LOUISVILLE LOOKS FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE ELITE 8

March 27, 2009


The master of the Sweet 16, Rick Pitino, takes his Louisville Cardinals into Lucas Oil Stadium for 2009 NCAA Tournament match-up with Arizona with a berth in the Elite 8 on the line.

Arizona was hardly expected to make the tournament going into selection Sunday, let alone be playing after the first weekend. The Wildcats, let by interim head coach Russ Pennell, beat Utah, the 5th seed in round one and knocked off Cleveland State in the second round, 71-57.

The Selection Sunday inclusion of Arizona drew the ire of TV commentators following the release of the brackets. The Wildcats had lost five of their last six, finishing 9-9 in the Pac 10 and 19-13 overall. But, non-conference wins over Gonzaga and Kansas seemed to carry a lot of weight with the committee.

On Friday night, the Wildcats face their steepest challenge to date with a match-up against the overall #1 seed in Louisville, the regular season and conference tournament champions of the Big East.

Playing Louisville means playing against pressure and the depth of the guards. Arizona prefers a fast paced game, so they should be comfortable in the speed, but the press will keep coming at them in waves.

"I think it's that it's so relentless," coach Pennell said of the UL press. "They have so many guys they can put in there. They really get into the basketball and make it difficult. Then once those guys get tired, they put in a new wave. And they can just keep coming at you."

Arizona does not have the depth to keep rotating players in against the Louisville onslaught, so preventing the Cards from making a patented run will be a major key.

"The thing you have to be careful about, you can handle it (pressure) for a little while, then all of a sudden they hit you with one of those big runs," said Pennell. "That's, to me, what makes them so dangerous. All the games that we have watched, there's that one moment in the game where they've been able to really explode. You try to keep that from happening. It's easier said than done."

Arizona could be compared somewhat to a Duke-type team, preferring to have a free flowing game while Louisville will try to disrupt your offensive in a similar fashion as Villanova, attacking the guards on the perimeter and preventing you from running your offense in the manner you are comforable in.

Rick Pitino will work his team hard on the defensive end because there is some top-heavy talent on the Arizona club.

"They have outstanding talent," said Pitino. "We know that. Now they understand what their coaches are teaching them concept wise offensively and defensively. They're a very dangerous opponent."

While that is true, Louisville should not have much trouble getting through the Arizona press and while in turn, pressing the Wildcats none stop, the depth of Louisville should take hold and lead to a big lead as the game heads toward the stretch.

It is looking like another record-settting Round in the Elite 8 for the Big East.


NBE Blogger Prediction:

Louisville 79
Arizona 64