Seldom have I seen a game analyzed in such excruciating detail as this Syracuse game.

Mind you, as I left that game, I too had my mind swimming with a recriminating, long list of items that had caused our downfall.

And it has been most illuminating --and fairly entertaining-- to see the minutiae presented by Eric Crawford with his second-by-second breakdown of the final key play.

And yes, I know this game had potentially big implications as far as ultimate NCAA seedings go.

But... I say get off your red-and-black pogo stick and grab a handful of perspective: Just 10 days ago, we had our truly most important player--Gorgui-- go down with a severe ankle sprain. I have no doubt it still pains him and limits his hops.

At that moment--with Gorgui going to be at least severely hampered, and with the team still just gaining some much- needed momentum--three huge games loomed in front of this team: a talent-laden UConn team right away, then a trip to dreaded Morgantown and a solid and desparate WVU team, and then quickly a visit by the #2 team in the nation--who probably would be undefeated if it had had its star center in the one game it had lost.

I say to you now, Card and CC Nation: Who among you would have predicted that we would have annihilated UConn, beaten WVU, AND then barely lost to Syracuse? Who among you would not have been absolutely and drunkenly thrilled if a crystal ball had revealed that scenario to you at the moment Gorgui fell to the floor and then hobbled to the finished?

So...while I'm pissed as hell that we lost.... I'm also elated that this last week has turned out like it has.

We are again clearly demonstrating to me that we are a top 10-15 team...and that we can legitimately play with ANY team in the nation--right now! Fat Wayne is even in the house now, which just tells me that even more upside is possible.

So I say to you, take out your Woodford Reserve and pour a tall one! You, dedicated Card fan, deserve it, and so does the team, if they could drink it. Let us toast the week that was!

It’s been over 40 years since Knicks center Willis Reed emerged from that tunnel, limping in on one good leg, to inspire and lead his team to its first NBA title over the Lakers.

But it was apropos that Coach Rick Pitino invoked that moment to lead off his post game press conference after the Ville’s dramatic win over Rutgers at The Bucket yesterday....

I won't dive into the beehive like C. L Brown did... I won't question the rigor of the conditioning program or "too much practice."

But I will point out that I personally feel Pitino and his staff push players to get on the court as soon as possible-- and I'll go so far as to say, perhaps sooner than they should after injury.

Jared Swopshire resisted this "encouragement" strongly. He may yet get re-injured, but not yet.

We've now seen both Blackshear and Buckles come back not near 100%--and get re-injured.

I hear directly from Siva after the DePaul game that he had STILL been wearing a brace and that the ankle was not 100% yet. Are we surprised he can't jet past players or execute those spin moves off that pivot foot?

I hear Coach saying he is disappointed and "surprised" that SVT and Kuric were not ready to go last game against Marquette. If you saw the injuries to teammates mounting up, wouldn't you be reluctant to push it too?

Forget too much practice or too tough conditioning ...how about the simple question: Are players being pushed to play too soon after injuries?

It was streetball at its best/worst, and we amazingly covered the 16 pt Vegas spread–even with 40 minute/game Kyle Kuric on the sidelines with an ankle sprain, and center Gorgui Dieng arriving in a neck brace (but playing.)

We will see the true positive after- effects of the post- Providence ”come to Jesus” team meeting very soon in the next game at Marquette.

Ck out story and the usual great pics of the game--as well as some of my interview tidbits with players on that team meeting-- at...

We had some fun with this last time, so let's try it again.

I've got press passes for the DePaul game, so I have one free ticket available again to give away.

All you have to do this time is go over to my site http://hellinthehall.com/ and post your thoughts on what you think is wrong with the team right now, and how you would fix it. I'll pick what I think is the best one and not only give you a free ticket , but also post your comments on my site. I'll post other good ones too, but only one will be the winner of the ticket.

(Hint: Firing Pitino in the near future is not gonna happen, so...)

Cutoff time is 3 PM EST this Friday.

Oh... and to address comments by Carolina Cardinal and tdstout from last time, I will use my powers of telepathy to discern whether the winner is somehow connected to me in any way and DQ them :-)

BTW, while you're at Hell in the Hall, ck out photos from the ND game, if you want. If you couldn't stomach that game, you can at least see some Ladybird shots!

Frank

Ok, let's try something for fun. If it works out, I'll do it in the future when I get press passes too.

I always have one ticket available when I get a press pass, like I'm getting for the ND game. My girlfriend uses the other ticket ...but she usually finds one of her girlfriends in one of the suites, etc. and goes over to sit with them before or soon after the tip off. So, whoever gets the free ticket may ultimately sit alone, but hey! It's free and not a bad location.

To get the ticket, you need to go over to my website http://hellinthehall.com/ and leave a funny comment about Russ at my latest post. Or just state your case why "You" rather than your fellow Chronocloids. And then leave a contact #.

