More photos are available on the new U of L football Facebook page, which you can "like" right here.

Love the shirts and love seeing "UK" on the tires. Pretty sure any fears of this team overlooking their week one opponent are misguided.

I feel like a new one of these comes out every month or so, and each time Louisville is sitting on top.

Anyway, via Eric Crawford, here are ESPN's top ten college basketball markets for the 2011-12 season:

1. Louisville 4.5
2. Greensboro-High Point 3.5
3. Kansas City 2.8
4. Columbus 2.7
....Raleigh-Durham 2.7
6. Charlotte 2.3
7. Cincinnati 2.1
8. Dayton 2.0
9. Indianapolis 1.8
....Knoxville 1.8

The most-watched game of the season on any of the ESPN networks was the March 3 tilt between Duke and North Carolina.

Add class of 2013 stars Jordan Mickey and JaJuan Johnson to the list of visitors Rick Pitino will be playing host to over the weekend.

Mickey, a five-star power forward from Texas, is rated as the No. 21 overall player in the class by Scout. He's billed as a potential combo forward with great length and athleticism, but a spotty outside shot. He holds early scholarship offers from Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Providence, among others.

Johnson, a guard from Memphis who it ranked No. 29 in the class by Scout, has seen his star rise significantly after a strong spring on the AAU circuit. He averaged 23.6 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 assists as a junior at Southwind High last season, and also grew two inches during the school year. He already holds a scholarship offer from U of L.

Johnson and Mickey join 2012 recruit Montrezl Harris, Virginia Tech transfer Dorian Finney-Smith and 2014 stars Keita Bates-Diop and Malek Harris as weekend visitors.

Continue reading this post »

The following was written by former Louisville kicker and 2006 Lou Groza Award winner Art Carmody

We are about to hit that lull in the sports world where no Cardinal news is usually good news, (unless it's us getting invited to the Big 12) and where we have to start reading about Mike's softball team, so I figured now was as good a time as any to post something for Carmody's Corner.

I first want to apologize for not keeping up with the posts over the past year. My job, other community boards and activities, as well as playing in a church basketball league during the spring and summer (and yes, you better believe anytime I make a good pass or shot, I yell out "Nice pass, Art") kept me from writing on a weekly basis. Also, it's been almost 5 years since I last donned a Cardinal uniform, and I don't want to be that old guy who keeps writing about old stuff, memories, etc. that might not be relevant in 2012. However, if I feel that something needs to be said or if I can share a story that appeases the people, then you will see it on Card Chronicle.

The point of this post is to inform you all about what the summer program is like, and what the actual requirements are for the players, coaches, etc, as well as other thoughts that I have. I dedicate this post to my good friend CardsFan922 who I have never officially met, and who still owes me a ride after refusing to stop the car when I was walking by myself in the freezing cold after a Cards game two years ago. I haven't forgotten.

After spring ball there is usually another week that follows where players will work out, go through post spring meetings with strength coaches and position coaches, and then be dismissed for the period before finals. This was sometimes a tough week for guys because this was when you re-signed your scholarship papers for another year. A list would be posted in the locker room with the names of guys who were to go upstairs and sign. Scholarships are a year-long guarantee (not four years) and have to be renewed year each. You cannot have your scholarship pulled for athletic performance, but there would be another list of guys that were on scholarship that needed to see the coach. A majority of these were academic related, but there were a few players each year that, for whatever you want to call it, just were just not going to play the following season. The coaches would meet with them, discuss their previous seasons and spring practice, and let the player decide if they wanted to stay or if they wanted to transfer somewhere else. About 99.9% of the time the players (who want to play) end up transferring to another school. The coaches help any way that they can, and some guys have gone on to have great careers at other schools. It is just part of big time college football.

After finals, the weight room is usually be open if guys wanted to get an extra lift in, but for the most part the football facility is relatively quiet. The first summer school session starts in May, and some players that live in town or who want to get ahead in classes (or catch up if they are behind) will stay. Everyone is given a two-week lifting program to maintain what gains were made in the spring, as well as a two-week conditioning program to prepare them for the summer. I am not quire sure what the exact NCAA rules are (I don't think anyone really is), but the school must give the player a certain amount of time off from their respective sport. Therefore, the football program would give us about 2 to 3 weeks in May, a week in the summer (usually scheduled around the 4th of July) and then usually 2-3 days before camp starts in August.

