Nice little documentary by the folks from Trans World Sports on the Cards and the city of Louisville as they head into another NCAA Tournament. Included, are interviews with Rick Pitino, Darrell Griffith and current players.

* H/T to Flying Card for the heads up on this one

We first got wind that something was brewing last week, but now it’s official: The University of Missouri Kansas City has hired current Louisville assistant Kareem Richardson as its new head basketball coach. That makes the third assistant in as many years to leave Rick Pitino’s staff for a head coaching gig (Steve Masiello – Manhattan and Richard Pitino – FIU, were the others). On the heels of Masiello’s departure and the reported messy split between Louisville and Tim Fuller, Pitino began hiring his new assistants under the assumption that they would have to sign minimum 2-year agreements in order to stop the rapid staff changeover. While both Kevin Keatts and Wyking Jones have fulfilled their obligations and appear to be back for a third year in 2013-2014, I guess that “contract” wasn’t exactly iron-clad. Then again, what’s Pitino supposed to do? Hold an assistant back from his ultimate goal and dream? It’s a difficult position to be in, and he’s certainly in a class of his own when it comes to grooming future D-1 head coaches. Shit, he’s in his own stratosphere. See this link for more proof.

I just heard most of Pitino’s press conference and while he confirmed the hiring, he didn’t comment on whether or not Richardson will still remain with Louisville throughout the Tournament run. For those wondering, Richardson has history at UMKC, where he served as an assistant during the 2007-2008 season. The program is in complete ruins right now, so he definitely has his work cut out for him. Regardless, we appreciate his time here and wish him luck. Apparently he’s gonna need it.

Richardson, 37, is familiar with UMKC, having served as the program’s top assistant for the 2007-08 season. He replaces Matt Brown, who was fired last week after a six-year run. Richardson will be formally introduced at UMKC on Monday.

“I would like to welcome Kareem back to Kansas City,” UMKC athletic director Tim Hall said in a statement. “He has strong relationships with high school and AAU coaches here and throughout the Midwest. He brings a high basketball pedigree in the areas of recruiting, on-the-floor coaching, strategy and preparation, and service to young men. Kareem is an educator, and knows what it takes to be successful in the mid-major ranks.”

In Richardson’s only season at Louisville, the Cardinals are the nation’s second-ranked team and the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which begins tonight.

Richardson came to Louisville from Xavier and previously had served as an assistant at Drake Evansville, Indiana State, Wright State and Indianapolis, along with his season at UMKC.

Richardson was an academic All-Missouri Valley Conference guard at Evansville after spending his freshman year at East Carolina.

On January 14th of this year, the Louisville Cardinals were ranked #1 in the regular season for the first time in school history. That distinction didn’t last long as the team lost a close home contest to Syracuse on January 19th. They promptly followed that up with back-to-back road losses at Villanova and Georgetown and went from first in the conference standings to 3rd in the blink of an eye. During that 3-game losing streak, the team had their chances to win and simply didn’t execute. Missed free-throws, missed field goals, turnovers – it was a mixed bag of ineptitude. But another constant during that losing streak was a lack of scoring and production from the bench. Over that three-game span, the foursome of Luke Hancock, Kevin Ware, Montrezl Harrell and Stephan Van Treese didn’t give the team much of anything. In fact, by player, here’s what they averaged: Kevin Ware – 1 ppg, 0.3 rpg, 0.0 apg, Harrell – 6.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.0 apg, Hancock – 6.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.75 apg, Van Treese – 1 ppg, 1 rpg, 0.0 apg. That’s not exactly lighting it up. Now, I also understand that certain things (Van Treese and Harrell’s hustle, deflections, solid on-ball defense, etc) don’t show up on the stat sheets. But the team was losing and the bench was a big reason why.

Since that Georgetown game, the Cardinals have exactly zero losses that didn’t occur in 5 overtimes. They’ve been nearly flawless, capturing a share of the Big East regular season Championship as well as the final BE Tournament Championship, outright. And a huge reason has been the sudden and rapid improvement of the bench. Luke Hancock has emerged as the best deep-shooting threat on the team, hitting an astounding 19-37 (51%) over his last 10 games. Even scarier, over the last 8 games, he’s shooting 17-30 from behind the three-point line (56%). He’s also shown to be a crafty offensive player off the dribble, using a variety of jab-steps and head-fakes to create space between him and his defender. And most surprising of all, perhaps, has been his vastly-improved defense. He’s upped his steals total and plays the passing lanes as well as anyone on the team not named Siva or Smith. His shoulder issues held him back earlier in the season, no question. But here lately, it appears he’s found a groove and he’s been a major component to this team’s recent success.

