Louisville

[Hicks' Guns]

The biggest key is 100% defensive effort. I don't think I've seen this team lose a game (other than UCONN last year) in the last two seasons when their defense has been firing at all cylinders. We can win without that but that's what's enabled our run this year and our run at the end of last year. Louisville is averaging 16 TOs again. They (and particularly Siva) are susceptible to turnovers. I'm sure Mick will bring the defensive pressure.

Other keys:
-Yancy being motivated for 40 minutes (we got 20 against SHU)
-Somebody else stepping up to rebound
-Cash being under control while attacking the lane
-Dixon or SK (preferaby both) hitting

 

[Hicks' Guns]

Separate note...while I think Justin Jackson is a promising player for his final two years, I thought he would really be one of the leaders of this team. Parker seems to have supplanted him a little bit. He was such the energy guy last year and I think he took a step back.

 

[ralph1950]

The biggest game of the year to date is happening at 9pm tonight.

 

[adrock]

I'll be there. Who's with me?

 

[WAITE HOYT 2]

Sure hope the player and coaches aren't buying in to the stuff being written on this blog. Win 2 out of 4, Go 3 and 1. For me its win them all and finish top 4 in BE. Just making the dance is nice but there is so much more out there to be had. A top 4 league finish helps us in BE tourney It gives us more postitives to tell potential recruits and much more. It gets us more national exposure. I don't know about you guys but in my playing days i played better when the game meant more and it was do or die. You can't have that feeling when you think 2 and 2 is good enough. Louisville and Marq. on senoir day is huge for this program now and going forward. We are trying to get back on the map with media and recruits. We need all 4 games.

 

[lumberjack]

I am with you.

I'll be there. Who's with me?

I like that the cats can have many players contribute to the effort but I believe Cashmere wright is the key. He has been big against them before. Focus for a full game would also be nice. Go Cats

 

[ralph1950]

I'll be there. Who's with me?

I is with you!

 

[ralph1950]

Sure hope the player and coaches aren't buying in to the stuff being written on this blog. Win 2 out of 4, Go 3 and 1. For me its win them all and finish top 4 in BE. Just making the dance is nice but there is so much more out there to be had. A top 4 league finish helps us in BE tourney It gives us more postitives to tell potential recruits and much more. It gets us more national exposure. I don't know about you guys but in my playing days i played better when the game meant more and it was do or die. You can't have that feeling when you think 2 and 2 is good enough. Louisville and Marq. on senoir day is huge for this program now and going forward. We are trying to get back on the map with media and recruits. We need all 4 games.

If UC loses tonight tickets to the NIT should be put on sale tomorrow. (How about a UC vs XU rematch at 5/3rd Arena in round 2 of the NIT).

South Florida on Sunday at USF, USF darn near beat the Cuse at the Cuse last night, much less than a 50% chance to win that game.

 

[Thegreatone]

I is with you!

I is with you too!

 

[westsidecat]

No No No!!!! I live in Louisville and I hate them with a firey passion. This is a game I dread/love. If we lose I haver to hear baout it from most of these fairweathers folks and it truly sickens me! If we win it is the best feeling I could have in a basketball season aside from any kind of FF or championship. This game is make or break for me...fittingly it is the same for the Cats, we NEED THIS!!!!!! Come on boys

Well hopefully the Cats can send Louisville back down 75 south with a loss and you can bring it up all summer long how they didn't beat their two biggest rivals.

 

[Eternal E]

gonna be a nail bitter, UC and UL rivalry is my favorite because both programs are so similar. Mick going for the winning record against Pitino with the game tonight

 

[westsidecat]

Sorry, don't care if he is a "kid" or not but when I read things like this it really upsets me.

"I really didn't know nothing at the time," Behanan said of his early commitment to UC. "I was young and was bascially just going off me loving my city so much that I felt I wanted to stay there throughout my basketball career. As I grew and got more and got more out and met a lot of new people, just felt I learned a lot more and needed to open my recruitment back up and once I did that I got a lot more opportunities."

Some might not find this as a slap in the face to Mick and UC but I do.

http://louisville.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1334863


I also found it pretty funny when Chane said Louisville would go undeafeated then they went and dropped 3 or 4 in a row.

 

[BearcatAlum1]

Sorry, don't care if he is a "kid" or not but when I read things like this it really upsets me.

"I really didn't know nothing at the time," Behanan said of his early commitment to UC. "I was young and was bascially just going off me loving my city so much that I felt I wanted to stay there throughout my basketball career. As I grew and got more and got more out and met a lot of new people, just felt I learned a lot more and needed to open my recruitment back up and once I did that I got a lot more opportunities."