On Memorial Day I would fly back to Louisville from Louisiana and we would usually have a team meeting that night to go over summer workout times and other details (summer school, days off, guys that did well in the classroom, etc.) I always looked forward to this meeting because it was great to see everyone that was returning, and it meant that the season was somewhat close. I've broken down the summer into certain categories, which should help clear up what goes on in the summer.

"VOLUNTARY" SUMMER WORKOUTS

We lifted and ran four days of the week (Mon, Tue, Thurs, and Fri). Monday and Thursday would usually be speed work days, while Tues and Fri would be heavy conditioning days, usually broken into four quarters.

Not going to lie, I hated every heavy conditioning day.

The offensive and defensive lineman would run together, the defensive backs, running backs, and wide receivers would run together, and the quarterbacks, tight ends, linebackers, and kickers would run together. There were usually four workout groups, 6 am, 8 am, 11 am and 1 pm. They would usually group you into groups based on your summer school schedule and position work schedule. The key word in this paragraph is voluntary. If you don't show up to a workout, by NCAA rule you can't be punished. However, there is an unwritten rule that if you don't show up, you won't play. Also, the majority of the guys on the team have too much respect for their teammates and the program to be skipping workouts.

FRESHMEN REPORTING

Nowadays, almost all of the freshmen report for the start of the summer to take classes and get acclimated to college football. It's fun to see these guys come in as freshmen, go through workouts, and produce on the field. I vividly remember meeting Eric Wood on his first day as a Cardinal, he was so nice and polite that I was convinced there was no way he was going to be able to compete with the other linemen. But what I didn't know was that he was a beast in the weight room and on the field, and the rest is history.

COACHES

The coaches are busy during the month of May recruiting and getting ready for the summer football camps that the school has in the summer. The position coaches can't have a lot of contact with the players unless it is in the complex, they cant be out coaching on the field or in the weight room, so usually they will take a couple of weeks for vacation with their families. This is why having good strength coaches is vital because of the amount of time spent with the players. They are a big, big reason for a team's success. Also, this is where a lot of the work for game plans for opponents will get their starts, especially if there is a short week during the season (ex: playing on a Saturday morning and then turning around and playing a Thursday night game). The coaches will put in base stuff for teams based on who is coming back, what the opposing coordinators like to do, etc. Then they adjust based on film throughout the season. That maximizes time spent with players during the game week. Don't worry, if you haven't noticed already, Charlie Strong and staff are very, very good coaches.

SUMMER SCHOOL

Like I said before, all of the scholarship players take summer school. Other than getting ahead for the next school year, one of the other reasons you take summer school is in order to get a scholarship check to cover rent, food, etc. The NCAA allows for this to cover costs associated with being in school, and this is needed, because unlike most college students, it is very, very hard to maintain a job throughout the summer with workouts, classes, and position work. Players get two checks, one in June and one in July.

I am about to sound really dumb here, but two of my favorite classes were taken during the summer: "History of Rock & Roll" and "Acting For Non-Majors." Both of them counted towards arts credits for my finance degree.

POSITION WORK

This is where all of the work that goes in can be translated into what you see on Saturdays. It was my favorite part of the summer and where I got all of my work in. No coaches can be on the field in the summer time, so these were run solely by the players.

The position work was done on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. There was a lot of trash talking in these drills and a lot of competitiveness. They are always competitive, but it really turns up a notch in July. Each position group would do drills to start, working on individual techniques, etc. Then the o-line and d-line would work on moves against each other while the skill players would go 7-on-7. Eventually the whole team would be watching 7-on-7. It didn't matter which year it was, but It was especially fun to watch the 2004 team during summer workouts, not just because of how good the offense and defense were, but for just how deep we were as a team.

This summer would be a lot of fun to watch with Teddy Bridgewater and those receivers going up against Hakeem Smith and the rest of the secondary. That competition is great for getting everyone ready for the season. After that the kickers and punters would get their work in while everyone else left. This is why Harry Douglas is my favorite football player: after doing 7-on-7 he would stay for as long as I needed him to hold. And I would make the freshmen kickers and punters shag the footballs.

