BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: NOTRE DAME @ LOUISVILLE

February 28, 2008


This week's Thursday Night spotlight is a dandy as Notre Dame and Louisville battle it out for what could be a showdown for the conference title. The Irish finish up their schedule with DePaul, St. John's and South Florida after tonight, so this is obviously their biggest challenge in their last four games. Louisville will host Villanova on Sunday and travel to Georgetown to close out the conference regular season schedule.

Here are the local media previews and game stories on tonight's showdown:

Irish Battle Tested for Showdown (South Bend Tribune)
It's Time for Irish to Take Title Shot (Chicago Tribune)
Season Heading into Interesting (Journal Gazette)
Notre Dame Offense Will Test U of L (Courier-Journal)
UofL Bracing for Hot Shooting Notre Dame (Kentucky.com)
Cards to Try Bit of Everything Against Notre Dame (Courier-Journal)


An exciting match-up is set for Freedom Hall tonight and the two teams that seem to be playing the best basketball right now in the Big East go head to head when Louisville hosts Notre Dame.

Louisivlle has won nine of their last 10, losing only by two points at Connecticut in that stretch. The Cards have won with defense, they have won with offense, whatever is needed, they have responded with it. Senior David Padgett has overcome a series of injuries the last few years and has stepped up his game down the stretch providing leadership and production on a consistent basis. He scored 18 in the win over Georgetown, added 20 in a victory at DePaul and scored 21 on Sunday against Pittsburgh. Tonight, he will use his post moves and height to work against Luke Harangody of the Irish. Harangody will look to bull his way through Padgett and continue his assault on the Big East. Harangody has emerged as the favorite to win the Big East's Player of the Year award, but the way Louisville has taken off with a healthy Padgett, you could argue that Padgett might be the most valuable player to his team.

The Louisville defense will be challenged by the inside/out combination of Kyle McAlarney and Harangody. McAlarney is coming off a Notre Dame record nine three's against Syracuse on Sunday and will challenge and stretch the Cardinal defense. Rick Pitino has seen it all before and will try to come up with different wrinkles to contest McAlarney's shots and try not to allow him to get comfortable on the perimeter. Super-quick Tory Jackson will provide another challenge as his dribble penetration could provide kick-outs to an open McAlarney on the perimeter.

The Irish, winners of eight of nine, also have had their last loss handed to them at Connecticut. Notre Dame is not the deepest team in the league, normally playing seven or eight players with Luke Zeller and Jonathan Peoples getting spot minutes behind a top 6, that also includes consistent Rob Kurz and small forwards Ryan Ayers and Zach Hillesland. How the Irish handle the pressure defense from the Cards will decide this game.

Louisville will look to get their athletic forwards Earl Clark and Terrence Williams free against the ND defense. The Irish were destroyed on the boards against Syracuse on Sunday and the Cards have the size and depth on the front line to give them fits on the boards as well. Juan Palacios and Derrick Caracter could start for nearly every team in the Big East, so they have high-quality depth behind Padgett and Clark. Williams is the x-factor, he is capable of taking his game to another level, especially if his shot is falling. The UL guards have been getting more consistent in playing both sides of the ball in Pitino's preferred style, brining it all together for the Cardinals.

Louisville started the season as the preseason co-favorite with Georgetown and after suffering through the injury bug, it looks as though they have put the pieces together for a late season run. Notre Dame has faced a tough schedule and they just keep on winning, setting themselves up to be in position for the league title. It has been a great season that still has more success to come for the Irish.

Playign at home, I think Louisville controls this game. They are the 8-pt favorite and I think they jump on Notre Dame defensively and work the boards hard to get key second chance points when needed.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Louisville 77 Notre Dame 67

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: LOUISVILLE @ DEPAUL

February 12, 2008


The Louisville Cardinals look to follow-up their stirring win in an electric atmosphere over Georgetown by earning a road win at DePaul this evening. The Blue Demons needed a big 2nd half rally on Saturday to defeat the lowly South Florida Bulls.

