BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Louisville @ West Virginia

February 24, 2006

In a match-up of last year's classic Elite 8 overtime game, Louisville and West Virginia meet as members of the Big East conference. Like nearly every game in this conference, this means a lot to both teams. West Virginia desperately needs to get back on track after losing four of their last five and seeing the rest of the league begin to challenge their hold on one of the top four spots in the conference. Louisville is fighting for their lives to participate in the Big East Conference Tournament in Madison Square Garden.


To read our preview and see our game prediction, click read more below and don't forget to leave your prediction in the comments section!

READ OUR PREVIEW...CLICK "Read More" BELOW


The most important elements in defeating West Virginia seems to be an experienced guard knowing how to break down the 1-3-1 zone (Carl Krauser, Donald Copeland, Marcus Williams and Gerry McNamara) and a frontline that comes to play and can finish inside (Aaron Gray, Kelly Whitney, Josh Boone and Terrence Roberts). Louisville, with all the injuries they have been facing and new faces in the mix, might not be the kind of team right now to pose a real challenge in Morgantown. With David Padgett out for the season and a freshmen at the point, Andree McGee, for the majority of the time, Louisville might have some trouble in this game. Last year, Louisville dialed in from long distance, hitting 11-28 from 3-pt range to pull off the OT win propelling the Cardinals to the Final Four. This season, they do not have the same 3-pt markmanship, despite the offense geared to the perimeter game.

West Virginia seems to be a tired team of late. for much of the season, Mike Gansey and Kevin Pittsnogle have been counted on to lead the Mountaineers, but of late, they do not seem to be playing well at the same time. Fatigue has looked like it has set in in regards to their defensive rotations in the paint and ability to knock down the 3-pt shot. WVU has yet to find any reliable offense outside their top six players who get the majority of the time. After wrapping up a grueling of five games, four on the road, in 11 days, the 4 days off between Monday's loss to Syracuse and Saturday's game with Louisville must seem like a vacation for WVU.

To put things in perspective for the Mountaineers, since they opened Big East play on January 5th, they have been going really hard for 46 days, playing 15 games. Usually, teams have at least a couple stretches in the conference with 6, 7 or 8 days off, but WVU played non-league games with UCLA (on the west coast) and Marshall to eliminate any chance for rest. Their top six guys have logged a lot of time.

Getting back home against a Louisville team that has been racked by injuries should be what the doctor ordered for the Mountaineers. With Pittsburgh coming to town Monday, they need a game to get their legs back under them and some confidence in their shooting. They are a veteran team that has been through tough times before and understand the tough schedule they have faced recently, but they do need to get a win for their psyche heading into the stretch, which also includes a road game with Cincinnati.

Taquan Dean is the big scoring threat for Louisville, but finding a couple other spots on the floor to contribute offensively is needed to break the WVU defense.

Look for WVU to enjoy some home cooking. Louisville is not a team to take lightly, there is talent, especially in Juan Palacios, Dean, Terrence Williams and others. Louisville is also fighting for their postseason lives, so effort will be there, but West Virginia's skill and experience will shine down on this one.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

West Virginia 74 Louisville 62

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: DePaul @ Louisville

February 22, 2006


It has not exactly been the kind of season that DePaul of Louisville had hoped for in their first run in the Big East. I am sure both programs were hoping this Wednesday night match-up in late February would mean something, but I doubt they figured it would be a key battle in determining which four teams make the Big East Tournament.

A tough year got even tougher for Louisville as David Padgett is now done for the season as he will undergo surgery on his ailing knee. DePaul, with a win, would suddenly become a strong contender for a spot in New York City, and they are coming off a road win at St. John's.

Here are the links to all the pregame stories and previews:

Battered Cards Still Hopeful (Newsday, AP Story)
Bad Luck Hits Padgett in the Knees (Louisville Courier-Journal)
Card's Padgett Out for Season (Lexington Herald-Leader)



Click below for our brief preview and prediction on this game and don't forget to leave your prediction in the comments section.