EA SPORTS NCAA FOOTBALL

This is pretty much a national holiday for division one football players, as almost everyone has pre-ordered the game or will wait until midnight and go to Best Buy to get it. It's fun to hear guys talk about the new features, the stadiums, graphics, how realistic it is, etc., but my favorite thing is listening to them talk about how they are rated in the game. The universal response is something close to, "man, they got me rated way too low, who comes up with this shit, I am going to call or write a letter, or something."

For about two weeks this dominates most of the conversations amongst the team, and I am sure still goes on today. You also have to hear about the guys who somehow are already in year 9 of their dynasty and how they aren't happy with their recruiting class, or their teams prestige. One of my favorite memories of playing NCAA was when Brian Brohm and I played a game and he played as himself. I intercepted three of his passes and he went into a rant about how "this game is not realistic, that would never happen," and Blake Williams, a Louisville baseball player commented, "no, looks pretty realistic to me."

TEAM BUILDING

One of the beauties of college football is that each year you have a new team, new leaders emerge, roles are filled, and come August 1st after all of the freshman and walk-ons have arrived, you have the guys you will take the field with. Throughout the summer the strength coaches would have a team competition where they would draft up teams to compete in timed obstacle style workouts. This would usually be right before the 4th of July break at 5 in the morning. The teams were usually evenly matched, with the main point being that you are only as strong as your weakest link. I was never really good at the feats of strength obstacles, like flipping way too big tractor tires, or dragging a sled with what seemed like 800 pounds on it, but was a first round pick in stadium running. Also throughout the summer we would have team runs early in the morning, where the whole team would go through conditioning together.

All in all, the summer is a two-month grind that gets the team ready to go before August camp. Once camp starts there is no time to get in shape, learn the plays, or learn to compete. That has to be done in June and July. The games that are won in the 4th quarter are won during the summer. This is why a dropped pass, blown assignment, missed tackle, or any other mistake is tough to swallow as a player because of the time spent during the summer and camp getting ready for the season.

I don't plan on writing something every week, but will pop up every now and then with stuff. I plan on trying to get some former players to answer questions, guest post, etc. And I am still waiting on Eric Wood to take over at some point, because quite frankly he is the man.

A few quick thoughts before I exit.

Enjoyed seeing everyone down in New Orleans for the Final Four. My college roommate, Justin Deeley (now a television star on 90210), flew in from Los Angeles and we made the trip down on Saturday. I was so happy to finally be around my people, especially former Cards athletes. As I am sure many of you can attest to, it can be depressing being a Cards fan in another state.

Great seeing everyone, and hope to see all of you again in Atlanta next year, and Dallas a year later. Thanks to Mike for re-activating my CC Corporate Card, my expense report is in the mail.

Speaking of people I saw down in New Orleans, I ran into Jack Sisterson, former Cards soccer player, and who also was a member of the 2007 football team as a backup kicker. We loved having Jack on the team, mainly because he was an awesome team player, and wouldn't smoke the rest of the kickers and punters in conditioning drills even though he could run for days. Anyways, he is now the assistant trainer for I'll Have Another, who is hoping to make history next weekend at the Belmont Stakes by winning horse racing's Triple Crown.

I am always excited for any Cards football season, but this one feels different. I feel that Coach Strong has firmly put his signature on the program and that as fans we are about to see just how hard this man has worked to get the program back to where it belongs.

Last year's team was fun to watch because of a "what if" curiosity about the young players and how they might look on the field. This year's team has another "what if" curiosity about it, but this "what if" has to do with just how great they can be. The fall in Louisville is a great place to be, and this fall should be extra special.

Go Cards!

Travonte Valentine, a rising junior defensive tackle from Palm Bay (Fla.), became the first player in the class of 2014 to commit to Louisville when he did so on Wednesday morning.

Valentine, a 6-3, 283-pound man-child also had offers from Florida, Auburn, Miami, Michigan State and West Virginia, among others. Recruiting experts have raved about the raw strength and quickness of Valentine, who is currently a four-star recruit according to Rivals.com.