And then there’s Kevin Ware. A mystery for most of the first half of the season, he would come in and play 10-15 minutes and really not do much of anything. However, over the last 10 games, he’s blossomed into one of the team’s finest – and most ferocious – on-ball defenders as well as a defensive catalyst up top in the full court press. His scoring and rebounding have also improved in recent weeks as he averaged 5.5 ppg and 3 rpg over the last 8 games. Montrezl Harrell has also been a revelation. We all saw what he did on Saturday, snatching every loose ball, hustling nonstop at both ends of the floor on his way to a 20 point, 7 rebound effort. He flat-out dominated and sent a crystal clear message to Chane Behanan that he’s here to make some noise, not take up space at the end of the bench. Stephan Van Treese has played so well in recent weeks – and really all season – that Rick Pitino decided to give him another year of eligibility and not push him out the door as most people anticipated. His physicality in the paint and relentless motor have made him a fan favorite and a dependable back-up to Gorgui Dieng.

Essentially, what it’s all added up to is the fact that Louisville can now beat teams in more ways. Earlier this season, if Russ Smith or Peyton Siva had a bad game, it was extremely difficult for this squad to win. And if both those guys had bad nights, forget about it. But now, due to the fact that there’s little – if any – drop off when the starters go to the bench, this team has opened up a whole new dimension to its repertoire. If Chane Behanan or Wayne Blackshear don’t play well, Luke Hancock and Montrezl Harrell are waiting in the wings for their opportunity. If Russ or Peyton get in foul trouble, the fans get breathe easy knowing that they can depend on Kevin Ware to come in and pick up the slack. In reality, you can point to a number of things that have led to this team becoming the overall #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament: improved shot selection, incredible defense, better free-throw shooting, etc. But the bench, as much as anything else, has been a direct correlation to the sustained success that the Cards have had over the last three weeks. And it could prove to be the difference in just going back to the Final Four or hanging the school’s third National Championship banner.

Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel will call Louisville’s game on Thursday

After being reveled as the #1 overall seed in last night’s selection show, we all knew the Cards were heading to Lexington to play games this Thursday and Saturday. We also knew they were going to play the winner of the first play-in game between Liberty and North Carolina A&T. What we didn’t know was what time and which announcers were calling the game. Now we do. Louisville will play at 6:50 on Thursday night on TBS and the game will be called by veteran Tournament duo Ian Eagle (play-by-play) and Jim Spanarkel (color). Of course, the first option for fans – if you’re able to pull it off- is to make the 70 mile trek up to CoRRupt Arena and watch the Cards dismantle the other teams from the Midwest Region in person. But, if that’s not possible, tune in at 6:50 and watch the boys do work on TBS.

Here’s the full TV line-up with times and announcers courtesy of SB Nation

Tuesday, Mar. 19 (First-round games from Dayton)

Both games: Marv Albert (play-by-play), Steve Kerr (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)

North Carolina A&T vs. Liberty, 6:30 p.m. ET (TruTV)

Middle Tennessee State vs. Saint Mary’s, 9 p.m. ET (TruTV)

Wednesday, Mar. 20 (First-round games from Dayton)

Both games: Jim Nantz (play-by-play), Clark Kellogg (analyst) and Tracy Wolfson (reporter)

LIU-Brooklyn vs. James Madison, 6:30 p.m. ET (TruTV)

Boise State vs. La Salle, 9 p.m. ET (TruTV)

Thursday, Mar. 21 (Second-round games from Lexington, San Jose, Salt Lake City and Auburn Hills)

Valparaiso vs. Michigan State, 12:15 p.m. ET (CBS) (Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery/Rachel Nichols)

Bucknell vs. Butler, 12:40 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel/Allie LaForce)

Wichita State vs. Pittsburgh, 1:40 p.m. ET (TBS) (Spero Dedes/Doug Gottlieb/Jamie Maggio)

New Mexico State vs. Saint Louis, 2:10 p.m. ET (TNT) (Brian Anderson/Dan Bonner/Marty Snider)

Winner of Middle Tennessee State/Saint Mary’s vs. Memphis, 2:40 p.m. ET (CBS) (Lundquist/Raftery/Nichols)

Davidson vs. Marquette, 3:10 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Eagle/Spanarkel/LaForce)

Southern vs. Gonzaga, 4:10 p.m. ET (TBS) (Dedes/Gottlieb/Maggio)