Here are the pregame stories and previews from local media outlets:

DePaul's Will Walker Coming into His Own (Chicago Tribune)
Pitino Says Cards Ae at Best So Far (Louisville Courier-Journal)
Walker's Stats Running Higher (Daily Herald)
Demons Seek Upset over Louisville (Sun-Times)

Another Conference-USA rivalry is renewed tonight in Chicago as DePaul hosts Louisville in a Big East conference match-up. The Blue Demons have a tough road ahead in the Big East schedule, so finding a way to come out with victories at home is very important. DePaul avoided disaster on Saturday, rallying from an 11-point halftime defecit to beat South Florida. Tonight they will hope to catch Louisville still on a high from their Primetime Saturday nigh win over Georgetown in 'White-out' conditions at Freedom Hall.

The Blue Demons have the athletic ability and size to match-up with Louisville, but they do not have the depth upfront, so they need to keep Mac Koshwal and Wesley Green on the floor as much as possible. They could go smaller and try to match-up Karron Clarke with forwards Earl Clark and Juan Palacios, but that will hurt them on the boards. Dar Tucker on the wing is a similar player to Terrence Williams but has the disadvantage in terms of experience. The guard situations are rather similar as well with each head coach trying to get his point guards to take on the prefered role. It looks like Edgar Sosa for Louisville and Cliff Clinkscales for DePaul are coming around more consistently.

Louisville is a 7.5-pt favorite, but be aware of a letdown tonight. Rick Pitino might be shuttling players in and out to find the combination that is ready to play tonight while DePaul will look to jump on the Cards early. If Louisville depends on the three-point shot, look for the Blue Demons to build an early lead...however, Louisville will right the ship and come from behind for the win.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Louisville 69 DePaul 63

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: GEORGETOWN @ LOUISVILLE

February 9, 2008



ESPN Primetime, live from Freedom Hall! It is going to be a full day of excitement and events for the Louisville fans as they prepare to welcome Georgetown Saturday night. This is the match-up of the Big East co-favorites from the preseason. Georgetown has lived up to their advanced billing, while Louisville has been a little slower in hitting their stride, but they have certainly showed signs of putting things together from time to time.

Georgetown has only lost one game in the Big East, at Pittsburgh, and sit at 9-1 with a six-game win streak. They have not always been impressive, but while every other team has been up and down and not immune to be blown out, the Hoyas remain in every game and doing enough to win them.

Georgetown is a team that shares the ball and runs effecient offensive sets. Roy Hibbert is their leader in the middle at 7'2. He might not look fancy on offense and often looks awkward, but he has learned to use every inch of his 7'2 frame to his advantage on both ends of the floor and is comfortable passing the ball on the perimeter to cutters. DaJuan Summers is still the player I am waiting on to take a giant leap forward in becoming one of the league's best, but the Georgetown system seems to allow everyone a fair share in the spoils.

This game features two excellent and deep frontcourts. Hibbert and Summers with Patrick Ewing Jr and Vernon Macklin off the bench face off against David Padgett and Earl Clark with Juan Palacious and Derrick Caracter off the bench for Louisville. If either unit can get an edge, it could tilt the game in favor of their team. With Padgett back in the line-up, Louisville is much more consistent and their offense flows better. They just need to stay away from falling in love with the perimeter shot.

Running the show for Louisville is Edgar Sosa. He needs to make sure the Cards get the ball inside, take his offense when it comes and manage the game. He is still learning the position of point guard for Rick Pitino and the learning curve has continued, but he is coming off his best performance of the season as the point guard in the win at Marquette. Jerry Smith is his backcourt mate and is one of the league's best three-point shooters. If Sosa concentrates on getting his teammates involved offensively in position to score, they will be tough to beat.