I'll choose the one that makes me snort milk thru my nose the most, and contact you tomorrow so you can pick it up before game time.

Cutoff for comments is at 3pm EST tomorrow (Fri).

Get to Russelin !

(BTW-- for those that don't know, my Hell in the Hall blog was inspired by Mike and the Card Chronicle a couple of years ago, and I consider the Card Chronicle my home site. That's why we make any pics we take with our press pass available for Chronocloids to view and use without any restrictions.)

Frank

Is Russ in Siva's head?

Ever since Pey-Pey went out with a sprained ankle, and Russ emerged from his shadow, Siva has had maybe one good outing --and several truly bad ones, including the last two.

In fact, as Russ has come on even stronger in the last few games , Peyton has regressed just as fast, back to falling down on his drives, fouling out, TO's--geez, you name it.

Is it a nagging injury? Severe ankle strains CAN linger. Four games back, I asked Pitino in the post game presser whether Siva's ankle was still hurting and causing issues. Coach said no, it was just lack of conditioning due to missing practice time due to the injury. The next day, Siva tells Rick Bozich that his ankle was still sore...

I personally don't think it's his ankle or lack of conditioning at this point. I think Russ is in Siva's head.

Carolina Cardinal made this point in one of the threads: " Remember that last year they tried to make Russ the back up point guard, Siva’s understudy so to speak. And now he is the leading scorer and getting tons of rebounds and steals. Continuing the theatre reference, imagine how a leading man might feel if his understudy suddenly was the headliner.... One more thing, a few games ago, in a post game presser, Siva said that “Russ Smith was saving us……” . I thought it odd that he would use Russ’ first and last name. Teammates are generally much closer than that and far less formal. Struck me as an odd way to put it. Again, could be nothing but just struck me funny.

ItsAllintheCARDS chimed in with this cogent thought: " Also you gotta go back and look at every magazine article for preseason CBB. We had the high preranking and guess who’s picture was almost always sitting next to our name? ‘Siva’ He def might have put to much pressure on himself going into this year because every analyst said he was our only player in the top 100."

So...is Russ in Pey-Pey's head? It's a question I plan to put to both Coach and Siva separately the next time I get a press pass (maybe this Sat *fingers crossed*)

What say you, fellow Chronocloids ?

Frank

There will be no "new" Rupp arena for years. I'm willing to bet A LOT of money on that.

Simple fact blocking it: The financial markets will not support a project like the Yum Center right now. And won't for years.

Finance guys who love the Cards know that we BARELY got the Yum Center financed just before the markets collapsed. The investment banking firm of Goldman Sachs that underwrote the financing for it, frankly almost went under themselves in that chaotic time.

We were lucky as hell.

And UK is not.... :-)

After the emotional turmoil in my season after that Card-megedon week of losses, I am beginning to think more clearly with Card history as my guidebook.

We just took two "Denny Crum" losses.

As anyone familiar with our history knows, Denny used to schedule difficult games early in the season, and we always took our lumps. He did it to toughen the team, humble them so their minds would be more open to the need for improvement, and because our Conference schedules back then were not like the Big East gauntlet we have faced since 2005. That is why Denny's teams seldom generated 12-0 starts, like a few of Pitino's teams have done.

Obviously, Denny's strategy worked. The fans accepted this logic-- in large part because of Denny's sheer brilliance in March. (He took us to a Final Four his FIRST year here, and to other ones every 2.5 years on the average through 1986. )

So...what am I saying here about this year's team? Here's my take thru less emotional lenses: 1) We have beaten some pretty decent teams this year during the streak. Ohio U. , Long Beach St. , and Vandy were no slouches. That alone showed some talent and grit--to keep the winning streak alive. Particularly in light of the injuries; 2) We finally played two top-notch, ranked teams. We lost but we had a chance to win in both games, and certainly were not blown out. Again-- a show of more talent and grit even in the losses.; 3) Now that we have taken our lumps, I guarantee the team's minds are more open to needing to improve. Maybe even Chane's mind and mouth will be tempered. We have been measured against some of the best, and come up lacking--but only at this moment. I believe that same talent and grit we have shown throughout will now serve us well in striving to improve for the future.It least it SHOULD.

We are in my mind a top 10-15 ranked team... with upside.... as Siva, Buckles, Van Treese, and Blackshear all get healthier, and as we now doubly focus on the areas we have now clearly know need improvement.

We lost both those games because of two things that have plagued us since the beginning of this season: Lack of rebounding and scoring droughts. Again, these can be improved as injuries hopefully minimize, and as full practices can become the norm.