Valentine is No. 71

Obviously you have to take early commitments for what they're worth, but this is a pretty big deal.

Congrats to Louisville's athletic programs on capturing 10 Big East championships in 2011-12, a record for U of L and the most of any team in the conference.

Louisville claimed five regular season Big East titles: baseball (co-champions), football (co-champs), women's soccer (north division), softball and volleyball. And five five tournament or postseason championships: men's basketball, softball, women's swimming and diving, men's tennis, and women's track and field.

The 10 titles are a large part of the reason U of L currently sits at No. 10 in the Capital One Cup standings, and 19th in the Directors' Cup standings.

Golden age.

The Butler Bulldogs will leave the Horizon League and join the Atlantic 10 for the 2012-13 season, the school announced Tuesday. The Bulldogs had originally been scheduled to make the move in 2013-14.

Butler joins the Virginia Commonwealth Rams, formerly a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, in making the move to the A-10 this fall.

The move will cover all Butler athletic programs except football, which will remain in the Pioneer League, and women’s golf. The Atlantic 10 does not host women’s golf, so the Bulldogs will look to another conference for that sport.

Butler had an established reputation of success in men’s basketball before 2010, having appeared in the NCAA tournament eight times between 1997 and 2009. That reputation ascended to a completely different level when the Bulldogs came within one shot of defeating the Duke Blue Devils in the 2010 national championship game. Remarkably, they repeated the feat in 2011, falling to the Connecticut Huskies in the season’s final game.

Given the extreme level of recent success, many felt that the program had outgrown its home in the Horizon League. Take Butler out of the equation and the conference has not had a team seeded better than 11th since 1998. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, earned seeds of 8, 5, 9, 7 and 5 from 2007 to 2011.

For the A-10, this news means that it will be replacing the Temple Owls and Charlotte 49ers – which are leaving for the Big East and Conference USA, respectively – with a pair of programs that each made the Final Four in 2011. VCU lost to Butler in the ’11 national semifinals.

For more on this story, be sure to visit SB Nation DC and stay tuned to this StoryStream.

It's Maddie "Gorgui" Ennis, the lovely daughter of Mark "Mengus" Ennis on the ones and the twos as we start this short work week.

She'll never have to explain to people why she's called Gorgui, the giant statue in the Ohio will be explanation enough.

Still waitin' on that call back, Fisch. The people have spoken, Fisch. Give the people what they want, Fisch.

Sort of a bizarre day as U of L started classes for its summer sessions, the campus promptly floods, the Province catches fire, everyone's thinking it's Monday, and I wake up feeling like death. The last one's only bizarre for me, but I think at this point we're close enough to all be one person. Except for the guy who just stumbled on this post via a Google search for "Louisville flood." You'll never know the pain of this sore throat.

Here's hoping everyone affected stayed safe and continues to stay safe.

We've got a monster weekend coming up for Louisville basketball recruiting, as both Montrezl Harrell and Virginia Tech transfer Dorian Finney-Smith will be in town on official visits. Joining them will be class of 2014 center Keita Bates-Diop (on Friday) as well as class of 2014 forward Malek Harris from Illinois.

We want all the players. All of them.

The Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy looks at what the best returning players in college basketball need to do in order to take their games to the next level, and one of the guys he critiques is

Peyton Siva. Peyton Siva, Louisville

Summer job: Find his range.

Siva gets lots of experience at operating the pick-and-roll, but even though opposing big men dash away from the screen, daring him to shoot, Siva routinely drives right through that opportunity, whether behind the 3-point line or somewhere in front of it. He over-penetrated against Kentucky even though it often meant advancing the ball directly toward Anthony Davis.

Siva doesn't believe he can shoot, and the numbers say he's pretty much right: Only 17-of-69 (24.6 percent) on 3-pointers last season. But he's a 73.9-percent free-throw shooter. That means his shot has touch. Siva must work on coming off screens and stopping to shoot - from distances of 20, 16 and 14 feet.

If opposing big men begin to worry over that threat and try to cut off his path to the goal, his speed and dexterity will lead to higher-quality drives.

In other words, he'll become a pro.