Oregon vs. Oklahoma State, 4:40 p.m. ET (TNT) (Anderson/Bonner/Snider)

Winner of North Carolina A&T/Liberty vs. Louisville 6:50 p.m. ET (TBS) (Eagle/Spanarkel/LaForce)

South Dakota State vs. Michigan, 7:15 p.m. ET (CBS) (Lundquist/Raftery/Nichols)

Belmont vs. Arizona , 7:20 p.m. ET (TNT) (Dedes/Gottlieb/Maggio)

California vs. UNLV , 7:27 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Anderson/Bonner/Snider)

Missouri vs. Colorado State, 9:20 p.m. ET (TBS) (Eagle/Spanarkel/LaForce)

Akron vs. VCU, 9:45 p.m. ET (CBS) (Lundquist/Raftery/Nichols)

Harvard vs. New Mexico, 9:50 p.m. ET (TNT) (Dedes/Gottlieb/Maggio)

Montana vs. Syracuse, 9:57 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Anderson/Bonner/Snider)

Friday, Mar. 22 (Second-round games from Philadelphia, Kansas City, Dayton and Austin)

Albany vs. Duke, 12:15 p.m. ET (CBS) (Kevin Harlan/Len Elmore/Reggie Miller/Lewis Johnson)

Ole Miss vs. Wisconsin, 12:40 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Marv Albert/Steve Kerr/Craig Sager)

Temple vs. N.C. State, 1:40 p.m. ET (TBS) (Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg/Tracy Wolfson)

Pacific vs. Miami, 2:10 p.m. ET (TNT) (Tim Brando/Mike Gminski/Otis Livingston)

Cincinnati vs. Creighton, 2:45 p.m. ET (CBS) (Harlan/Elmore/Miller/Johnson)

Winner of Boise State/La Salle vs. Kansas State 3:10 p.m. ET (TruTV) Albert/Kerr/Sager)

Winner of LIU-Brooklyn/James Madison vs. Indiana, 4:10 p.m. ET (TBS) (Nantz/Kellogg/Wolfson)

Colorado vs. Illinois, 4:40 p.m. ET (TNT) (Brando/Gminski/Livingston)

Florida Gulf Coast vs. Georgetown, 6:50 p.m. ET (TBS) (Harlan/Elmore/Miller/Johnson)

Iona vs. Ohio State, 7:15 p.m. ET (CBS) (Nantz/Kellogg/Wolfson)

Villanova vs. North Carolina, 7:20 p.m. ET (TNT) (Albert/Kerr/Sager)

Northwestern State vs. Florida 7:27 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Brando/Gminski/Livingston)

Oklahoma vs. San Diego State, 9:20 p.m. ET (TBS) (Harlan/Elmore/Miller/Johnson)

Iowa State vs. Notre Dame, 9:45 p.m. ET (CBS) (Nantz/Kellogg/Wolfson)

Western Kentucky vs. Kansas, 9:50 p.m. ET (TNT) (Albert/Kerr/Sager)

Minnesota vs. UCLA, 9:57 p.m. ET (TruTV) (Brando/Gminski/Livingston)

Photo – USA Today

As is typical this time of the year, the national media all like to jump on one team’s bandwagon and, more often than not, give them the kiss of death moving forward. So while it’s a great honor to be talked about from coast to coast as the favorite to cut down the nets, it’s not always a good thing to have so much pressure and to be the “hunted” in every game you play. College coaches make a living out of playing the underdog role and utilizing  the old “inferiority complex” tactic as a motivational tool. And it works. Only the truly great teams in recent memory (UConn in 04′, North Carolina in 05′ and 09′ and Kentucky 12′) were able to go wire-to-wire as the top overall seed and win all their games despite being the clear-cut favorite. Is Louisville in that category? I’ll throw my biases aside and say absolutely not. But there’s also no denying that they’re playing the best basketball in the country and are easily the hottest team after winning 10 straight and 13 out of their last 14.

Anyway, whether we like it or not, the national analysts have all jumped on board the Louisville bandwagon and they’re picking the Cards in droves. Here’s a quick breakdown of all the major national media members and they’re picks to win the title.

WDRB

Check out the full video of the WDRB crew making their picks

Eric Crawford – Louisville

Rick Bozich – Louisville

CBS Crew

You can click here to see a newly-published column that includes a breakdown and reasoning behind all 7 writers’ picks.

