SB Nation - Andre McGee

Who will lead the 2009-2010 Cardinal basketball team?

Mike Rutherford — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:39:28 -0000

It was noted in C.L. Brown's story this morning that Rick Pitino will take his time on naming a captain for the '09-10 squad, despite anointing Terrence Williams and Andre McGee to the position very shortly after the end of last season.

So who will end up getting the nod?

The odds-on favorite has to be an Edgar Sosa/Jerry Smith pairing, but the two have shown even less from a leadership standpoint than Williams and McGee had heading into their senior seasons. Pitino has handed the title to underclassmen before, and it's not unlikely that he'll choose to do it again here.

So which of these guys has most earned the right to be named team captain in 2009-2010?

Poll

Who's your pick for '09-'10 captain?

Edgar Sosa

70 votes

Jerry Smith

335 votes

Reggie Delk

17 votes

Preston Knowles

192 votes

Samardo Samuels

19 votes

George Goode

12 votes

Other

13 votes

658 votes | Poll has closed

Louisville 79, Siena 72

Mike Rutherford — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:29:38 -0000

The first glimpse of the end of something very good is always heartbreaking.

With Siena having just charged from lifeless to a four-point lead, Louisville not appearing capable of responding in any form and Rick Pitino talking to his players in the midst of an apparent 35-minute timeout, the thought that this was the last time this group would take the floor as a team crept into my mind for the first time. No more Pit Bull No. 1 hounding opposing guards, no more T-Willisms, no more Earl in March, no more daydreaming about Detroit.

And then the Cards did what Final Four teams tested on the tournament's opening weekend have been doing for years: they found a way to win.

The formula for these types of victories is basic. You have a star player, you let your star player make star player plays, and then the rest of the team rallies.

I am no less confident in this team's ability to win a national championship than I was before Sunday. One seeds have been pushed in the round of 32 year-after-year. It happened last season to both Memphis (against Mississippi State) and UCLA (against Texas A&M).

Siena was legitimately one of the 32 best teams in the country. They boasted the MAAC Player of the Year as well as the same five starters who rolled Vanderbilt in the first round of last year's Big Dance. Thee guys weren't going to crumble because of a double-digit deficit in the second half.

A win over a good team in the tournament needs to be celebrated, regardless of how it came about.

There's more Louisville basketball to be played, and as long as you can say that with a straight face, life is good.

There's nothing I can say about Terrence William that hasn't already been said by now, so I'm not even going to try. The man cemented his status as a leader and All-American by carrying his team to victory with the season on the line.

I know we said it last year when David Padgett's Cardinal career was winding to a close, but what in the world are we going to do without this guy?

Ms. Card Chronicle and I made the day trip to Dayton, the former managing to sneak a "T-WIll T-WILL Rock You" sign into UD Arena. After successfully evading the wrath of the sign Nazis for two hours, she managed to get T-Will's attention as he headed toward the locker room following a postgame interview with CBS. He smiled, pointed, and said, "I like that sign."

And just like that, her crush on the best player on the nation's No. 1 team ballooned to half the size of mine.

If that weren't enough, she managed to get some ink in The New York Times.

A woman in the stands held up a sign. It read: "T-Will, T-Will, Rock You!" Williams finished with 24 points and 15 rebounds, rocking all night long.

I'd like to note that the sign did not actually include an exclamation point.

"Some guy named Mike" in the Dayton Daily News and "a woman" in The New York Times...power couple.

How excited about cheering on the bench do you think Jery Smith secretly got after picking up his second foul?

If he would have banged that second three from the corner early in the second half, it would have easily been my biggest overreaction of the game.

We've been talking about this since the Ole Miss game, but this team's lack of a killer instinct is still really troubling.

I understand that this is a loose bunch, and I'm OK with that, but the looseness seems to be taken to a dangerous level whenever a second half lead blossoms to nine or ten. We've seen over the last couple of weeks that Louisville is a team capable of making key, debilitating runs, but they still haven't figured out where the throat is. In both the Syracuse and Villanova games, U of L opened up the second half with monster runs that helped them build a lead of around eight points, and then the margin hovered right around that area for the rest of the game.

We still haven't seem these guys go on a big run to build a respectable lead and then smell blood and put the game completely out of reach. That worries me.

I believe in Almost Dunking Marques Maybin.

This was a game where we really needed Samardo Samuels to provide a monster advantage inside, and for the most part he did. He took a couple of poor shots near the end of the game, but he was tremendous on defense (sans the whole forgetting there was someone behind him on the go-ahead bucket for the Saints) and very assertive when he caught the ball in a position to score.

It's time for Jordan Hill now, big fella.

Token

Jared Swopsher, Ronald Delk, Juan Palashus...thank god Verne has that Happy Gilmore money to fall back on.

The bird that made its way into the arena landing on the midcourt logo during a TV timeout produced one of the loudest cheers of the game. It was pretty awesome.

A very strong seven minutes from Terrence Jennings. So strong that you can't help but wonder what happened to him in the second half.

I really don't think Jared Swopshire missed a shot during either pregame or halftime warm-ups. It actually made me really hope he got an open look when he was in during the first half.

It seems to me like CBS has had even more problems switching games during this tournament than in past years, and they've never been good.

If I had been home for this, though, something within arm's each would have been thrown.

An almost three-minute stretch in the final five minutes, in which the Cardinals rallied from a 63-61 deficit to a 68-63 lead, was not shown. The game, which was broadcast on CBS affiliate WLKY, was interrupted by cutaways to Marquette-Missouri and USC-Michigan State.

CBS was supposed to provide a "constant feed" of live U of L game action and not cut away from the hometown team, WLKY president and general manager Glenn Haygood said.

...

WLKY was "flooded" with calls, Haygood said.

"If I were a viewer, I would have complained to anybody that would have listened to me," he said.

Haygood said he will be having some "serious conversations" with CBS.

"This cannot happen again," he said. "It should have never happened in the first place."

It's OK. I mean, it's not like they've been doing this for a long time or anything. The fine folks at CBS are still learning the ropes when it comes to the tournament and college basketball fans need to be respectful of that.

Jackasses.

I don't have a good way to lead into this, but here's Jerb's video of pregame warm-ups.

Even when Preston Knowles is at his worst he manages to work in something ridiculously cool.