READ REST OF PREVIEW...CLICK "Read More" BELOW


Former Conference USA foes DePaul and Louisville renew their rivalry tonight in Freedon Hall with Big East postseason bids on the line. If the conference season ended today, neither Louisville or DePaul would make it to NYC for the Big East tournament. A win by Louisville would but them back in the picture, but a daunting schedule to finish the season, with games at West Virginia and Connecticut and a home date with Marquette does not bode well for a strong finish for the Cardinals, who are now without David Padgett.

A win tonight for DePaul would move them into a tie with Notre Dame and Louisville, just one game out of the mix for a spot in NYC. DePaul then faces Seton Hall and Syracuse at home before wrapping up at Notre Dame.

Looking at the current records and remaining schedules, it is probably safe to assume that Rutgers, St. John's and Notre Dame have the edge in heading to New York while Providence, Louisville, DePaul and South Florida have the toughest road to make it. The key number to have a chance is 5 wins. Louisville, or DePaul, must get to 5 wins and hope that St John's loses out (at Villanova and home against Rutgers) to draw them into a likely tie with Providence (assuming they lose out at Pitt, vs Notre Dame, at Marquette) and St. John's for the last spot, then, it is up to the tie-breaker scenarios.

As for tonight, well, Louisville is in a must-win state again. There are some that believe the Cardinals are still on some sort of bubble for the NCAA Tournament, I guess they could be, if they win out, which would give them a couple quality wins, even away from home, but now, withouth Padgett, any chance of that might have completely gone out the window. There is still some talent on this team, so they need to be taken seriously, but they are not a typical Rick Pitino team as they do not shoot the 3-pt shot as prolific as his teams in the past and they are not as physical as most teams in the conference, a dangerous combination if your looking at being successful in the Big East. Taquan Dean can still light up the scoreboard, but with no quality scorers to help relieve the pressure on him, it is a struggle to get good shots.

For DePaul, they have not really shown any sort of cinsistency all season. They had a brief run in December where they beat Dayton, Wake Forest and UAB, before being demolished by Old Dominion and then beat Cal. It looks like their season peaked just before Christmas and has been mostly lowlights since. With Sammy Mejia, Karron Clarke, Wilson Chandler and Draelon Burns, there is also talent on the DePaul roster, but inconsistent PG play and an offensive presence inside has made it very difficult for DePaul to challenge teams in the Big East for the full 40 minutes.

Tonight, it will be a close game. Louisville is favored by 9 pts and that seems to be too much as the Cardinals just have not been scoring. Even with Padgett, at home, they barely escaped beating South Florida. The former C-USA teams still have a chip on their shoulders when playing Louisville and target them with a strong effort. I expect a similar effort from DePaul, they might pull out the win, but Louisville comes together just enough to hold them off in the end.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Louisville 59 DePaul 56

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Louisville @ Syracuse

February 18, 2006


There probably has not been a more disappointing scenario for ESPN this year then the disappointing seasons suffered by Syracuse and Louisville in the Big East. When they put together their "dream" TV schedule, this did have the makings of an important Big East conference match-up and a good bet to have an ESPN Gameday production. However, both have losing records in the conference and Louisville is not even on the NCAA bubble in any seriousness at this time and Syracuse has been heading south, quickly.


For our the rest of our preview and prediction on the game, click below!

READ REST OF PREVIEW...CLICK "Read More" BELOW


Syracuse hit rock-bottom on Wednesday night when they were blown out, on their home floor, by a Cincinnati team they had demolished just a month earlier. When it was all said and down, Syracuse lot in every category that required effort, rebounding, defense, etc. And, the Syracuse faithful let the team hear it as the boos rained down from the rafters as Jim Boeheim cleared his bench as the Carrier Dome cleared out with still more than four minutes left in the game.

Things have not been any better at Louisville this year. Injuries have made the chance for any consistency impossible and a few academic suspensions have also thrown a wrench into the development of some freshmen. A light non-conference might have glossed over some of the short-comings, but the unforgiving Big East quickly exposed the Cardinals.

Louisville has five conference games left, after their trip to Syracuse they host DePaul before wrapping up with West Virginia (road), Marquette and Connecticut (road) and having to find, most likely, two wins to earn just a conference tournament bid, the Cardinals really must find a way to win this game.