New Mexico State, Louisville's Friday opponent in the openging game of the NCAA Tournament, enters the Tucson Regional with even less momentum than the Cards do.

Adam Zagoria names Wayne, Chane and Peyton (but not Gorgui) on his list of the top 15 players in the Big East for next season.

Chane Behanan, F, Louisville - A member of the All-Big East Rookie Team, Behanan averaged 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds last season. He could be in the mix for Big East Player of the Year honors if he breaks out as many expect he will.

Wayne Blackshear, G, Louisville - The freshman guard missed much of last season with a shoulder injury, but is expected to be fully healthy entering his sophomore year. A McDonald's All-American, he averaged 32.6 points and 14.6 rebounds his senior year at Chicago's Morgan Park High School.

Peyton Siva, G, Louisville - One of the top returning point guards in the league, Siva will have plenty of weapons at his disposal, with Behanan, Blackshear and Gorgui Dieng among those back. He averaged 9.1 points and 5.6 assists a year ago, when the Cards won the Big East Tournament and reached the Final Four.

Louisville is the first school to offer a scholarship to Orlando wide receiver Tim Miller.

In one of the least likely bit of "frat news" ever, a U of L frat was featured on "Extreme Couponing" Monday night. Well done, gents.

My interview with the Ky Sports Co folks was the most viewed broadcast on the entire iHigh network for 2011-12. Eat that, Jones.

This is what all your dogs do after you fall asleep.

Rivals has released its new top 100 rankings for the class of 2013, and surprisingly zero players from the state of Kentucky (a group which includes James Quick) made the cut. U of L recruit Vernon Hargreaves (DB from Tampa) is ranked No. 9 overall.

Kevin Ware is back on campus and back in his room at Minardi Hall, so there's 95,000 offseason rumors that can be put to bed.

John Calipari is now stating that he wants to schedule a triple-header featuring Kentucky's men's and women's basketball teams and the football team all playing a common opponent at some point. This is where Joker Phillips should just DDT him before saying, "f--k it, I'm out."

And finally, Bill Connelly with one of the more extensive (and accurate) Louisville football previews you'll see this summer.

I enjoy the young man's game.

The first photo is from Lorenzo Mauldin, the second Hakeem Smith.

It may seem a little over-the-top (or "OD" as the kids say) for a 7-6 season, but a Big East championship is a Big East championship, and those rings are pretty sweet.

Continue reading this post »

The Louisville baseball team heard its name called on Selection Monday for the fifth time in six years when it drew the three seed in the Tucson Regional earlier today.

The Cards will open play in the big dance Friday night at 7 p.m. against second-seeded New Mexico St. That game will be carried live on ESPNU.

Top-seed and host Arizona will then play Missouri in the nightcap. U of L defeated Mizzou twice in 2007 to win the Columbia Regional on their way to the College World Series.

Winning just one game in the Big East Tournament was obviously a disappointment for the Cards, but the result here is a pretty good draw. Yes, it sucks having to go out West, but they don't have to face a national seed and the other two teams in the pod aren't exactly juggernauts.

Sounds a lot like the tournament draw of another Louisville team.

This is my new go-to happy image.

Enjoy the always-special Sunday that feels like Saturday, folks.

Here's a solid start to the long weekend.

University Christian (Jacksonville) defensive end Marquis Haynes has committed to Louisville.

The 6-4, 200-pound rising senior had offers from West Virginia, Kentucky, Minnesota, South Florida and Iowa State, among others.

Here's your newest Cardinal commit in action:

The Louisville baseball team managed just four hits against Connecticut starter Anthony Marzi as the Huskies pulled the upset of the top-seeded Cardinals in Big East Tournament play Friday. The game was originally supposed to be played Thursday night, but rain pushed the start back to 11 a.m. this morning.

The fifth-seeded Huskies managed to get 10 hits off of Big East Pitcher of the Year Justin Amlung, and plated two runs in both the third and fifth innings.

The support was much-appreciated by Marzi, whose sparkling 2.80 ERA does not match up with his 2-8 record. That's because his offense failed to score a single run in six of his starts this season.