I said before the game that Hasbrouck, Franklin and Ubiles could play for any team in America, well, go ahead and add Ronald Moore to that list.

He had an awful afternoon from the field, but played 40 minutes and ate our press alive, finishing with ten assists and just two turnovers. He also had four steals.

He'll never be a household name, but if Louisville's defense leads it to another title, he'll probably be able to say that he handled it as well as any floor general in the country.

I get the feeling Ryan Rossiter would have become one of the most unliked college basketball players in the eyes of Louisville fans had Siena been able to pull the upset off. Something about seeing a guy that looks like he's worse than you at sports succeeding at a high level just rubs people the wrong way.

Good Edgar was just about as good as he's ever been in the first half, but I still wish he'd get over thinking that stringing together a few nice plays is justification for multiple heat check shots. That said, he stepped up when we needed a boost.

Even with Sosa playing well, though, you knew McGee was going to be the guy with the game on the line. He's earned that.

Loved seeing Reggie get minutes at the two. It's nice to know that he can handle that if a similar situation comes up again at some point over the next two weeks.

Can anyone tell me Rick Pitino's record in the Sweet 16? I know that I knew at one point, but I just can't seem to remember for whatever reason.

The Monday after the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament is always so depressing.

Explain to me again why there isn't basketball on. We don't play again until when?

It's all so hard to accept.

Two down.

Louisville 74, Morehead State 54

Mike Rutherford — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 16:05:57 -0000

I think we all had a pretty good idea of how the second half was going to play out, but I don't believe anyone who says they weren't freaking out at least a little bit during the 15 minutes of intermission.

It's easy to say our guys got complacent after building an early 10-point lead, or that this team is about ten times less dangerous when Earl Clark is on the bench, but I think Morehead State also deserves to have a healthy dose of praise hurled in its direction.

We knew they were going to play as if their lives depended on the game's outcome, but the Eagles also came out and executed their game plan brilliantly in the initial 20 minutes. They got Maze Stallworth open looks from the outside, they detected the right times to hit Faried and Buchanan in the post, and they frustrated the Cardinals by alternating defenses.

If the game's outcome was determined by effort and execution, Morehead is right there in the final minute, but the Eagles simply didn't have the athletes or the ballhandlers to stop what we all knew was coming after halftime.

Andre McGee officially finished the game with eight points, five steals and four assists, but it certainly felt like he had about three times all those numbers.

With Edgar Sosa appearing less and less capable of playing with any sense of poise, McGee's importance has never been greater. I think it was around steal number three when I made the comment that Andre might be the most important player on the team right now.

Apparently Rick Pitino agrees.

"Without question, Earl Clark and Terrence Williams are the professional athletes, potentially, on our basketball team," Pitino said, turning to McGee in his postgame news conference. "But there's no doubt about it, this young man is what makes our basketball team win. Andre McGee is the key, times 10, to our basketball team."

'Dre is getting a lot of national love this morning, and nobody deserves it more. The tail end of the man's Cardinal career is becoming increasingly O'Bannon-esque with each game.

In a strange way, Samardo Samuels's midseason struggles may end up being an enormous positive for this team. Not only was Terrence Jennings able to emerge as a solid contributor, but teams have become less and less likely to double Samuels, and recently he's been taking advantage accordingly.

Samuels played hungry last night on both ends of the floor and was as aggressive when the ball was in the air as he's been all season. He doesn't have to carry this team to Detroit, but he does need to be counted on for somewhere around 12 and eight for the next few weeks.

Token

Jerry Smith's bench antics are forcing me to miss large chunks of game action.

I was really happy to see Swop stroke that three near the end of the game. A large part of the reason he's struggled so mightily since the start of Big East play is that he's simply not ready to log these types of minutes at the four, but he's also been playing without any semblance of confidence since the new year, and maybe hitting a shot like that in his NCAA Tournament debut will restore some.

"Swopsher" is officially the new "Palashus."

Edgar Sosa didn't do much well outside of knocking down a couple treys, but he was up and cheering on the bench almost the entire game, which is a great sign for a kid who will be relied upon heavily in his senior season. There will be a game between now and the end of the season where this team will need Sosa to step up in a big way, and keeping the right attitude when things aren't going well could play a large part in his ability to succeed when that time comes.

Pitino said he played Swopshire instead of Terrence Jennings at the four because Swop is better at defending the wings out of the zone, but that still doesn't explain TJ not seeing any time at the five in the first half. Me thinks he did something to get himself in the doghouse this week.

It's hard to believe that we've gotten this far without mentioning T-Will, so...T-Will.

After our game, I was cheering for overtime first and Siena second. Both were good horses to saddle up with.

The Saints aren't going to change because they're facing Louisville, they're going to play fast, loose and free with the ball, and that's fine by me.

I hate that we have to play these guys because they're a team I enjoy watching, but sometimes in life you have to beat people you really like. It's in the Bible.

I'll be making the trip to Dayton on Sunday, and could not be happier about not having to deal with Ohio State fans. I've found that I do not mesh well with their kind.

I've made the switch to pajama pants, long-sleeve grey Louisville basketball shirt and backwards Louisville hat at halftime of each of the last three games. The Cards have outscored their opponents 128-70 in those three halves.

If you don't think those pants are going to be worn underneath my jeans on Sunday, then you've got a punch in the face coming your way. That might seem excessive, but it's March and Louisville is the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, a fact that I've used to justify everything I've done over the past six days.

I still have a ridiculous amount of faith in Preston's outside shot. Keep pulling, young man.

I'd also invest every penny I own (both of them) in his on-ball defense. Bad economy, shmad shmashonomy.

Goode to see George on the floor again. See what I did there?

Earl Clark in March: still better than the best player from your high school. Still, I could do without the turnovers, E5. Just somethin' to think about.

Cleveland State was my big upset pick...and yet every bracket I've submitted is still in the bottom 50 percent of its pool.

There are few joys in life as absolute as being able to watch NCAA Tournament games all day with the knowledge that your team was victorious the night before.

One down.

Louisville 69, Villanova 55

Mike Rutherford — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 15:58:20 -0000

The most remarkable thing about last night's game is that Louisville wasn't just going through the motions in the first half. It wasn't lack of effort that caused the Cards to be down eight heading into the locker room, it was poor shot selection, turnovers and the fact that 'Nova was drilling its free-throws and playing dogged defense.

