Adam Himmelsbach | Louisville regains 'boom,' but it pops too soon
Jan. 30, 2014 9:50 PM


Montrezl Harrell helped Louisville erase a 17-point deficit, but the Cardinals couldn't sustain their 'boom' to the end this time. / Sam Upshaw Jr./The Courier-Journal

Written by
Adam Himmelsbach
The Courier-Journal

Tests do not come as frequently for the University of Louisville basketball team as they did in the past. No, the American Athletic Conference is not bad. But it’s also not the Big East.

And a relatively tame non-conference schedule combined with a relatively tame conference schedule has made it difficult to decipher exactly how good the defending national champions are.

Entering Thursday night’s game against Cincinnati they’d had, for the most part, four true tests this season. They had lost three of them—on a neutral court against North Carolina, at Kentucky and at home against Memphis—and they had won one, the Jan. 18 game at Connecticut.

This game against the Bearcats, as we creep into February, figured to provide a gauge of the Cardinals’ progress. It also figured to be one of the Cardinals’ final real tests of the regular season, a chance to put some shine on their NCAA Tournament portfolio.

And U of L’s 69-66 loss is an interesting case study. On the one hand, it is another home loss to another good team. On the other, it was a game in which U of L showed its resolve, and showed what it could be capable of if it begins to find its way.

For about 24 minutes, it was not pretty. U of L was being bopped, bumped and bullied. When the Cardinals fell behind by 17 points early in the second half, it looked like they would once again have to explain what went wrong, why they had such difficulty with teams that were considered their peers.

They were listless on offense, and their defense, aside from a brief flurry late in the opening half, had little spark or intensity.

But last season, as this team surged to its national title, it developed something affectionately known as The Boom. The Boom, for the unfamiliar, is a flurry, a surge that comes quickly with no warning and leaves an opponent dazed and confused.

In this game, the Cardinals brought back the boom. For a moment, if you closed your eyes, it felt like the KFC Yum! Center had been transported back to last year. The boom was back.

They brought it with Montrezl Harrell’s blocks and dunks and energy. They brought it with Russ draining long 3-pointers and just being Russ. They even brought it with Chris Jones, who looked rusty in the first half in his first game back from an oblique strain, but then contributed two key jumpers.

But comebacks are only truly memorable if they are completed. When Smith drained a long 3-pointer with 5:01 left to give Louisville a 64-61 lead—its first since 2-0—the arena was buzzing and the players were bouncing and it felt like U of L was ready to finish off the pesky Bearcats.

“We had them rattled,” U of L coach Rick Pitino said, “and we let the game get away.”

The Cardinals scored just two points in the final five minutes, and those two came when Cincinnati chose to foul Terry Rozier rather than giving U of L a chance to make a game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds.

The boom had stopped too soon. But if U of L can bottle that 10-minute stretch, the intensity it showed, the way it clawed, then it will be fine as this season progresses. There aren’t many chances left to grab signature wins, but there is still plenty of time to improve.

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2...s-too-soon

Bearcats beat Louisville basketball 69-66 after dramatic second half
Jan. 30, 2014 9:39 PM


U of L's Stephan Van Treese, #44, right, gets a hand on a shot attempt by Cincinnati's Titus Rubles, #2, center, as U of L's Wayne Blackshear, #20, helps out during their game at the KFC Yum! Center. Jan. 30, 2014 / Sam Upshaw Jr.; The Courier-Journal

Written by
Jeff Greer

Quote:UCF AT louisville

UP NEXT

9 p.m. Saturday, ESPNU

It wouldn’t the final conference rivalry game in Louisville between the home-standing Cardinals and long-time foe Cincinnati without some drama.

Suit jackets thrown, technical fouls, graveyard silence followed by rock concert decibels: Thursday night’s fight for first place between Louisville and Cincinnati had just about everything a fan could want in a late-January basketball game.

It just didn’t finish the way Louisville fans wanted.

The 12th-ranked Cardinals overcame a 17-point second-half deficit and their worst first half all season, but they couldn’t quite upend 13th-ranked Cincinnati, which held on to a 69-66 win in the thrilling 98th edition of this long-standing rivalry.

Cincinnati (20-2, 9-0 in the American Athletic Conference) now holds a 2 ½-game lead over Louisville (17-4, 6-2) in the league standings.

It took a steely finish from the Bearcats to stave off a frantic Louisville rally.

The Cards had more turnovers (nine) than field goals (eight) in the first half. They trailed by as many as 15 in the opening frame and hinted toward their worst scoring performance in the last 35 years before a late-half burst cut Cincinnati’s lead to 28-20.

Cincinnati switched on ball screens and formed a nearly impenetrable wall in front of the basket, forcing the ice-cold Cards to settle for 3s. Normally that’s not a great proposition – Louisville’s one of the better 3-point-shooting teams in the country. It worked for a while on Thursday.

Louisville entered the halftime break 8 of 26 from the field and 1 of 9 from 3-point range. Chris Jones, who returned from a sprained oblique muscle that held him out of the past three and a half games, was 1 of 8 in that opening frame.

But this would be no repeat of Louisville’s 42-31 win over Cincinnati back in 1981. It’d be nothing like the Louisville YMCA’s 35-3 win over Louisville way back in 1912.

The second half’s entertainment value more than made up for the first half.

Louisville made a 14-0 run as Cincinnati saw its 44-27 lead evaporate. The Bearcats extended their lead back out to eight points before Louisville stormed back again.

