Tag Archives: North Carolina Tar Heels

Louisville CardFile: North Carolina

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This disappointing Cardinal loss in microcosm:

Down 19 late in the 1st, Christen Cunningham drove for a layup with a minute or so to play, and was fouled. He missed the +1, which would have whittled the Tar Heels enormous margin even further.

After empty possessions by each side, CC again got the ball into the paint for layin, again was fouled, and this time converted the charity toss.

Then still down by a significant but more overcomeable 14, all the Cardinals needed was a stop to go into halftime with a little mo.

Instead Nassir Little followed Luke Maye’s miss for a deuce at the buzzer.

It was Carolina’s 7th offensive board of the half, their 7th and 8th second chance points of the half, and their 23d and 24th points in the paint of the half.

Underscoring how underwhelming Louisville’s effort was in the opening stanza, are these comparative stats. U of L had 0 (as in ZERO) offensive rebounds before the break. Thus no second chance points. The Cards total of 12 rebounds was 16 less than the Tar Heels 28. U of L was -8 in the paint. Continue reading Louisville CardFile: North Carolina →

Louisville Card File: North Carolina

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joaniecardIt was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity . . .

Wise words, those. Perceptive guy, that Charlie Dickens. I mean, it’s like he was in the house yesterday.

Literate too. Maybe the C-J will hire him for the vacant Himmelsbach spot.

* * * * *

During halftime in the corridor, I saw Griff, Scooter and Phil Bond together, breaking down the first half woes of the Cards, who looked to those icons, Dickie V, Doris, a full Yum! and all the hoops world like Hans and Franz Loser Men.

I breached the perimeter of the all-time Cardinal greats’ circle, and asked, “Is it my imagination, or does U of L have no appreciable, workable offense?” Continue reading Louisville Card File: North Carolina →

Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Conference Craziness, Cardinals, Curiosness

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b-ballIt is the time of the season.

When scenarios morph curioser and curioser in the Big Tent that is College Hoops.

Messrs. K and H assure the public/ Their production will be second to none/ And of course Henry The Horse dances the waltz!

Not the least stunning of which developments is viewing the sport’s preeminent color announcer, the usually straight forward Jay Bilas, showing up to do the Arizona/ Colorado game, wearing a Grateful Dead t-shirt. Sitting alongside smirking Garciaphile Bill Walton, who, deadpan, pretending to be the voice of reason, intones, “Enough foolishness. There’s a game going on here. Let’s get to the action.”

This morning’s USA Today had a catch up article on this year’s doings. Two months into the season, the paper obviously felt compelled to catch us up on what’s been happening. The undercurrent, one supposes, being they thought we couldn’t possibly have been paying attention until the CFP was over and done.

Really? Continue reading Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Conference Craziness, Cardinals, Curiosness →

Louisville Card File: North Carolina

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joaniecardRepeat after me, University of Louisville Cardinal Fans, that’s right all of you, repeat after me.

The sky is not falling.

You can do better. Again.

The. Sky. Is. Not. Falling.

Okay, then. Yes, U of L could have beaten, should have beaten the Tar Heels. If Mango just hadn’t dribbled it off his foot out of bounds, if Wayne had “finally made a big shot” and canned that three, it they’d have cut off Paige’s lane to the hoop on the winning basket, if they’d have given up just one or two less offensive boards, if they’d gotten any points whatsoever off the bench, if they could have held on to a 13 point lead for 8:43, if, if . . .

All conceivable. But, trying to move beyond my default fatalism, I provide some perspective.

In only its third ACC game ever, second on the road, against a legit Top 25 team (#10 in Ken Pomeroy’s respected computer rankings), against a storied program with a Hall of Fame coach on its home court, giving up 17 offensive rebounds and 17 second chance points, being outscored in bench points 0-20, the Cards fell by but a single digit after a legit All-American candidate made a wonder shot high off the glass. Continue reading Louisville Card File: North Carolina →

Louisville Card File: Clemson

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joaniecardWednesday morning, during my weekly piano lesson, my teacher Chris Bizianes, also a prof at Bellarmine, and I discussed some musical theory.