Given this, the fact that U of L won the second 20 minutes by 22 points is nothing short of astonishing. I suppose this Pitino guy can coach.

So now it's on to even brighter lights and Saturday's (and perhaps the weekend's) feature game. Though this team has accomplished a significant deal in recent weeks, the stakes tonight are still pretty high. A win not only gives the Cards their second Big East championship in eight days, it not only all but locks up a one seed, it probably makes them one of the top two overall seeds, a distinction that will earn them preferential treatment when it comes to where they'll play their first four NCAA Tournament games.

Let's win this thing.

Earl's monster rebound and three-pointer to start the second half were enormous, so enormous that I truly believe we might not win if they don't occur.

The first half was one of the more frustrating 20 minutes of basketball we've had to endure this season. Every time U of L had the chance to make it a one-possession game someone would make a stupid decision with the ball, or 'Nova would catch a break, or a questionable foul would be called; it was all extremely hard to take.

Because of this, the reaction at the Card Chronicle Compound when Clark and McGee stroked back-to-back treys to open the last half was about three times more over-the-top than it would have been otherwise.

Amazingly, the chaos was topped a couple of minutes later in the seconds following Jerry's made three to put us up four...and then the mood was completely killed when the CCC dog got a little too caught up in the bedlam and bit me in the leg. That's not how we celebrate, SADIE.

As fantastic as Earl Clark was, the night belonged to Andre McGee.

The defense was every bit as steadfast as it's ever been, but Louisville had to have some offensive production from one of its point guards in the second half, and the smallest guy on the roster came up big. Villanova had the momentum and the Cards looked a bit worn down when the score was tied at 50 with eight minutes to play, and then McGee knocked down the biggest shot of the game from the right corner. U of L outscored 'Nova 19-5 from that point and the game was really never in jeopardy again.

McGee played 27 minutes, dished out four assists, committed zero turnovers, knocked down three monster treys and made Scottie Reynolds want to cry more than The Bachelor guy.

I probably said, "See I waited until college to start winning all these championship trophies" in my best McGee voice (if you haven't yet, please watch this video) 15 times last night. The man's amazing.

Postseason Earl Clark is better at basketball than you are. That's all that needs to be said about that.

The most underrated play of the game was George Goode's block at the end of the first half. It'd be unfair to say that it was a momentum shifter, but it certainly limited the momentum the Wildcats brought into the final 20 minutes.

Good(e) for George.

If I had my way (and I should), there'd be a camera constantly on Jerry Smith during games, and Louisville fans would have the option of having the Jerry cam footage show up on the bottom left hand of their screen.

I don't think there was a big play last night where one of us didn't say, "look at Jerry" at some point in the aftermath. His celebratory antics nearly trumped his four treys and 16 points...not really, but they were awesome.

If I had the skills to photoshop myself somewhere in the middle or on the side of that last picture, please believe I would.

Preston.

Bozich mentioned in his column yesterday that T-Will was fighting a cold. He must be, because the man just doesn't look like himself. He doesn't have his usual bounce and his facial expression gives the appearance of a man trying not to show that he feels like death.

He stepped up on the boards and made great decisions with the ball down the stretch, but again, this was not the Terrence Williams that's been dominating the Big East since mid-January. It's amazing that we've won games by 14 and 18 points without him having more of a positive impact.

I'm obligated to attend a St. Patrick's Day party for the bulk of today. I will be wearing green...underneath my Card wear.

Eight huge points, three monster blocks and 16 big minutes from Terrence Jennings, who deserves as much praise as anyone for U of L's run to open the second half.

the center situation has almost become akin to the point guard situation in that there are games that fit one of the freshman's style more than the other. Last night was Terrence Jennings's game, and he stepped up huge when his team had to have him.

The whole "Syracuse is tired" thing is going to be beaten to death over the next 11 hours, but seriously, if our pressure has had nearly every team we've faced gasping in the last five minutes of games, how bad is it going to be for a squad that played seven extra five-minute sessions in 24 hours?

How the Orange got to this point shouldn't diminish a Louisville victory (should it occur), but you can't deny that a Syracuse championship would be just a tad more impressive than your average, run-of-the-mill four wins in four days title run.

I generally wait until ridiculously close to the final horn to declare a game over, but you don't need to hear a fat lady sing when you witness Jared Swopshire going up and snatching a monster rebound like he's Jeff Adrien.

We were not going to lose, and at that point I had no problem letting the world know.

Edgar Sosa didn't do anything particularly well, but he refrained from pushing the issue late in the game in situations where he might not have been so heady in the past. He also appeared genuinely enthused throughout the game, which was awesome to see.

I do not care for Eric Devendorf.

Louisville fans are really getting worked up about the disrespect the national voices have been hurling in the direction of the Cards this week, and I wish they wouldn't.

This time of year, the talking heads are always looking for a highly-ranked team to deem doomed for an early exit to go against common thought and generate conversation. Declaring that every top five team is destined for success is boring and bad for business, and you can't blame the Seth Davis's and Jason Whitlock's of the world for not doing it.

Everyone's gotta get paid, even if you have to be disingenuously critical.

I'm more excited about tonight than any human being should probably be about anything.

Go Cards.

Louisville 73, Providence 55

Mike Rutherford — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:50:45 -0000

Given all of the factors surrounding this game - Providence playing for its NCAA Tourney life, our guys maybe being a bit too juiced after accepting the championship trophy last night and playing in their first game of the tournament this afternoon, etc. - I think it'd be wise for us to take this 18-point win, rush it home, hide it somewhere where no one will ever find it and then never speak about any of this ever again.

Yes, we turned it over far too often, no, Terrence Williams was not himself, but we handled a talented veteran team desperate for a win in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. I can live with it.

A number of Providence's nearly record-breaking 26 turnovers were unforced, but we played hellacious defense from opening tip to final horn.

Our guys closed out on their shooters, didn't let McDermott, Kale or Hanke catch the ball too low and didn't allow any Friar to exploit the middle of the zone.

It was a tremendous effort from everyone wearing white, but Andre McGee in particular appeared to be about eight places at once. He certainly seems fully aware that this is his last dance and wants it to last as long as possible.