The Cards took their biggest lead – three points – with 5:01 to play. It was their first lead since they started the game 2-0.

Cincinnati’s Sean Kilpatrick steered the Bearcats to the win in the final two minutes. He finished with 28 points, including an all-important 11 of 11 from the foul line.

The Bearcats turned the ball over 20 times. Louisville shot 54.5 percent in the second half and made five 3-pointers.

The Cards had four players score in double figures. They scored 26 points off turnovers and had the sellout crowd of 22,644 on its feet.

But it wasn’t enough.

Now, like the home-and-home series with Memphis, Louisville must go on the road to get its critical win. But unlike Memphis, Cincinnati was an RPI Top 25 opponent. A win Thursday would’ve been Louisville’s marquee victory on its NCAA tournament resume.

Instead, the Cards start a stretch run against the AAC’s worst teams with a lot on their mind. It’s Furious February. And Louisville’s down to one more month of games to make their push to a top-four seed in the tournament.

Cincinnati’s hosting the Cards on Feb. 22. It’ll be the 99th time the teams meet.

If it’s anything like Thursday night, it’ll be well worth the ticket.

Reach Louisville writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2...econd-half

Louisville, Cincinnati basketball nearing end of an era
Jan. 30, 2014

Written by
Jeff Greer

It started 33,991 days ago, this Cincinnati-Louisville basketball rivalry. It has withstood 17 American presidents, seven multiyear gaps between games and five conference affiliation changes.

Since U of L joined the Missouri Valley Conference in 1964, the two schools located 105 miles apart have essentially been joined at the hip. But, as the cliche goes, all good things must come to an end.

Thursday’s highly anticipated 7 p.m. showdown on ESPN between the 12th-ranked Cardinals and 13th-ranked Bearcats in the KFC Yum! Center will be the final time the rivals meet in Louisville as conference foes. Their Feb. 22 date in Cincinnati could be their last unless they meet in the American Athletic Conference Tournament this year or NCAA tourneys down the road.

“It’s been a long while since we’ve had an extremely relevant game here,” U of L coach Rick Pitino said. “You know you have to cover so many things to get a victory. There’s no margin for error in this game.

“We’ve had some defensive battles with them. We’ve got great respect for them.”

A victory Thursday would get the Cardinals (17-3, 6-1) even in the AAC loss column with Cincinnati (19-2, 8-0) and be their first this season over an RPI Top 25 opponent, a critical measure for the NCAA Tournament selection committee.

That hasn’t been lost on Pitino or, apparently, the U of L fan base.

The KFC Yum! Center is sold out for the occasion, which has been fittingly dubbed “Throwback Thursday” for the fans, who are encouraged to wear “vintage gear.” (But no, the two teams will not wear “throwback” uniforms.)

Next season will be the first time in 18 years that the teams won’t play each other. U of L already has scheduled nonconference games against Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota and another to-be-determined Big Ten opponent, in addition to the Atlantic Coast Conference slate. There’s no room left for Cincinnati, at least next season.

“I would have been open (to playing Cincinnati), but Memphis called first,” Pitino said, referring to home-and-home series with the Tigers set for the 2015-16 season. “Our schedule’s virtually impossible (next season). If it gets any tougher, we’re going to go into the Atlantic Division in the NBA.”

Few would’ve predicted this season’s conference slate would be so challenging. Cincinnati is a major reason for that.

The Bearcats were picked to finish fourth in the fledgling AAC. They were considered a fringe contender for an NCAA berth.

But with five weeks left in the regular season, they have become one of the top teams in the country. They’ve won 12 consecutive games and had held 27 straight opponents below 70 points until Sunday’s 80-76 victory at Temple.

They rank fourth in the nation in 2-point shooting defense, third in block percentage and eighth in steal percentage.

“They contain the basketball very well,” Pitino said, likening the Bearcats’ defensive style to Marquette and Wichita State. “They attack the paint defensively with all five of their players.”

To make up for a 43 percent shooting percentage, Cincinnati collects 40.1 percent of its own missed shots, good for ninth in Division I.

As you’d expect from two teams nestled so close in basketball history, U of L shares many similar characteristics. The Cards are the second-most effective team in college basketball at creating turnovers, though they’re also a much more efficient offensive unit than their Ohio River rivals.

Since AAC play began, U of L is shooting 8.6 percentage points better from 3-point range than in its nonconference games. Russ Smith is up 21 percentage points, and Luke Hancock, Terry Rozier and Wayne Blackshear all have seen at least a six-point jump in their 3-point percentages.

And with the expected return of injured point guard Chris Jones, the team’s third-leading scorer, the Cards will be at full strength for the first time in three-plus games.

“We’re excited about the challenge,” Pitino said. “It should be a good game for us.”

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2...ext|SPORTS

(01-30-2014 10:11 PM)ctipton Wrote:  Adam Himmelsbach | Louisville regains 'boom,' but it pops too soon

You could not write a better headline for a Pitino coached team.

"Down my leg..."

(01-30-2014 11:19 PM)Billy_Bearcat Wrote:  

(01-30-2014 10:11 PM)ctipton Wrote:  Adam Himmelsbach | Louisville regains 'boom,' but it pops too soon

You could not write a better headline for a Pitino coached team.

Billy, that just might be the best line you have ever come up with.

(01-30-2014 11:39 PM)ctipton Wrote:  Billy, that just might be the best line you have ever come up with.

And I didn't even come up with it. This stuff writes itself. I'll be here all week folks.