Syracuse, on the other hand, plays a primetime game Saturday night and then must turnaround and lace them up on Monday when they host West Virginia Monday night. A tough task for a team fighting for the NCAA lives and an aspect of the conference scheduling that just burns coach Boeheim. The they finish out with road games at Georgetown and DePaul before closing the Gerry McNamara era in the Dome with a home game against Villanova. To insure their NCAA bid, they must win three games, to leave thier fate up to the committee, they still need to find two wins, so the Louisville game is a must have.

I do think the Orange bounce of the bottom they have hit and play with more life against the Cardinals. The crowd will quickly be behind their Orange again and their inside game will find things much more easier against a Louisville group that likes the physical game even less than Syracuse does. This is not the typical 3-pt shooting proficient Rick Pitino team we are used to and not having a true PG to crack the Syracuse zone will be their downfall. It almost sounds like my prediction for Syracuse against Cincinnati, and that did not turn out well, but, this one looks to be Syracuse's night.

NBE Blogger Prediction:
Syracuse 70 Louisville 65

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: South Florida @ Louisville

February 11, 2006


I am still waiting for something from Louisville. I have not been quite sure of what, but as soon as I begin to think they might turn the corner in the Big East, they let one slip away, this time it came on the road against Cincinnati as the Bearcats definitely played as if they wanted it more in beating the Cards 74-68. The loss dropped Louisville to 3-7 in the conference. They hit a little soft spot in their schedule which should help get them to NYC, but dropping the Cincinnati game might have been the decesive blow to their NCAA Tournament hopes, barring a big upset or two down the stretch.

The South Florida Bulls are still finding life very difficult in the Big East and at 0-9 in the league, with 4 of their next 5 on the road before closing with Connecticut and Georgetown at home, chances for a conference win are disappearing rapidly.

For our the rest of our preview and prediction on the game, click below!

READ REST OF PREVIEW...CLICK "Read More" BELOW

What has seemed to hamper the Cardinals all season is their inability to hit the 3-pt shot and get physical in the Big East. Juan Palacios and David Padgett did not look comfortable banging against the aggressive Bearcats on Monday and seemed to shrink from the challenge. Also, if a Rick Pitino team is not hitting from the 3-pt line, it is definitely cause for concern, as Pitino has designed a good portion of his offensive attack around using the arc as a weapon.

The Bulls, however, do not pose much of a threat inside to the Cardinals. With a depleted line-up, South Florida is running on fumes right now and I expect Louisville to turn up the pressure and the tempo and make this a game that is likely to be over with quickly and I look for Pitino to get his foot on the gas to try to awaken his team.

This one does not bode well for the Bulls, they have kept most of their games close, I do not think this is one they will be in for long.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Louisville 79 South Florida 58

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Lousville @ Cincinnati

February 6, 2006


Big Monday is upon us again and a couple of the former Conference USA powers collide in a match-up that looked to be a promising one when the schedules were put together, but the meaning of this game has taken a surprising turn for both programs.

Louisville, fresh of a dramitic home win against Notre Dame, will look to build some momentum for the first time in conference play tonight in Cincinnait. The Cardinals, are 3-pt underdogs against the Bearcats, sit at 3-6 in the conference, tied with Rutgers, Providence and St John's for the fourth and final spot in the Big East tournament. Nothing is going to be easy for Louisville down the stretch, stealing one here on the road could set them up to pick up some steam heading down the stretch.

Sitting just one game ahead of Louisville in the conference standings at 4-5 is the Cincinnati Bearcats. The Bearcats have lost 6 of their last 8 games since senior Armien Kirkland went down with a season ending knee injury. Their offensive struggles against the quality teams in the conference have been pretty consistent since, scoring just 56 PPG in their 5 conference losses in that stretch. They lost 67-50 at Louisville just 12 days earlier.

For our the rest of our preview and prediction on the game, click below!

READ REST OF PREVIEW...CLICK "Read More" BELOW


Even though Louisville has lost 5 of their last 7 games, head coach Rick Pitino is feeling better about their play of late. First and foremost, senior leader Taquan Dean is getting healthier and is contributing more and more each game and his 3-pter beating the buzzer to send the game against Notre Dame to overtime might have been the shot to potentially save the Louisville season. Even in their loss to Villanova last Monday, Louisville looked as good as they have all year for long stretches, now, they need to turn that into a few wins to start getting some momentum going forward. With Dean and David Padgett showing some added signs of life offensively of late, the scoring woes that haunted Louisville for a good portion of the early Big East schedule could be a thing of the past.