Jeff Goodman – Louisville

Jeff Borzello – Louisville

Matt Norlander – Louisville

Gary Parrish – Louisville

Dennis Dodd – Louisville

Jerry Palm – Louisville

Gregg Doyel – Ohio State

ESPN

You can check out video predictions from all their analysts right here

Dick Vitale – Louisville

Jay Bilas – Louisville

Seth Greenberg – Louisville

Jason Williams – Ohio State

Digger Phelps – Miami

Yahoo Sports

You can check out the full brackets and final four picks for the Yahoo crew here

Pat Forde – Louisville

Jeff Eisenberg – Louisville

Brad Evans – Louisville

Dan Wetzel – Indiana

USA Today

You can check out Eric Prisbell’s twitter timeline here

Eric Prisbell – Louisville

Sports Illustrated

Check out Winn’s full article here

Luke Winn – Louisville

I didn’t see full staff picks for the guys at NBC Sports or Sports Illustrated, but you can see where this is going. By an overwhelming margin, Louisville is the trendy pick to win it all. How will this team handle the accolades? The last time they were ranked #1 this season they only ended up holding that distinction for a few days. Here’s to hoping that this time things end differently.

I’ve heard a lot of people on Twitter as well as in my own office asking how Louisville – the overall #1 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament – could get paired up with the best overall #2 seed in the Midwest Region. After all, the S-curve used by the NCAA Tournament committee would always pair up the “worst” 2-seed with the “best” 1-seed and so on and so forth. Problem is, that S-Curve is a thing of the past. Now, as confirmed in this Deadspin article, the committee still ranks each numbered seed 1st-4th, but where they’re placed has more to do with regional relevance than which 1-seed they’re paired with. The committee also now puts much more stock into ensuring that conference foes (particularly those that just played each other last weekend) aren’t matched-up too early in each region. So Duke, despite being easily the best 2-seed, got rewarded with the more geographically-friendly Indianapolis region, as opposed to Arlington (South), DC (East) or LA (West). Also, Cincinnati, whom the Cardinals only faced once this season, are the only other Big East team in the entire Midwest Region. Love or it hate it, that’s the way things are now.

Just a few years ago, the tournament selection process would have kept Duke, most likely the committee’s highest-rated 2-seed, away from overall No. 1 Louisville. It was called the “S-curve,” and it worked kind of like a snake draft. The best No. 1 would tend it find itself with the worst No. 2, the best No. 3, the worst No. 4, and so on, in an attempt to better balance the regional brackets. But the S-curve is dead.

It’s been on its way out for a few seasons, as we saw last year when the committee gave an unprecedented peek into the selection process. All four teams with a certain seed—say, the twos—are still ranked, but rather than be distributed by that ranking, geographic rewards and uniform conference distribution take precedence. Committee chair Mike Bobinski confirmed in an ESPN.com interview last night that the S-curve wasn’t used at all this year.

This means that the committee may have had Duke at No. 6 overall, but keeping them away from top-seeded Louisville took a backseat to considerations like separating Louisville and Georgetown/Marquette/Syracuse, keeping the various Big Ten powerhouses away from each other, and rewarding the Blue Devils by keeping them fairly close to home.

Hell, even Rick Pitino is still confused at how the process works as he questions how the committee could call Duke the “8th best team.”

In what was perhaps the most dramatic and shocking turn-around in recent college basketball memory, the Louisville Cardinals completely flipped the script on Syracuse in the second half of the Big East Tournament finals and, for the second straight season, were crowned champions. You basically saw one version of the Cards (slow, somewhat disinterested, forcing bad shots, getting beat to loose balls, etc) for about 26 minutes and then saw a completely different team for the final 14 or 15 minutes. That second team played stifling defense, ripped away loose balls, grabbed all the 50-50 rebounds, spread the ball around, took good shots and completely smothered the Orange en route to a 35-point swing. Think about that for a minute. We’ve all seen teams come back from big deficits, even 16 points. But when was the last time – if ever – you witnessed a team not only come back, but then push the gas down with such ferocity that they win by nearly 20 points themselves? It simply doesn’t happen. When Syracuse came back out in the second half and picked up right where they left off (hitting big shots and out-playing the Cards in all phases of the game), I thought it was over. It was the first time all year where I genuinely counted Louisville out of a game with more than 2-3 minutes left on the clock. It just didn’t appear to be their night. And I was fine with that. Losing a conference tournament game doesn’t sign your death certificate for the NCAA Tournament. In fact, more often than not, it has little or no bearing on what happens in the weeks to come. That said, winning the last Big East championship was pretty damn sweet. And it proved to me, without a shadow of a doubt, that this team has the heart, will and desire to cut down the nets in Atlanta. I was confident in 2005 and 2009, but there always appeared to be 1-2 better teams. In 05′ it was Illinois and North Carolina and in 2009 it was North Carolina. But a quick survey of the college basketball landscape now tells me one thing: we’re that team. We’re the measuring stick. Which is exactly why I believe they’ll be the #1 overall seed in a few hours when the selection show begins. They earned it, they deserve it and now it’s time to deliver.