"He's been shut out five or six times. I've never seen anything like it, the lack of run support," UConn coach Jim Penders said. "We haven't given him any runs. I was real happy to see we finally got him some runs."

Louisville now turns its attention to fourth-seeded South Florida, which it will face tonight at 6 p.m. in an elimination game. If the Cards win they will have to beat UConn twice tomorrow in order to earn a spot in Sunday's championship game.

Dan McDonnell will hand the ball to Big East Rookie of the Year Jordan Ruxer against the Bulls.

Have yet to watch this without at least smiling.

Isaac Wiles has stolen Kentucky's national championship trophy and is holding it captive for...one million dollars.

Is that from Star Wars?

After being rained out last night, Louisville and Connecticut are finally underway in the second round of the Big East Tournament in Clearwater. The winner advances to tomorrow's semifinal round, while the loser will have to play in an elimination game later today.

You can watch the game (and all others from the tournament) right here.

Congratulations to Mario Benavides on being named to the Rimington Award watch list (best center) for a second straight season.

The best sports GIFs of the week is becoming one of my favorite Friday traditions.

Andrew Jones couldn't help making a quick pit stop on his way to see the Cubs play the White Sox at Wrigley last weekend.

DePaul Day in May is the equivalent of Christmas in July. Celebrate appropriately this weekend.

Congratulations to softball coach Sandy Pearsall on her induction into the Miami University Cradle of Coaches Association.

Kentucky fans: still insane.

And again.

That was from Wes Vance, who was taking Wednesday's proclamation of "the most Big Blue Nation thing you'll see all day" as a challenge.

It's a tough call.

SI talks about the race for Montrezl Harrell.

But the sudden availability of such a touted player has sparked a feeding frenzy of attention. Kentucky, Alabama, LSU and Florida are among the plethora of schools now courting the 6-foot-7 power forward.

After spending his senior season at Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Academy, however, only one school has been able to lock down an official visit: Louisville. Rick Pitino's Cardinals look like the definite team to beat.

There are several factors working in the Cardinals' favor. First, assistant Kevin Keatts was the head coach at Hargrave before he accepted a job at Louisville last summer. Second, the Cardinals play a style that fits Harrell perfectly -- and the player and his family hope to make a decision quickly.

Time is also on Pitino's side. Harrell will visit Louisville on May 31 and will head to Colorado Springs, Colo., to try out for USA Basketball's U18 team shortly thereafter. There's not much time to squeeze additional visits in between.

There's also a section on the rise of U of L recruit Jarell Martin.

Best books of the Goosebumps series:

1. The Horror at Camp Jellyjam

2. Night of the Living Dummy

3. A Night in Terror Tower

R.L. Stine jumped the shark around book 867, but I kept buying the new ones at every book sale because they looked so great on my shelf. Goosebumps books in 1994 were what baseball cards were in 1964.

Teddy and Chane:

An informative response from the U of L compliance office on the scholarship situation as it pertains to basketball.

Speaking as a general rule and not about any individual student-athlete or hypothetical situation the following rules would apply.

-If a student-athlete has a one year renewable scholarship, he/she can be non-renewed for the following year and become a walk-on if they choose to.

-Once a student-athlete signs a renewal of their scholarship for the following year, the scholarship cannot be non-renewed at that point, and also the student-athlete cannot voluntarily give-up the scholarship and become a walk-on for the following year. The only exception would be if a student-athlete were to be awarded non-athletics institutional aid (i.e. academic scholarship) that is greater than or equal to the athletic scholarship. In that case they can voluntarily give up their athletic aid. This is put in place so that student-athletes do not feel pressured to "voluntarily" give up their scholarship.

If a student-athlete was initially recruited and then is not renewed in a subsequent year and also is not receiving any other type of "institutional aid", they can remain and participate as "walk-on" for that year without any restrictions.

While there are more restrictions for "recruited" student-athletes receiving non-athletic aid, there are also academic honor award exceptions that allow certain types of aid to be awarded. Every student-athlete situation is different and looked at individually.

I feel like Memorial Day is the holiday that everyone looks forward to and enjoys, but never comes out of with any great, specific memories. I know I always enjoy the weekend, but I don't think of it and immediately draw the same specific memories the way I do with Christmas or Halloween or even the Fourth of July.