Although a game ahead of the Cardinals in the conference standings and on a similar run of losing, things seem to be a bit more pessimistic around the Bearcats. With a team that seems to get thinner in numbers every week and a group of players not used to losing, frustration has seemed to set in. They were not very competitve in road losses to Louisville and Georgetown before returning home to outlast South Florida. They fought hard early on against West Virginia, but once they fell behind, some of their frustration seemed to be turned towards each other, and, that is expected with how things have gone for Cincinnati this year and being up against the unforgiving Big East. For now, they are likely to go as far as their two senior leaders James White and Eric Hicks can take them without much help in the scoring, defensive or rebounding department from many others on their depleted roster.

Lately, Louisville has been pushing the tempo and finding success scoring the basketball. If they can establish that tempo tonight, it will be hard for Cincinnati to keep up. There is question as to whether Louisville freshmen Terrence Williams will be with the Cardinals tonight, but I was under the impression that his suspension was for one-game and would be back to add more depth and speed to the Louisville attack. The Cardinal pressure should make things tough for Cincinnati to get into their offensive flow. I do expect Cincinnati to come out spirited and play like their season is on the line and be energized by the partial home crowd, but that energy will only carry them so far and once Louisville gets control of the game, Cincinnati will have a tough time findins answers.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Louisville 68 Cincinnati 61

Read more!

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Notre Dame @ Louisville

February 4, 2006


Notre Dame's struggles in tight games during the Big East have been well-documented and I am sure, to the Notre Dame fan, beaten to death. On the other side, Louisville is also struggling and the two teams have combined for a 3-13 conference record and, at the half way mark in conference play, this becomes a pivital game for each team in their hopes for making the Big East Tournament in March.

Heading into the season, we felt that this could be a Notre Dame team that surprised some with how they would fare in the conference. After being victimized by a top-heavy schedule the last couple years, pushing the Irish off the NCAA bubble into the NIT, this was a season that shaped up favorably and they could be the team that used the schedule to their favor to make a run. So far, it has not happened. Even with a team that, for the most part, starts two seniors and two juniors, the Irish continue to lose close games down the stretch when you hope experience would take over. The Irish usually find themselves having to make a furious comeback after falling behind by large numbers only to fall short late in the game. It is a recurring theme of every game in conference play to this point, except for their lone conference win against Providence. The Irish had to hope that they would survive their first eight conference games, maybe getting three or four wins, and then look for a strong finish against a favorable schedule. The truth is, they still have that favorable schedule down the stretch, but the hole they have dug means they will have to win 7 of their last 8, quite a turnaround, but with a few favorable bounces, beginning Saturday, it is not out of the realm of possibility.

For our the rest of our preview and prediction on the game, click below!

READ REST OF PREVIEW...CLICK "Read More" BELOW

Louisville has to hope they are finally rounding into shape. Injuries to David Padgett, Juan Palacios, Taquan Dean, Brian Johnson, Chad Millard, etc have ripped the Cardinals of any chance to gel together and gain consistency. I thought Louisville has actually played pretty well over their last four games, but in the new Big East, sometimes playing well can have a cruel outcome and the Cards have lost three of those four games. Their schedule the rest of the way is fair, but still challenging enough with Syracuse, Cincinnati, West Virginia and Connecticut all on the road that slipping up at home will destroy any chance they have of getting back into the NCAA picture. Holding serve at home and finding a way to win two of those road games could thrust Louisville back into a positve light, so that push MUST begin NOW.

The match-up with these two teams is interesting. The Louisville defense along the perimeter is going to have to be on their toes and limit the Irish their open looks from 3-pt range. The Cardinals will also have to go inside and work the Irish over near the rim and use their athletic advantage to rebound and transition against the Irish. Playing at home against an Irish team that must be wearing down physically and mentally with all the challenging games should give the Cardinals the lift they need.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Louisville 69 Notre Dame 65

Read more!