• One more thought about the 2009 comparisons. Without question, they exist and, rightfully so. The Cards were the #1 overall seed that year after wining the Big East regular season and tournament championships. They were placed in the Indianapolis region, Kentucky was an NIT team, so on and so forth. And, as we all remember, that team underachieved, got full of themselves and didn’t even make the Final Four. I’ve seen a lot of talk on Twitter about people worrying that this team might fall into the same ego-related traps. And that’s where the comparisons should stop, That team, despite an abundance of talent, had major chemistry issues, some strained personal relationships and some massive locker room ego’s. There were lots of “me first” guys on that team that – please forgive the cliche – cared more about the name on the back of their jersey instead of the front. This team has exactly ZERO of those issues. They all get along, they genuinely like and enjoy one anther’s company and they play as a team in all respects of the game. This team works harder, performs better in the classroom and appear to have no overwhelming ego’s that could potentially override a championship run. Yes, there are some similarities, but none of our fans should be worried about them falling into the same traps. If this team loses in the Big Dance, it will be because their absolute best was just a little less than another team’s absolute best.
• That first half was just….strange. Louisville missed their first 7 shots, had 4 quick turnovers in their first 8 possessions and looked lackadaisical on defense. Yet, at the 10:00 mark, despite only having 13 points, they were only down 4 and were very much still alive. But then they played what was, in my mind, the worst 7-minute stretch of defense I’ve seen them play all year. Louisville’s defense is predicated on making other teams put the ball on the floor but they were playing soft and allowing Syracuse to just catch and shoot with relative ease. They just weren’t following the scouting report: case and point, James Southerland getting wide open three-point look time and time again. It was mind-blowing. And where was the ball-pressure? The Orange broke through our press repeatedly with little resistance and whipped the ball around the perimeter with relative ease. Those 58 deflections from the Villanova game appeared like a distant afterthought. When the two teams broke for halftime, the Cards were down 13 and allowed Syracuse to shoot 47% from the field and 50% from the three-point line.
• But then the second half happened. I fully expected Rick Pitino to do Rick Pitino things and get the team focused and motivated in the locker room. But they came out and allowed some easy baskets and the lead ballooned to 16. That’s when I thought it was over. But, the thing is, with this team, they’re NEVER out of it. I think Louisville fans have a tendency – through years and years of practice – to think negatively at times. But this team is just different. They’re flat-out, different. You can’t get down on this team, especially early, because their total affect is cumulative. Eventually, teams will start to wear down. They lose their legs, shots start coming up short and they lose focus and begin to turn the ball over. It might not happen in the first 20 minutes. Or 30 minutes. But eventually, at some point, our opposition begins to wither and wilt. And then Louisville, like a pack of hungry piranha’s, starts to smell the blood and it’s just a matter of time until they make their move. The opposition gets a cut, we catch a scent, then circle and begin to take little bites out of them until there’s nothing left. In the final 15 minutes, the Cards took bite, after bite, after ferocious bite and then, when there was only a ragged set of Syracuse bones left, the final seconds ticked off the clock and Louisville won by 17 points. Just insane.
• More on that amazing second half. Louisville outscored the Orange by 30 points (56-26) and held them to exactly one field goal in the final 15 minutes. Louisville committed only 5 turnovers and forced Syracuse into 13 (20 for the game). They also out-rebounded them 22-15, had 9 more assists and held them to 33% shooting from the field (30% from behind the three-point line. It was, in every sense of the phrase, a complete turn-around and one of the most dominating performances I’ve seen since, what, maybe the UK comeback against LSU in 1994? I still can’t wrap my head around what happened. Simply amazing. It was the type of special thing that only happens to special teams.
