BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: CARDS LOOK TO CONTINUE STREAK VS USF

January 28, 2009


Red-hot Louisville will host South Florida in Freedom Hall this evening in a Big East conference match-up. The Cards are 6-0 in the Big East and have already won in South Florida earlier this month.

USF is 2-5 in Big East play with both wins coming against lowly DePaul. The Bulls have been dealing with injuries and distractions (arrests of Mike Mercer and Anthony Crater) and are likely in line for a long second half of the conference schedule.

Here are some pregame stories and previews found this morning on the internet:

Pitino: Bulls are Improved (Courier-Journal)
T-Will Figures it out in Fourth Year (Kentucky.com)
Jones Has a Shot at Bradley’s USF Records (Tampa Tribune)
Cards Set for South Florida (Courier-Journal)

The way things are setting up, Louisville might have the inside track at the regular season Big East championship. The home and home match-ups for the Cards include the Bulls, whom they have already beaten, Notre Dame, who is struggling mightily and West Virginia. No game is a gimme, and they can not afford to give one up in a spot like this.

With a frontline of Samardo Samuels, Earl Clark and Terrence Williams, the Cards have the firepower to overwhelm the Bulls. The Cards will unleash their full court pressure against a thin USF club that, even though their strength is in their backcourt, has trouble taking care of the ball.

Look for Louisville to rush out of the gate and then keep Dominique Jones and company at bay with their defense. Sometimes the UL offense might stall, so the NCAA basketball odds showing UL as a 17 ½-point favorite seems high, but these Cards are rolling along…

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Louisville 75
South Florida 57