We may never be a great rebounding team and possibly not even a great scoring team. But...if we can minimize those weaknesses, and build on our strengths we can be a legit top 5-10 ranked team. And if we can get to that point, believe me, anything can happen come NCAA tourney time. Remember history again: the 1980 squad was not favored to win the title even with Darrell, and certainly the 1986 team was a surprise winner.

We are not far away from putting us in a strong position to be a legit contender. And that's about all you can ever ask for, come time for the Dance...

I found a few old pics....

Art Carmody's tee and cbcard and a few other old hands on the CC know of what I speak , when I say loudly and proudly

I Hate Memphis St. !


http://hellinthehall.wordpress.com/2011/12/17/i-hate-mem-piss-st/

Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards!

Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards!

Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards!

Editor’s note: As we welcome Mem-piss St. to their first game in town in 7 years, it’s time to reminisce a bit on The Rivalry…written in 2008 on my experience on my last trip down there before we exited C-USA for the Big East....


http://hellinthehall.com/2011/12/14/goin-down-to-memphis/

Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards!

Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards!

Fairleigh Dickinson (was he related to Emily?) showed up, and we beat ’em.

That’s about all you need to know about this game, as we overwhelmed an underwhelming team.

But ....it's always worthwhile to ck out Matt Wickham's photos for HITH...

http://hellinthehall.com/2011/12/14/louisville-80-fairleigh-dickinson-58/

Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards!

Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards!

Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards!

Well, we just dismantled an alphabet school that we were supposed to take apart.

So why am I more than a tad worried?

http://hellinthehall.com/2011/12/08/u-of-l-k-o-s-iupui-90-60-so-why-am-i-concerned/

(With over 130 game pics from Matt Wickham)

Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards!

Near the end of a punishingly bad 22-12 first half, my pen had long since ceased to write…hell, my pulse barely still  twitched.

How bad was it?   Well....

http://hellinthehall.com/2011/11/22/a-historic-stinker-louisville-54-arkansas-st-27/

(With over 100 pics , and umm, a Ladybird video by Matt Wickham for Hell in the Hall....)

Go Cards!  Go Cards!  Go Cards!  Go Cards!  Go Cards! Go Cards!  Go Cards!  Go Cards!  Go Cards!  Go Cards!

Free 2 tix to Ark St. game tonight!  First to call gets 'em   807 3153.

Will have to pick them up on the door of my house in the Highlands--I'll give the address to the winner.

We have press passes for the game and photography tonight, so we will share pics with all tomorrow.

Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Why don't they get rid of this damn 75 word limit.....

Frank

Maybe I have not been observant enough before, but does anyone else see more LadyBirds out there, than ever before?

i quickly counted 35 at the Lamar game...and my date corrected me, saying 37.

And I noticed at the Pitt game earlier, the number looked almost triple, not including a slew of wannabe little children cheerleaders trying to emulate the routines.  (Of course, bourbon may have been involved...)

Hey--who in the Card chron universe knows?  Just how many LadyBirds are there anyway?

This year during the football games a new  version of our Card Bird mascot suddenly appeared.  

And it is  a stiff, plastic, spastic thing that made me wonder who the hell thought this was a good idea.

Am I the only one that is somewhat appalled at the sight of this new Milk Chug version of the Card Bird at the football and now basketball games?

Am I the only one that wants to take a big pin and pop that monstrosity?

Fellow Chronocloids ....your take on this....

Family friendly new mascot...or mildly disturbing ?

For those Card fans too young to truly remember,

let them know fully WHY many U of L fans over 50 don't just  dislike UK, they HATE Big Blue....

24 years....!

http://hellinthehall.com/2011/11/10/the-original-dream-game-u-of-l-uk-1983-2/

Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards!

Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards!

Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards! Go Cards!

The problem is not Will Stein, it's the O-Line.

Stein steadied himself after the early Pick 6, and threw for over 300 yds and two TDs and no further INTs, hitting on 30 of 43 passes.--while running for his life most of the time, since he was sacked 6 times!  

He was forced to throw, the other team knew he was going to do it--yet he was able to do it.  And, while running on a bad ankle on top of it.

It was, in retrospect, a truly heroic effort, spoiled by poor O- line protection and production with the running game.

Note: After the initial punch in the mouth 21-3, Stein and the Cards steadied and "won" the remaining game 14-3. I lay the blame for that on both the coaches and the players to not  have a strong initial  strategy to contain the one man that could beat them--and did.

IF Will and the Cards can stay steady in the initial going at UK next week, I believe we will win by 3-7 pts.

Teddy Bridgewater?  I think it's important to give Will ---and our season-- our best shot at least until hope is truly gone for a winning season.    Because Will right now is without a doubt the most consistent of our QB's. Only when hope is gone do I think you give Teddy more snaps.  (Mind you, hope could be gone as early as losses in the next two games.)