This was an early "told you so" moment for the "wait until March" band of Earl Clark supporters.

Not only did E5 have a big scoring game, but he was always in the right place defensively, crashed the boards with more intensity than any of his teammates, and played with as much energy as we've ever seen.

When he's doing this, we're instantly twice as hard to beat.

As encouraging as Clark's performance was, I think it's the play of Samardo Samuels that should have Cardinal fans doing celebratory jump kicks.

Samuels dunked a lot per usual, but he also made a couple of terrific post moves to get himself in position to score and finished shots after offensive rebounds that we've seen him miss more times than not over the course of the season. This may have also been his best defensive effort to date, as he took a pair of charges and blocked a couple of shots.

PC's post game doesn't quite rival UConn's or Pitt's, but McDermott and Kale are solid in terms of both game and build, and it takes a pretty impressive effort to put up the numbers Samuels did against the Friars.

It's been well documented in recent weeks that both of Louisville's national championship teams were anchored by freshman centers.

I'm contractually obligated to mention that...it's a crazy elaborate contract...it also doesn't pay anything, which I think is sort of unfair.

Token

A couple of summers ago a group of friends and I were up at a Buffalo Wild Wings catching the tail end of a Reds/Braves game. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth and a runner on first base, Atlanta's Andruw Jones walked to the plate, prompting an avid Braves fan in the group to guarantee a walk-off blast.

Jones swatted the first pitch and the camera followed the ball which appeared level with the Great American Ballpark's highest row of seats.

"I TOLD YOU! I F###ING TOLD YOU!!!" Was the cry from the Braves fan, who sprung from his seat and drew the attention of about 3/4 of the patrons.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group stared at the massive television and watched as the camera followed the ball down and into the glove of a Reds outfielder standing approximately 40-feet in front of the wall. Laughter ensued.

I bring this story up because Terrence Williams' case of fast-break butter-fingers likely would have forced me to endure a similar fate had I been watching the game at a crowded venue. As it was, my premature celebration and subsequent embarrassment was only witnessed by one person...and they were far too into the latest issue of People to offer up any sort of affront.

I would have been against anyone but Preston Knowles scoring that final deuce.

Did he have an off shooting night? Yes, yes he did. But you know what? Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.

Think about that for a second.

I have absolutely no problem with Edgar Sosa firing up uncontested three-pointers, but the semi-contested trey one pass into a possession has got to go. Still, a couple of nice passes and just one turnover in 21 minutes of action. We're gettin' there.

Not sure why, but I really enjoy that Jerry goes with the warm-up when he's on the bench and knows full well that he'll be sent back into the game shortly. Really, I just enjoy Jerry period.

Keep shooting.

Did Sharaud Curry score? We did a tremendous job on him.

The one year Bilas, Raftery and McDonough get the late shift would be the one year we play at noon.

Sorry, Dan.

Len, you've kind of been pissing me off recently. We'll talk about it once things settle down near the end of the month.

Obviously, this wasn't the T-Will we've known and celebrated for the last couple of months, but is there anyone who's really concerned? The man is liable to be the star of stars tomorrow night.

Also, you have to love the fact that he stroked all four of his tries from the charity stripe.

CardsFan922 noted during the game that Pitino has been sitting Clark and Williams about a minute before TV timeouts so that the actual amount of time they spend on the bench greatly exceeds the technical amount of time they're out of the game.

The man's a decent coach.

I don't understand why Reggie Delk wasn't on the floor when Williams went out of the game. Either Kyle Kuric is dominating him in practice or Pitino just thought Kuric was a better fit for this game. It'll be interesting to see if Delk gets any minutes tomorrow night.

A loss tomorrow night certainly isn't going to make my weekend, but it'll be significantly easier to stomach than a defeat this afternoon would have been.

There's obviously the seeding repercussions to consider, but additionally I, like most of you I'm sure, have sort of built my weekend around the potential games Friday and Saturday night. The Cards fall today and I'm completely unable to enjoy any of the basketball between now and when the brackets are unveiled Sunday night.

I'll just say it: I think we beat Marquette but lose to Villanova.

Here's hoping the Golden Eagles win or I'm wrong for the third time in my life because I really, really want to see this team play in the title game.

Go Cards.

Senior Day videos

Mike Rutherford — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 11:00:09 -0000

Here are the starting lineups capped off by T-Will doing the KG/Lebron chalk toss:

The postgame speeches of Earl Clark, Will Scott and Andre McGee:

T-Will's postgame speech:

And here's Pitino talking about the guys during the pregame ceremony:

God I love Louisville basketball.

Louisville 95, Seton Hall 78

Mike Rutherford — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:43:51 -0000

The amount of text messages I receive on game day is generally a pretty accurate gauge of how important or exciting that contest is, and yesterday my phone was as busy as it's been since the Connecticut loss.

A shot at a Big East title, the abhorrence for Bobby Gonzalez, the love for the quartet of Cardinals playing in Freedom Hall for the last time; it didn't matter that Seton Hall wasn't particularly interested in playing basketball, last night was big.

The game itself wasn't particularly beneficial.

Seton Hall did what Seton Hall does against good teams. They came out hitting anything and everything and put the fear of god into the home crowd. They failed to build a substantial lead by showing no interest in playing defense. They got tired and the miracle shots that were dropping earlier started coming up short. They made a mini-run but wilted the instant their opponent decided to respond.

Controlling emotions is always an issue on Senior night, but I was a little disappointed to see our guys let the way Seton Hall was playing affect them so much. There was far too much joking early in the second half, too many bad shots early in possessions, not enough attention paid to transition defense and T-Will really let Jeremy Hazell get into his head.

U of L buckled down when it had to, but the lead never should have dipped so close to single-digits. I get that this group loves to have fun, but too many times that lack of a killer instinct (Kentucky, Ole Miss, West Virginia, Villanova) has nearly cost them dearly. Teams that aren't able to let foot meet throat generally get a rude awakening at some point in March, and I'd hate to think that we could be one of those squads.

Last night was about honoring the seniors and it was OK to have fun once the game was in hand, I get it, but from now on everything should be about taking care of business. There's going to be a championship on the line every time this team takes the floor from here on out.

Bobby Gonzalez is a massive tool.