No idea why I felt the need to address this, but my delete button is broken again so there's no going back, literally (ba-zing). Anyway, I'm excited about the weekend and will buy a drink for anyone and everyone I see doing the Preston Dance in public over the next three days. Dead serious.

And finally, a good reminder over in the FanPosts that the Neutral Zone is holding a 50% off sale through Sunday. Now is the time to pull the trigger on that infra-red poncho you've been eyeing since March.

Kentucky fans have never tried to hide the fact that they are a different breed. Traveling thousands of miles for games, wearing nothing but blue from November through March, turning your dog into a piece of a UK memorabilia; these are just things that come with the territory.

The latest example? A remarkably detailed portrait of Anthony Davis...made completely out of Reese's Puffs and Kix cereal.

Continue reading this post »

Come on out and get your whoopin'.

Grab a drink, throw some confetti and start an impromptu parade wherever you are. Tim Higgins is calling it a career.

He has been to 10 Final Fours, which is more than Jim Calhoun or Jim Boeheim, and left each of them undefeated. Which is not to say Tim Higgins was perfect. He is a game official, so we know it's unlikely he got every call right.

Higgins will retire from officiating this summer, sources in the Big East Conference told Syracuse Post-Standard basketball writer Mike Waters. He was a member of the Big East's first officiating team; the league opened for business in 1979.

You were...well, you were not a good official, Tim.

Jim Burr? Karl Hess? TV Teddy Valentine? Everyone's doing it, fellas.

Unbeknownst to most of you, I've been attempting to parlay this gig into a hip-hop career for some time now. I've got the skills (obviously), but the only holding me back has been the reluctance of any established artist/producer in the game to take a chance on me.

Until now.

@CardChronicle It's no secret you are the #1hiphop head in the city hands down. You can deny it all you want but we all know the truth ;)

— Audio Stepchild (@audiostepchild) May 23, 2012

S/O to @CardChronicle for the support... look for Mike Rutherford to spit hot fire on the next album, mark it!

— Audio Stepchild (@audiostepchild) May 23, 2012

I've spent the past 12 hours locked in a room with nothing but a pen and a pad. Have yet to come up with any puns for the name "Russ." Am I deterred? Absolutely not.

Do you know that Nas originally went with "Santa Cruz State of Mind" on Illmatic instead of "New York State of Mind?" Did you know that I just made that up? I did. Doesn't change the fact that "Santa Cruz State of Mind" would have ruined the entire album.

Inspired.

On Wednesday it was Scout.com showing some love to Louisville's commits in its new class rankings, today it's ESPN.

First up is 2013, where the four letter network now has Anton Gill as a four-star recruit ranked 34th.

As for the class of 2014, ESPN now has Ballard star and Cardinal commit Quentin Snider ranked 26th overall and the fifth highest-rated four-star recruit.

Q (I did it) is one of just two committed players ranked in the top 30. No. 7 Trey Lyles (Indiana) is the other.

This is a solid way to spend at least 3:36 of your Thursday.

Continue reading this post »

The Big East has announced a change in its men's basketball conference tournament for the 2013-14 season when the league is expected to expand to 18 members.

The tournament will no longer feature a straight "double bye" into the quarterfinals for the top four seeds. Instead, the four lowest seeded teams will square off in two "play-in" games on the Monday of tournament week, and then the tournament will proceed in standard form with the remaining 16 teams.

On the Tuesday of tournament week, the top four seeds will play the bottom four seeds in a quartet of first round games. The remaining eight teams will play their first round games on Wednesday. The quarterfinals, semifinals and final will then be played on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, respectively.

The coaches believe that the day of rest in between the first round and the quarterfinals will provide the top four seeds with as much or more of an advantage as the current double bye set-up does.

The other proposed option was keeping the tournament form as is and excluding the bottom two teams in the league, but the Big East coaches were unanimous in their support of including all 18 teams in the tournament.

The women's tournament will also include all 18 teams, however its form will not be altered as drastically. The two play-in games will be held on the Thursday of tournament week, and then the remaining 16 teams will play out the remainder of the tournament under the current double bye format.

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