• One more reason why I feel so confident about the Cards’ chances moving forward is their free-throw shooting, This team has had their moments at the charity stripe this year (Villanova and Georgetown come to mind), but here lately, they’ve been outstanding. Last night was no different as they hit 26 of 36 opportunities (73%). Syracuse, conversely, shot just 12-26 from the line (46%) and squandered several opportunities to stop the bleeding late in the second half. You saw it in the Indiana game against Michigan last Sunday and countless other times in big situations during this college basketball season. A Louisville game over the next few weeks is going to come down to whether or not they make their free-throws and right now you have to feel confident in the way they’ve been executing.
• Man, it’s crazy….I made a note at halftime about how much Peyton Siva struggled. He missed 4 WIDE OPEN – like nobody even in the same zip code, wide open – three’s in the first half and just looked defeated by the size of Michael Carter-Williams and Brandon Triche. He played horribly in both the previous games against the Orange and it appeared like we were in for more of the same last night. But I give him all the credit in the world for staying positive and strong because he was the catalyst during that big run. Pitino stuck with him (unlike the game at Syracuse two weeks ago) and the move paid off. He finished with 11 points 8 assists (just 2 turnovers) and 4 steals. When all the smoke finally cleared, he joined Patrick Ewing (pretty decent company) as the only other player in Big East Tournament history to win the Most Outstanding Player award two times. This kid is one we’re going to remember for a long, long time.
• I hope that was the final wake-up call that Chane Behanan needed moving forward into the NCAA Tournament. The MVP  of the West regional last year has been a complete no-show lately for the Cards and Pitino opted to go with freshman Montrezl Harrell for longer stretches and, as we all know, he didn’t disappoint. He ended up with a game-high 20 points, also snagged 7 rebounds and just out-played the Syracuse big men time after time in the middle. He gives 110% on every play and is simply a joy to watch out there. Give this kid another three years with Pitino and who knows how good he’s gonna be when it’s all said and done. You can’t teach hustle and desire and he has more than any other player on the team. When his skills catch up with his motor, I feel bad for the rest of the country.
• Good luck guarding this team with a junk 2-3 zone in the Tournament. Not to say that Syracuse’s 2-3 zone is junk, but is certainly was in the second half. And the main reason why it looked bad was because Louisville was basically playing with 2 point guards: one 5-11 guy up top and a 6-11 center at the top of the key. Gorgui Dieng couldn’t find his shot early but he put on an absolute clinic at the top of the key by hitting cutters and finding wide open shooters time after time. He sliced open the middle of the zone to the tune of 8 assists (a team high) and also nearly missed a triple-double (9 points and 9 rebounds). He was sensational and showed that Louisville’s offense can adjust on the fly and make teams pay whether they play man-to-man or zone.
• Once again, Kevin Ware straight-up balled. He even played the off-guard for a stretch when Russ Smith went to the bench. He was draining three’s and catching alley-oops like it was nothing. He also immediately got in the head of Carter-Williams and gave him a dose of his own size and length. Just like Harrell, a few more years with Pitino and this kid is going to be unreal.
• And speaking of the bench, Louisville’s outscored Syracuse’s, 41-8. 41 to freaking 8???? This team’s bench keeps getting stronger and stronger and now there’s just no drop-off. At the beginning of the year I didn’t think this squad could win if Siva or Smith had a bad night. Now? Well, we’ve seen them win with one or both having an off-night. And the reason is because Luke Hancock, Stephan Van Treese, Kevin Ware and Montrezl Harrell give the Cards, hands down, the best bench production in the nation.