There isn't a member of Card nation who hasn't held the hope that Earl Clark would once again take his game up a notch once March rolled around, and last night was a pretty solid indication that it's a wish that may be granted.

I understand that big nights against teams like Seton Hall should be taken with a grain of salt, but Earl looked more focused and confident than he has since the Tennessee game last year. He made smart decisions with the ball, worked hard to get the best shot possible for himself (with rare exception) and never let his effort level be called into question.

Louisville doesn't have any shot at going to the Final Four without Earl Clark being better than he was in February (and he was good in February), so last night was very, very encouraging.

The media made an enormous fuss last year over Kevin Love's ability to flick his wrists and put a 75-foot chest pass on the money, but Terrence Williams can do the exact same thing.

Of course, what can't he do?

It was pretty obvious that he knew exactly what he needed to get a triple double, and it was hilarious to see his teammates get him the ball to give to Will Scott so both senior stat objectives could be met.

I'm really, really, really going to miss this kid.

The senior video was fantastic. Thanks to both TwistedEdge and Jerb for providing those of us who couldn't be there last night the opportunity to see it.

Everyone was hilarious, but the Earl cameo was the highlight for me.

It's ridiculous how happy Edgar Sosa is during these up-and-down no defense games. He carries the same look little kids have on their face during the height of present-opening on Christmas morning.

To his credit, Sosa seemed upbeat even before the game and was the first person on the floor to congratulate his teammates despite not playing for the game's first seven minutes. He also played very well with the exception of a forced jumper in transition and missing a wide-open Preston Knowles on another break (he offered up a "I know, my bad" following the latter transgression).

The national media is going to beat the fact that we don't have a big-name point guard into the ground for the next couple of weeks, but those of us who know better should sleep comfortably with the knowledge that Sosa and McGee - the second one especially - are both playing about as well as they have all season.

I wasn't able to hear it, but I'm told McGee's postgame speech was pretty awesome. If anyone wants to throw up a brief synopsis in the comments section, I'd appreciate it.

Jeremy Hazell has become even more unlikeable. Beating your chest when your team sucks and is down by 17 is no way to go to through life, son.

Also, you don't breathe T-Will's air let alone talk to him like that. That's awesome that you average so many more points. Enjoy the postseason.

Had Will Scott knocked down the three in the corner that he pushed long by about five feet, I think it would have been the loudest Freedom Hall had been since the Pitt game.

Adrenaline can do crazy things to shooters.

The color guy last night said Louisville was a three seed. Of course he also said that Williams and Clark were in the game with a minute and-a-half to go and a 19-point lead because of Seton Hall's explosive offense, so take that first item for what it's worth.

I love Billy Gillispie.

It was really nice to see George Goode get some quality PT.

Here's a guy who was a really pleasant surprise at the beginning of the season, got hurt, saw the man he beat out for playing time really emerge in his absence, and he's still been one of the most upbeat players on the bench all year.

No one should forget that we probably don't beat Kentucky without Goode. If he continues to improve then he'll be a huge asset to this program if Samuels or Jennings bail early.

Honest question: Is Terrence Jennings our best free-throw shooter right now? Seriously, who has been better from the stripe over the last three weeks?

If Jennings, who was as bad from the line at the Red-White scrimmage as anyone I've ever seen not named Joseph N'Sima, can improve that considerably in such a short amount of time, then there's no reason for guys like Clark, Samuels and Smith to have seemingly gotten worse.

We have zero shot at winning a national title if Clark, Samuels and Williams shoot free-throws the way they have been since mid-February. Zero shot.

Speaking of Jennings, another very solid performance. The progress he's made offensively is almost unbelievable, and it's not ridiculous to say that he might be the second best defensive center in the Big East.

It's scary how good this kid could end up being.

It would have been nice to have seen Samardo make more of an effort to score once he caught the ball down low, seeing as how Seton Hall has no real post presence.

There's going to be at least one game between now and the end of the season where this team really needs him to step up and have a big game offensively. Whether or not he's capable of answering that bell, I'm not sure.

Token

Got this text before the game: "Swop just missed a dunk and then tripped and fell."

It just hasn't been the man's month.

I want Reggie Delk to get an open look from three at a key moment in the Big East Tournament. For some reason, I'm insanely confident that he would drill any open look with the game on the line.

Don't ask me where that faith comes from.

Ladies and gentlemen: your final on-court, in-game Lee Steiden sighting until next year's Red-White scrimmage. Give 'em hell in warm-ups, Lee.

I legitimately could not be more excited about Saturday.

I'll post a reminder tomorrow night, but I think we're going to have to do an open thread here for the Pitt/UConn game at noon, and then we'll all have time to regroup and re-focus for the 9 p.m. tip in Morgantown.

A Big East title and No. 1 seed at stake in the GameDay game of the week would be indescribably cool.

I can't stop smiling, and it's not the drugs.

Go Cards.

On Senior Day

Mike Rutherford — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:58:08 -0000

Ah Senior Day, a night bursting with such an eclectic mix of emotions that you're never sure exactly how you should feel 20 minutes before the tip or 20 minutes after the final buzzer.

There's a game to be won, and of course that's the top priority, but properly honoring a group of players who have done absolutely all they can for four years to add to the rich history of the basketball program you love runs a pretty close second. We spend a lot of time questioning the decisions these 18-23-year-olds make over the course of a 40-minute basketball game, but something that should never be questioned is the level of effort and determination it takes to bust your ass day after day, month after month, year after year for four collegiate seasons, partly so that we as fans can have something to look forward to twice a week during the winter. That type of commitment demands respect, and to me that's what Senior Day is all about, regardless of who it is playing their last home game.

So let's take a brief look at each of the four Cardinals who will be stepping on Denny Crum Court for the final time this evening.

Don't be afraid to go grab the Kleenex...seriously, go get it....SERIOUSLY...OK, now you're not allowed to cry.

ANDRE MCGEE

Every successful team in every sport has at least one player who will never get the praise or recognition he's earned and deserves.

The thing about Louisville's is that he doesn't care.

There isn't a senior point guard in the country with an excuse to pout that rivals Andre McGee's. A starting floor general since his freshman season, McGee was brilliant down the stretch a year ago, guiding the Cards to the Elite Eight by providing a steadiness and defensive intensity that Edgar Sosa simply couldn't match. And still, he was informed before his senior season that he and Sosa would be splitting the starting duties.

