.

The Cards notched their 20th W of the campaign against the Irish, as woeful a league foe as U of L has faced since the strange days of the Metro. The 75-53 victory is the largest margin in the history of the series.

The bad news for the University of Louisville Cardinals is they won’t get to play Notre Dame again this season.

The potholed road for post-season success gets significantly more arduous, commencing tonight against North Carolina in the league tourney quarterfinals.

 * * * * *

Other than as a confidence booster, there’s not much to be gleaned about the future from Wednesday evening’s walkover.

The Cardinals took care of biz.

Which, given some recent inexplicably underwhelming efforts, is a good thing. Continue reading Louisville CardFile: Notre Dame →

Louisville CardFile: Virginia

Basketball,

During the halcyon days of the 80s, when the University of Louisville Cardinals were the Team of the Decade, the Professor and I would often speak of our love of “program wins.”

Those would be victories when the Cards would be a bit off their feed, not shooting so well, out of kilter at the offensive end, not shutting down their foes’ biggest weapons, but when the fundamentals, proper technique, developed habitual techniques, fortitude, inner swagger, and talent would out, when the course would be stayed, when the opponent eventually, frustrated, would make critical mistakes that cost them the games.

Saturday’s 73-68 defeat was a program win for UVa.

The Cavaliers didn’t shoot it especially well overall. They surrendered more points than usual, allowed themselves to be outpointed underneath, and were outrebounded by nine.

Yet, they stayed the course. The victors were ready to win, the defeated were not. Continue reading Louisville CardFile: Virginia →

The Brackets are Coming, The Brackets are Coming, Part I

Basketball, ,

I’ve double checked my algorithms, hacked into the ACC database, perused the conference standings, studied the league tourney bracket, invoked the spirit of Billy Packer, crunched the numbers, consulted Madame Ruth at 34th and Vine, and thus make this prognostication:

The University of Louisville Cardinals will be the #7 seed in next week’s Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. Which, if said prediction is correct, means the Cards will play at 7:00 PM next Wednesday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, and on your telly at Spectrum Channel 924.

They’ll play the victor of the 1st round matchup between the #10 and #15 seeds. Which could be any of the six bottom feeders of the league. When I tried to calculate which schools are more likely to settle into those spots, my computer said, “No Mas!”

 * * * * *

As long as we are looking and longing toward the horizon, let’s talk about Sunday a week, and the week that follows. Continue reading The Brackets are Coming, The Brackets are Coming, Part I →