Look, I don’t know what’s going to happen here over the next few weeks. Winning 6 in a row over random competition is so incredibly difficult. But after seeing what happened last night, I feel more comfortable than ever saying that we’re on the precipice of something big. You can feel it coming and all we can do is embrace this team and enjoy the ride. Go Cards.

Photo – USA Today

Strong showing last night in Madison Square Garden as the Louisville Cardinals advanced to the Semifinals of the Big East Tournament for the third consecutive season. Using a flurry of deflections (58, to be exact), steals and forced turnovers, the Cards (27-5) looked like a #1 seed and maybe the best team in the country on their way to a punishing, 74-55 win over Villanova. Russ Smith led the way with 28 points 0n 7-12 shooting, Luke Hancock continued his solid play of late and chipped in 12 points with 3 rebounds and Peyton Siva was steady running the point and finished with 10 points and 4 assists. Louisville’s frontcourt was a little quiet (Gorgui Dieng and Chane Behanan combined for just 12 points and 5 rebounds) and were outrebounded by the Wildcats (35-32), but the story of the game was defense for the Cards. Rick Pitino’s team will face Notre Dame tonight at 9:00 and the winner will advance to the Finals where they’ll face either Georgetown or Syracuse.

• Immediately following the game, Rick Pitino told ESPN’s Andy Katz that it was one of the best defensive performances he’s ever been a part of. He also said the team charted 58 deflections, the most he’d ever seen at the college or pro level. The Cards also forced Villanova into 18 first half turnovers and 25 for the game. I mean, literally, every single possession for Villanova was a complete grind. It took every ounce of energy just to get past midcourt without a Cardinal defender getting a hand on the ball. It marks the 21st time this year that Louisville has held an opponent to under 60 points. They limited the Cats into 38% from the field and just 16% from behind the three-point line. It was an absolute thing of beauty.
• I was at work and didn’t get a chance to see the Pitt-Syracuse game, but from what I heard, apparently it was like a bare-knuckle boxing match. Several players left the game with cuts, blood was everywhere and the ref’s were letting the big boys go at it inside. Well, pretty much the exact same thing happened during our game. It was one of the roughest, most physical games I’ve ever seen. And I loved every minute of it. Jay Wright, however, didn’t feel the same way as he reportedly whined and complained about Louisville’s abundant fouling  and lamented the fact that his team had trouble dealing with that level of physicality. I really do wonder how Louisville, Pitt, Syracuse and Notre Dame are going to fit into the ACC. It’s a much different brand of basketball and I have a feeling that they’ll have to tone things down a little bit. But as of right now, in the precious present, I’m going to enjoy the hell out of this last Big East football basketball Tournament because I love the bruising, physical style that the league has built its reputation around.
• One last comment about the defense: After the game, ESPN studio analyst Seth Greenberg said that playing against Louisville’s 2-3 zone is like trying to solve a rubik’s cube…..there just aren’t any easy shots and everything is challenged. I loved the analogy and completely agree. The opposition might think they have it figured out, and then all of a sudden a help-defender sags and you’re double-teamed. You might think you have an open driving lane, but then Gorgui or Chane step up and that lane suddenly disappears. And don’t even think about picking up your dribble up top or in the corner, because if you do, Siva and Smith will have you trapped in a split second. The zone is always being disguised by a changing man-to-man hybrid and there’s just no easy way to create a consistent offense. The one and only way to score at a steady clip is to shoot lights out from behind the three-point line. That’s it. And even then, the team will adjust and force you to beat them in other ways. Pitino has had some great defenses here at Louisville (05′ and 09′ come to mind), but this one is on another level.
• On the surface I can see how some people would simply look at the stat line and say Gorgui had a bad game. I disagree. He had at least 5-6 shots attempted that were just a fraction off the mark. An inch too long here or there, but always right on line. It was just an off-night from the field. Those are shots he normally hits, they just weren’t falling. And that can happen to any player in the nation on a given night. Defensively, however, is another story. Only grabbing 3 rebounds and getting into foul trouble is not exactly what we’ve come to expect from the big man. He and Behanan also let JayVaughn Pinkston score 21 points and do some damage in the paint. Nevertheless, he had a huge game against the Irish last Saturday, and I like the way he matches up with them, so I wouldn’t expect a second consecutive bad offensive night from Gorgs.
• I hated to see the team resort back to their early-season ways of gunning three-pointers. They shot 24 on the night and several were forced with a defender’s hand in the shooters’ face. You didn’t see the ball go into the post nearly as much as it had been in recent games, so hopefully they watch the film today and make the necessary adjustments and get back to playing with a more balanced, diverse offense. The Irish have a MUCH more intelligent, experienced and efficient offense than Villanova, so the Cards will have to take good shots and not waste any possessions.

Really not too much else to say about this one. The Wildcats were outmatched, pure and simple. Louisville has now won 8 in a row (the longest winning streak of any team from a power-6 conference) and are playing their best basketball of the year. I think, unless they shoot themselves in the foot tonight, they’ll be back in the Championship game for a third straight season.

     Vs    

Opponent: Villanova Wildcats
Game Location: Madison Square Garden – New York City (Big East Tournament Quarterfinals)
Tip Off: 7:00 p.m.
Record: 20-12 (10-8)
Head Coach: Jay Wright (12th season)
TV: ESPN2 with Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas and Bill Raftery on the call
Radio: 84-WHAS with Paul Rogers & Bob Valvano calling the action
Last Meeting: Louisville, 64  Villanova, 73  Wells Fargo Arena – Philadelphia, PA. January 22nd, 2013
Spread: Louisville – 8