Even if they tried to toe the company line, nine out of ten kids playing basketball at major programs would have found it impossible to mask their disgust if placed in the same situation. McGee took it in stride. Even after the decision was made in early January to make the consistently erratic Sosa the full-time starter, the senior co-captain's game and demeanor changed about as much as the mayor does around here.

Having a veteran whose selflessness is so impossible to ignore is a colossal boon, especially in a sport like college basketball where every freshman on every team has been told for seven years that he's good enough to be in the NBA. You never have to wonder how not starting or being taken out of a game or having an off-shooting night is going to affect McGee, he simply cares about his team scoring more points than the one it's facing.

And it's not like the man can't play.

A pure scorer coming out of high school, McGee is still capable of having nights where the rim looks like a laundry basket. He makes heady decisions with the ball in his hands, is capable of beating his man off the dribble and is just as likely to have a big shooting night as anyone on the team not named Jerry Smith or Preston Knowles.

He can also defend a little.

There have been multiple times where we've seen opposing point guards who've had to deal with McGee for an extended period get that same look on their face that the spoiled kid who always started crying and left in the middle of pickup games got just before he went home. Simply put, Andre McGee's defense makes you want to stop playing the game. He's relentless, and when the other four Cardinals on the floor see that type of energy they can't help but raise their own effort level a notch.

Though he'll never be highlighted in a pre-game "star watch"and he's unlikely to be named MVP of anything, whatever Louisville is able to accomplish over the course of the next month wouldn't have been possible without Andre McGee.

WILL SCOTT

Will Scott is smarter than you are.

In late January, Scott was accepted to study at Oxford University. At Oxford, he will pursue a master's degree in Modern Chinese Studies, a program which will prepare him for a possible position in diplomacy or business relations with China. Only 15 people in the world are accepted into the program each year.

Will Scott's also better at basketball than you are.

The high point of the Cornell transfer's Cardinal career likely came in his first season at U of L when he scored nine, 19 and ten points against Ohio, St. Joseph's and Bellarmine in a three-day, round-robin tournament. Though he's hit double figures just once since, his head coach continues to say that Scott will hit a big shot before his basketball career is over.

To date, his biggest, or at least most memorable, shot is likely a half-court heave to beat the halftime buzzer in Louisville's second round romp of Oklahoma in last year's NCAA Tournament.

Even more impressive than that shot, perhaps, is Scott's uncanny ability to be on the floor whenever the crowd rises to its feet or starts a particularly loud C-A-R-D-S cheer. Seriously, pay attention next time, it's creepy.

Whether or not Rick Pitino's prediction comes to fruition, the fact remains that Will Scott is smarter than you are and better at basketball than you are. Live with it.

EARL CLARK

Nothing about Earl Clark is customary.

He nearly records triple-doubles while you're complaining about his effort level. He scores his 25th-point two seconds after you've asked whether or not he's made a shot all night. And he knocks down the open outside shot every single time you overreact when you see him pull up.

It's oddities like these that have made Clark one of the most oft-discussed Cardinals in recent memory.

It began with multiple rumors about whether or not he was on campus as a freshman, continued with concerns over his lack of playing time once the season began, heightened with a debate over if he deserved to start over senior Juan Palacios as a sophomore, and reached unprecedented heights with his sometime brilliant, sometimes befuddling play over the course of what will be his third and final season at U of L.

There's no denying that Clark is one of the most naturally gifted players to ever don a Cardinal uniform. He's a 6-foot-9 forward with long arms and a big frame who can handle the ball, hit the outside shot with some regularity, and block shots from any spot on the floor.

He was tremendous in the '08 NCAA Tournament, averaging 14.5 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 62 percent from the field and serving as the matchup nightmare nobody had an answer for.

Still, it's the next month that will determine Clark's ultimate Louisville legacy.

If he steps his game up the way he did a year ago and leads U of L to Detroit, then he'll undoubtedly be remembered in the same light as Francisco Garcia, another talented player who left early and was highly criticized throughout his junior season before a magical postseason. If he doesn't and the Cardinals underachieve, then folks in the Derby City will forever link the soft-spoken Clark with disappointment and talk of what might have been.

A lot has been made of Clark's decision to leave early, but how can you judge a man who's going to essentially be paid millions to stop going to school and play the game he's been playing for free all his life?

All of us who have followed him know that if Earl is able to make the same level of progress over the next three years that he's made since arriving at U of L then he's going to be special.

Here's hoping he's special for the next five weeks.

TERRENCE WILLIAMS

Terrence Williams will never be forgotten. I think that's the only way to begin an ode to a man who does it all on the court and says it all off of it.

As charismatic as he is athletic, T-Will has been a constant source of excitement, humor, debate and praise for the past four years. The dunks, the outfits, the quotes; he's the closest thing to Elvis the new generation of Cardinal fans have experienced.

Like all great entertainers, Williams has saved his best act for last.

In his senior season - a season Williams readily admits he never thought would take place - the co-captain is averaging career bests in points (12.5), rebounds (8.5), assists (4.9), blocks (.8), field goal percentage (43.2%) and three-point field goal percentage (35.6%).

"He has the ability to not just be a scorer, but be somebody who makes the players around him better," Providence coach Keno Davis recently said. "He can have a huge scoring night, but he can beat you other ways. He can beat you with his passing, he can beat you with his defense, he can beat you with his rebounding.

"You can't really game plan against him. What do you need to take away from him? Well, he does everything."

It's no surprise that with him doing everything, Williams' team's won-loss record and national ranking are more radiant than they've been at this point since he's been here.

Five years ago, the term "T-Will-ism" meant nothing to Louisville basketball fans, now everyone can reel off their favorite on a seconds notice.

Here's a collection of the best:

--"Talking to these freshman is like talking to a pond - just because the water moves doesn't mean it's listening."

--(On how much the team feeds off of David Padgett) "How much do people eat off plates? We feed off him a lot because he's our point-center, our point-forward, our point-shooting guard. He's everything because he rebounds the ball, he passes the ball, he leads us. He could lead us out of the closet, lead us to the ocean. He's just our everything."