Some might not find this as a slap in the face to Mick and UC but I do.

http://louisville.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1334863


I also found it pretty funny when Chane said Louisville would go undeafeated then they went and dropped 3 or 4 in a row.

Yes, it's a slap.

It's more of a slap to his grammar. Geesh. Clean it up Chain!

 

[waterhead]

If UC loses tonight tickets to the NIT should be put on sale tomorrow. (How about a UC vs XU rematch at 5/3rd Arena in round 2 of the NIT).

South Florida on Sunday at USF, USF darn near beat the Cuse at the Cuse last night, much less than a 50% chance to win that game.

If we simply look at point differential between what we score vs what our opponents score and compare them to the remaining teams...then give 5 pts to the home team...and maybe 2 pts (1 for O and 1 for D) to each team because most teams had a better SOS...here is how I see the remaining games roughly...

Loserville...we are roughly 2.5 pt favorites
USF...roughly even up
Marq...roughly even up
Nova...roughly 2.5 pt favorites

This would tell me we should win either 2 or 3...obviously I am hoping for 3 or 4. No bigger game than tonight! The Shoe needs to be rockin!

 

[ucswais]

If UC loses tonight tickets to the NIT should be put on sale tomorrow. (How about a UC vs XU rematch at 5/3rd Arena in round 2 of the NIT).

South Florida on Sunday at USF, USF darn near beat the Cuse at the Cuse last night, much less than a 50% chance to win that game.

I feel much better about our chances of beating USF than UL regardless of location. If we split the next 2, everyone will be saying the Marquette game is to punch our ticket.
In fact, I bet if we lose tonight Lunardi still has us in his Friday morning bracket.... but let's win anyway.

 

[ervins84]

I feel much better about our chances of beating USF than UL regardless of location.

I hope youre right, but I think @ S Fla is prob gonna be the tougher game.
The south fla game scares me more for a bunch of a reasons, even though I don't think S Florida is near as good as their BE record.

1. Its a 12 pm game. I don't need to explain how awful they've been at early games over the past however many years. I really wish that game was later in the day.

2. South Fla plays a super slow down pace, averaging only 60 possessions per game in BE play.

3. Let down emotionally after being really jacked up for the ville tonight. The guys understand when its a prime-time game on ESPN, and their energy level normally matches it. Unfortunately, college kids seem to have a tendency to amp up way too much for the big games and not hyped up enough for the games that aren't prime-time against ranked opponents.

4. look ahead factor with a revenge game against Marq being next

 

[User Name:]

I hope youre right, but I think @ S Fla is prob gonna be the tougher game.
The south fla game scares me more for a bunch of a reasons, even though I don't think S Florida is near as good as their BE record.

1. Its a 12 pm game. I don't need to explain how awful they've been at early games over the past however many years. I really wish that game was later in the day.

2. South Fla plays a super slow down pace, averaging only 60 possessions per game in BE play.

3. Let down emotionally after being really jacked up for the ville tonight. The guys understand when its a prime-time game on ESPN, and their energy level normally matches it. Unfortunately, college kids seem to have a tendency to amp up way too much for the big games and not hyped up enough for the games that aren't prime-time against ranked opponents.

4. look ahead factor with a revenge game against Marq being next

I simply do not see us beating Marquette. Its a bad matchup for us. They are long, fast, and put extreme pressure on our ballhandlers. They forced us to play faster and they forced us into a large amount of turnovers.

We can beat UL. We match up well with them

Also, do not overlook Nova. They can put up points in a hurry. They gave us everything we could handle at home.

 

[ervins84]

I simply do not see us beating Marquette. Its a bad matchup for us. They are long, fast, and put extreme pressure on our ballhandlers. They forced us to play faster and they forced us into a large amount of turnovers.

We can beat UL. We match up well with them

Also, do not overlook Nova. They can put up points in a hurry. They gave us everything we could handle at home.

Preaching to the choir on all of that. I was not saying SFla was the toughest game left, just @ Sfla is the tougher game between them and ville.

 

[JasonS]

Preaching to the choir on all of that. I was not saying SFla was the toughest game left, just @ Sfla is the tougher game between them and ville.

I also think the USF game is the most important game left with UL a close second.

 

[User Name:]

Preaching to the choir on all of that. I was not saying SFla was the toughest game left, just @ Sfla is the tougher game between them and ville.

You might be right. I haven't really had a chance to watch USF play all year...What are their strengths?