Specifically, the Circle of Fifths.

While not getting too deep or specific — as if I could if I tried — it is a construct that helps explain the mathematical and harmonic relationship between key signatures. The progression of sharps and flats. A path to chord progressions that will sound melodic. The relationship between the 1, 4 and 5, etc, etc.

At this juncture, I’ll stop, before I’m chewing on my size 12s, before a reader who really understands the concept jumps my game, and get to why I bring this up while reviewing last night’s slog of a W over the orange and purple clad visitors from Clemson.

Which is that  U of L’s offense, as it has disturbingly been more oft than not, was off key, way out of pitch and — here comes another musical metaphor — devoid of any appreciable rhythm.

That Louisville remains a legit Top 10 team, at least so far, with only the 66th most efficient O in the land, according to guru Ken Pomeroy, is a testament to grit, talent, intense defense and wise scheduling.

Get used to it, kids. Watching U of L with the ball this season is root canal territory. The Cards’ D is our only anesthetic. Continue reading Louisville Card File: Clemson →

Sunday’s Snippets: Triple Crown Edition (Plenty of Hoops Included)

Baseball, Basketball, Horse Racing, , , , , , , ,

joeyLet’s get the Triple Crown possibility, about which the C-J shall be foisting a dozen articles a day for the next three weeks until the running of the Belmont, so then I can move on.

As I’ve mentioned early and often, I’m not big into the horses. But I am a Kentuckian and would love for California Chrome to close the final mile and a half of the deal.

And I say that, even though lovey dovey feel good story about Dumb Ass Partners lost more than a bit of its luster yesterday. Co-owner Steve Coburn, who was probably in his cups — He seemed to have a libation in hand throughout the pre-race period — chose the Preakness trophy presentation ceremony on national TV to diss Churchill Downs for a lack of hospitality during Derby time.

His post-race “explanation” seemed a bit diffused, and, frankly, overblown.

Trust me, I’m the last guy who is going to apologize for Churchill Downs, which has gone corporata maxima in recent years, in an attempt to suck every last ha’penny from any soul, who would dare venture within a half mile of 4th and Central Derby Week.

But Coburn’s comments, as generalized and pissy as they were, seemed certainly out of place, and mighty ungracious. Continue reading Sunday’s Snippets: Triple Crown Edition (Plenty of Hoops Included) →

Thursday’s BasketBALLS: Old Man, Familiar Smack, Fresh Blather

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shoutingI know Bobby Knight is one of my go to whipping boys. And that you know that.

He’s such an easy target, given his propensity for bombast and ingrown duplicity. I’ve dissed him when he’s bellowing along the sideline, dissed him when he took down students at IU, and dissed him when he’s been fumbling for something salient to say in front of the microphone.

His performance last night during Stanford’s upset at UConn was, well, dumbfounding.

I just saw the last few minutes of the game, but, honest to heavens, it was like Knight was tranqued out. Or suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Really. At first it was absurd, somewhat comical. Then, it was no, I wonder what’s really wrong with him? Continue reading Thursday’s BasketBALLS: Old Man, Familiar Smack, Fresh Blather →

It’s All Over Now — Baby Blue

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ukwildcatThe prevailing scheme of thought in the wake of Kentucky’s third loss of the season — this time to North Carolina’s schizophrenic Tar Heels, 77-82 — is that the übertalented Wildcat freshmen are selfish, immature and don’t play as a team.

All of which is true.

But, there are other factors. Not the least of which is the hubris undermining John Calipari’s belief that he can simply reload every season with Golden Arches All-Americans, and a ticket to the game on the final Monday of the season will be overnighted forthwith.

Yesterday in the DeanDome, there was more, one guy’s opinion. Continue reading It’s All Over Now — Baby Blue →