--"David Padgett is the t-shirt of this team. You wouldn't go outside without your t-shirt on, and we don't go out on the court without David Padgett."

--"I've realized that if we just keep winning games, eventually we'll win the national championship"

--"You know when you buy a firework? You can't light the firework without what? Fire, right? We can't get going unless PK is really in there."

--"Have you ever been walking and seen a loose dog and been like: 'Whose dog is that?' 'Cuz you know dogs is crazy. PK is crazy like that."

--"It doesn't make any difference to us who announces the games."

--"No I'm not surprised at how I shot today. If it's two in the afternoon and its dark outside, then I'd be surprised."

--"Assists make me happy. Points are just something everybody else in the country gets."

What the hell are we gonna do without this guy?

I think we need to end this post on a happy note.

While it's certainly going to be sad to see all three of these guys walk off the Freedom Hall floor for the last time, let's be thankful that this isn't where the story ends. The legacy of this quartet still won't be anywhere near complete by this time tomorrow. This group has the chance to do some very special things in the coming weeks, and a chance the chance to carve an even more special place for themselves in U of L basketball history.

Go Cards.

Louisville 62, Marquette 58

Mike Rutherford — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:20:54 -0000

I'm not sure if it was the Sunday noon tip, the retro jerseys or the fact that I was battling the most intense case of the spins in recorded history, but yesterday's game felt weird.

There was never a point where I felt like we were performing particularly well, but there was also never a moment where I felt like the game was in jeopardy. We were going to win, I was going to go back to bed, it was just a matter of getting to that point.

Still, it's impossible to breeze over the victory like it wasn't a big deal. We could lose both games this week and finish the season with the same conference record we were thrilled with a year ago, in a season where the consensus is that the conference is much tougher. Of course we could also win both, finish a ridiculous 16-2, and possibly be the unquestioned champion of the nation's toughest league.

It could be a fun week, but it wouldn't have been possible without a W on Sunday.

I loved the throwback unis. I think this is the first time we've ever done something like this, and it was quite cool.

Wouldn't mind a throwback '86 postseason.

Terrence Williams has the official Card Chronicle green light from outside, something I know he's been anxiously awaiting word on.

Just how significantly his shot has improved over the course of just a couple of months is one of the most amazing aspects of this season. He's getting a lot of national love right now, every word deserved.

I am not looking forward to saying goodbye.

But the day belonged to the far less heralded and gregarious senior. There's no way Louisville wins this game without Andre McGee's defense and outside shooting...and dunking.

McGee doesn't get anywhere near the respect he deserves (Bill Raftery made a comment about how he hadn't played much until this season, completely neglecting the fact that he's been at least a partial starter each of the past four years), and his game is such that he probably won't get a fair shake even if this team's season ends in Detroit. But those who have tailed this team's every move since November know just how valuable the senior is. His leadership blends perfectly with T-Will's, he makes opposing floor generals feel like quitting every second he's on the floor, and he's capable of hitting a big shot or making a big play with the ball when the game's on the line.

More than anything though, he just wants to win. There's never a concern that not starting or being taken out of the game is going to negatively affect his psyche or effort level. Andre McGee is a man, and he'll have a lot to do with anything and everything this team is able to accomplish in the coming weeks.

I am not looking forward to saying goodbye.

Your eyes did not deceive you, that was indeed Bad Edgar on the floor Sunday afternoon. His body language was bad and he made several terrible decisions, but that three he hit out of the corner with the shot clock winding down was enormous.

No need to panic, I say, most people who successfully quit smoking have at least one relapse before fully getting over the hump.

The kid will be fine.

Preston Knowles is human, or at least partially human...like Will Smith in I, Robot...which I saw in the theater...and am still still kind of embarrassed about.

It wasn't Preston's day offensively, but he made a big bucket at the end of the game that saved us the misery of clanking more free-throws, and snatched a huge offensive board off of Samardo's second miss from the stripe.

I'm pretty sure I said "shoot it" every single time he touched the ball.

I'm far from Jerel McNeal's biggest fan, but that was kind of hard to watch. We really didn't defend him particularly well, he just had one of those days where nothing goes right.

Conversely, Lazar Hayward had a terrific day, and that still didn't keep him from dropping the f bomb on one of our fans.

I miss Crean.

With the rivalry becoming increasingly one-sided, Buzz really needs to chuck his giant water bottle at Sean Moth or something to keep the heat up. That's just the first idea I came up with, you brainstorm and the do what you feel, big man.

Almost Dunking Marques Maybin would beat the '96 Kentucky Wildcats by seven...in Rupp.

Player who looked the best in his retro jersey: McGee.

Player who looked the worst in his retro jersey: Jared Swopshire.

It just hasn't been his month.

How much would it have sucked to have gotten to the game late and been decked out in red or black? It's like going to a Catholic school and totally forgetting it was a jeans day. There's really no way to save face, you just have to grin and bear it.

Was Verne Lundquist high? Sure, Raftery's a funny guy, but laughing that much in a two-hour span is a recipe for a heart attack. I do love how he continues to completely ignore the name pronunciation guide. In the spirit of Juan "Palashus," Jerel McNean mysteriously became Jerel Mack-Neal for 40 minutes. Whatever, it's cheeky and I enjoy it.

Senior Night against the Gonzo's in two days, possibly playing for a Big East title in prime time in five days, and the opening round of the Big East Tournament in eight days.

I'm too excited to sleep.

Go Cards.

Cards cruise past Georgetown in D.C.

Mike Rutherford — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 11:00:11 -0000

Every Big East road win is like a bear hug from Jerry Smith on Christmas morning, but to me Louisville's 76-58 victory over Georgetown Monday night was especially girly-scream/clap-worthy.

Sure, Georgetown is reeling, but this is a team that would almost certainly be a lock to make the NCAA Tournament if it resided in any conference outside of the Big East or ACC, and the Hoyas were playing at home - where they tasted defeat not once a year ago - and with their season on the line. When you add in the fact that the Cards had just one day to prepare for a team that runs a pretty complex offense, I don't think being giddy about an 18-point victory is an overreaction.

The final margin may indicate something more lopsided than the game actually was, but the truth is that the outcome was never really in doubt. Louisville was more physical, more efficient and more mature than a squad which has built its reputation on excelling in those three areas in recent years.