Projected Starting Line-up’s

Louisville

C Gorgui Dieng, 6’11”, 235 pounds

PF Chane Behanan, 6’6”, 250 pounds

F Wayne Blackshear, 6’5”, 230 pounds

G Russ Smith, 6’0”, 165 pounds

PG Peyton Siva, 6’0”, 185 pounds

Villanova

F Mouphtau Yarou, 6’10″, 255 pounds

F JayVaughn Pinkston, 6’7″, 260 pounds

G Darrun Hilliard, 6’6″, 205 pounds

G Ryan Arcidiacono, 6’3″, 195 pounds

G James Bell, 6’6″, 225 pounds

Tonight in Madison Square Garden the Louisville Cardinals will begin their quest to repeat as Big East Tournament Champions. The Cards (26-5, 14-4) will continue their revenge tour as they play Villanova in the quarterfinals at 7:00 on ESPN2. The Wildcats pretty much sealed a bid for the NCAA Tournament last night by defeating St. John’s, 66-53. Nova got a solid outing from their frontcourt as Mouphtaou Yarou dropped 18 points (on an impressive 9-10 shooting) and grabbed 7 rebounds and JayVaughn Pinkston nearly missed a double-double with 12 points and 9 boards. Rising point guard Ryan Arcidiacono had a bit of an off-night from the field (3-11) but still managed to score 15 points, dish out 5 assists and grab 6 rebounds.

I watched the game in it’s entirety and, to be quite honest, it wasn’t exactly the most impressive performance – despite the double digit win. As a team, the Wildcats shot 40% from the field (22-54), just 17% from behind the three-point line (3-17) and turned the ball over 16 times. Every possession was a complete grind – on both ends – and if it wasn’t for some horrific offensive decision-making on the Red Storm’s part, Villanova wouldn’t have scored so many transition buckets and would likely not have broken the 60-point mark either. Coming into tonight’s game, the Wildcats average 68 ppg (154th in the nation), get just 35 rebounds per game (101st in the nation), average only 12 assists per game (193rd in the nation) and shoot 41% from the field (263rd). So basically, despite a few quality wins, this Villanova team is not that great on paper. Louisville comes in as one of the hottest team in the nation and needs to take care of business.

In their first meeting back in January, Villanova used a late-game spark to close out the Cards in Philadelphia. In fact, the Wildcats outscored the Cards by 15 points in the game’s final 10 minutes. Louisville saw a 6-point lead evaporate late in the second half which was fueled by terrible free-throw shooting. For the night, the Cards shot just 12-24 from the line but only hit 2 of their final 7. The 9-point victory by Villanova also marked the largest margin-of-defeat for Louisville on the season.

In that first meeting, 5 different Villanova players scored in double digits, led by Arcidiacono’s 15 and Pinkston, Yarou and Darrun Hilliard all scored 11. The Cards allowed the Wildcats to shoot 46% from the field (22-48) and 46% from the three-point line (7-15). The teams split the battle on the backboards at 31 a piece. The Cards were able to get good pressure on the Nova backcourt, particularly when they were able to set up in their full court press. They forced the ‘Cats into 19 turnovers on the night. The good news for Louisville fans is that Peyton Siva played perhaps his finest game of the season, recording a huge double-double with 15 points and 13 assists. It was also a monster game for Wayne Blackshear, who put on his best performance of the year, too, scoring 17 points and grabbing 4 steals. The Cards will need a similar effort from both players tonight if they expect to survive and advance.

Here’s Villanova head coach Jay Wright talking about the Cards after last night’s win:

Richardson, with Pitino, at his introductory UofL press conference

According to this short update released by Jeff Goodman over at CBS Sports, The University of Missouri Kansas City is going to fire its head coach, Matt Brown, and Louisville’s Kareem Richardson is their top choice to replace him. You might remember the Kangaroos of UMKC as they rolled through the Yum! Center earlier this season on their way to a 99-47 beat-down at the hands of The Cards. Perhaps the Brass at UMCK liked what they saw from Richardson on the sidelines during the route.

Actually, in all seriousness, there’s probably more smoke here than just a simple rumor. Richardson served as the top assistant at UMKC during the 2007-2008 season. He’s also had stints at his alma mater Evansville as well as Wright State, Indiana State, Drake and most recently Xavier. After several seasons of assistant turnover, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino reportedly began asking his assistants to sign two year contracts to avoid having to continuously fill vacant positions. This was Richardson’s first year with the Cards so it will be interesting to see how this whole thing plays out.

There’s no doubt that staff continuity has been an issue for the Louisville program and I think it’s no coincidence that recruiting has picked back up since at least two of the assistants (Wyking Jones and Kevin Keatts) have been in place for multiple seasons. Richardson was the point man on several 2014 recruits and has used his Midwestern ties to get various top-flight prospects on campus over the last 8-9 months. We’ll keep an eye on things to see how they develop, but right now it appears that Louisville might be in the market for a new assistant coach.