Thirteen and two, sixth in the country, and right in the thick of the race for both a conference title in the nation's top league and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

It doesn't get a lot better than this for diehard college basketball fans. Eat it up.

Preston Knowles actually wrote, directed, produced and starred in Slumdog Millionaire, but was too humble to show up at the Oscars on Sunday.

We thought the kid was locked in towards the end of last season, but this is absurd. I watched him catch-and-shoot on that out-of-bounds play early in the second half, I saw the ball drifting toward the left side of the rim, I said outloud, "that's off," and I was still shocked when the net didn't rip.

Oh yeah, and he's the best defender since Dr. Strange.

Williams and Clark will steal all the headlines, but it was our guards who completely outclassed their guards.

You have to praise Wright's effort, but he still had four turnovers to just one assist. Freeman, who played so well in last year's de facto regular season title game, was a non-factor. And aside from a solid defensive effort, Jessie Sapp's only real contribution was a banked in prayer (chest-thump worthy?) to end the first half.

On the other hand, we had Preston doing what Preston does, McGee harassing defensively more than Matlock, Jerry Smith not fouling once and knocking down semi-contested shots from the outside, and Good Edgar popping the question and proving that he wants this thing to be forever.

That was about as animated as I've ever seen John Thompson III. Another indication of how much this game meant to the Hoyas and, in turn, how impressive the win was.

There's nothing normal about Earl Clark.

He's easily the most frustrating player on the team, but you never want him out of the game. You criticize him for being lazy, only to see that he's two assists away from being the fourth player in school history to record a triple-double. And then there are nights like Monday, where you find yourself constantly bitching about his play, only to look up and see him easily leading the team with 22 points.

Good shooting is often the basketball equivalent of makeup, and Earl was heavy on the blush against the Hoyas.

He made several bad decisions when the ball was in his hands, got out-hustled on a handful of occasions and missed key free-throws when the game was still in jeopardy, but he was uncharacteristically hot from beyond the arc and found his stroke from the stripe when victory was well in hand.

It sounds silly to say when he scored 22 points in a game his team won by 18, but Earl has to be better.

Jumping when you haven't the faintest idea what you're going to do with the ball is one of the biggest get-your-ass-on-the-bench-worthy sins in basketball, but I have absolutely no problem with Terrence Willing doing it. Why? Well, when you can come as close to flying as humanly possible you're afforded certain luxuries, one of them being the right to break one of the most widely celebrated basketball faux-pas.

I'm sure everyone knows the play that brought this up. it's the one where Williams drove towards the basket, jumped with no one open and no way to get a shot off, hung in the air until Jerry Smith got free on the perimeter, fired a rocket pass to Smith at the nadir of his leap, and then watched his teammate knock down a momentum-shifting trey.

Of course it also helps when it comes to being able to do things like jump, get hit in the head, double-clutch and still finish a dunk with ease. The post-dunk camera stare was nearly as solid.

Simply put, another tremendous performance from T-Will. The only thing that worried me was how badly he missed his free-throws after Georgetown had blatantly singled him out to send to the line in the game's final minutes. Shooting is so mental (that's come up a lot here recently, hasn't it?), you just have to hope that Williams' current confidence didn't take any sort of a hit .

What in the world has happened to DaJuan Summers?

The man who drilled the dagger in last year's Verizon Center classic, and the man who was expected to step up and become the type of player Jeff Green was two seasons ago in Hoya land has been relegated to wandering around the perimeter and completely disappearing (literally...it's creepy) for significant stretches of time.

It's always unfair to place the blame for a disappointing season on one man's shoulders (except in golf or tennis), but it's certainly safe to say that Summers' inability to become the player most predicted he'd be by his junior season has contributed more to his team's lack of success than the performance of any other Hoya.

If he drops 30 and Georgetown knocks us out in the quarters of the Big East tourney in three weeks, I'll buy one of those sweet "We are Georgetown" shirts and wear it to next year's game in the Hall.

If I were a professional baseball player, the song that plays in the background of the whale-splashing Pacific Life commercial would totally be the music I'd use when I walked up to the plate.

It's a friggin' beat.

Terrence Jennings: free-throw machine.

In all seriousness, how fantastic is it so see a player improve so dramatically in an area of the game where work and focus play such a large role? It says a great deal about the young man as well as the men working with him.

Samardo Samuels was obviously jacked for the showdown with his fellow co-Preseason Big East Rookie of the Year, which was a positive. Rebounding and turnovers are still major issues for the freshman, but the improvement is pretty clear to see from where I'm sitting (in a chair, usually). He doesn't make that little jump hook two months ago, and he probably doesn't put himself in position to get those bunnies either.

Token

If he and Jennings make the same kind of jump in the next four weeks that they made in the last four weeks, then we could be in for a pretty special March.

We're the best road team in the Big East and have been for the past three seasons. I want to say that we might be the best road team in the country, but any time you have a 33-point away loss on your resume, well, it's not something you can bury in the footnotes.

Happy Birthday, Will Scott...sorry you had a horrendous foul called against you.

The officiating was so bad on both ends of the floor that I think it sort of canceled itself out and the game finished with a final score that would have been similar to the one a competent group of referees would have produced.

Blowing whistles with no idea what you're going to call is no way to go through life.

Just when I thought Mike Patrick couldn't jump any higher on the not cool with list, he goes and refers to Louisville as "The Cardinal" on several occasions.

In case you hadn't heard, I hate that. I really, really, really hate that. It's CardinalS. I know it's on all the pieces of paper you have in front of you, I know you've heard it pronounced that way hundreds of times over the course of your career, say it correctly you overpaid, disreputable jackass.

Just sayin'...it's a little thing, but it rubs me the wrong way.

I still think he has the potential to be a solid college player if he dedicates himself to putting on a significant amount of muscle, but Jared Swopshire isn't giving us anything but space right now. The kid's undoubtedly doing the best he can, but I cringe every time I see him check in, and only hope that we don't lose any ground before Earl's caught his breath.

Almost Dunking Marques Maybin deserves an ice cream flavor named after him.

First try: "Almost Dunking Marques Maybin Chip."

So Sunday is a "White Out," the game will be on CBS, and we're facing a longtime rival in what is essentially a Big East regular season title elimination game.

Oh my.