The Georgetown backcourt of Jesse Sapp and Jonathan Wallace is definitely under-appreciated by the masses, but they have both hit many BIG shots in BIG situations. They may not be the flashiest or the most exciting, but they are very effective. They understand where the Georgetown team excels and take their opportunities as they come to them.

At the wing, Louisville's best all-around player, Terrence Williams is matched up with promising Georgetown freshman Austin Freeman. Both players have good size and play an all-around game, but if Williams is hitting his shots, Louisville is VERY tough to beat. Freeman seems very close to completely busting out, he and Summers are a pair that could take Georgetown to another level down the stretch if they become more assertive.

Georgetown is definitely the most effective team in the Big East this season. Louisville is the team we are waiting to bust out. They have showed signs with big wins over Marquette and blowing out Rutgers like no other. However, they have had their shares of lapses too. Whenever your ready to jump on the Louisville to the Final Four bandwagon, they blow a tire. However, if Edgar Sosa relishes the role of playmaker, they could get this wagon moving quickly.

With a national audience and a jazzed Freedom Hall crowd, we look forward to seeing Louisville at their best and getting an impressive win over Georgetown.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Louisville 74 Georgetown 66

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: LOUISVILLE @ MARQUETTE

February 4, 2008


Conference positioning is at stake as Louisville and Marquette both look to break from the masses in the middle of the conference and solidify position for one of the four Big East Tournament byes. The Cardinals beat Marquette in Freedom Hall back in January, 71-51, and the Golden Eagles will look for revenge tonight.

Here are the local media previews on tonight's Big Monday match-up:

Cards on their Mark, Set to Go to Marquette (Louisville Courier-Journal)
MU Rivalry With Louisville Has Developed into a Classic (Journal-Sentinel)
Cards Start Big Week at Marquette (Kentucky.com)
cards Better Be Ready for Primetime (Courier-Journal)

It is a VERY big week for the Louisville Cardinals, beginning tonight as part of Big Monday on ESPN when they travel to meet Marquette and ending late Saturday night with a ESPN Primetime showdown with league-leading Georgetown. The Cards enter tonight's contest at 6-3 in the conference and the second half of their conference schedule is definitely among the toughest in the league.

Marquette played strong and came up with a conference road win, dispatching Cincinnati 75-60 on Saturday. Marquette has now won three in a row in the Big East and got the monkey off their back by winning a Big East game on the road. Like the Louisville schedule, things do not get any easier for Marquette as the Big East heads towards March.

In their prior meeting, Marquette put forth a dismal offensive display, shooting 30% overall from the field, which included an o-fer (0-12) from beyond the arc. The Cards also battered Marquette on the boards, outrebounding Tom Crean's squad 49-34. Terrence Williams (20 pts) and David Padgett (17 pts, 10 rebounds) led the way for the Cards. The Marquette offense was so bad they registered just two assists in the entire game against 13 turnovers, seven of which were committed by Jerel McNeal (16 pts).

Marquette is coming off what is likely their best performance of the season, a 75-60 win at Cincinnati. Ousmane Barro, who has largely been invisible this season, stepped up and scored a season-high 19 pts and added 10 rebounds as the Golden Eagles won the battle of the boards as well. Lazar Hayward also scored 19 in the win. Jerel McNeal scored 13 points, added 7 assists and did not commit a single turnover.

Marquette will need another strong effort from Barro against the big and deep Louisville frontcourt. The Cards have a senior duo of Padgett and Juan Palacios along with a sophomore pair of Derrick Caracter and Earl Clark to face Barro, Dwight Burke and the small forward pair of Lazar Hayward and Dan Fitzgerald that masquerade as power forwards in the Marquette attack. Their lack of size in many instances is covered up by their deep and talented group of guards led by McNeal, Dominic James and Wesley Mathews, who all have help from Maurice Acker and David Cubillan off the bench.

Louisville's backcourt is manned by Jerry Smith, a Wisconsin native who was Louisville's hero in last season's thrilling win in the Bradley Center, Edgar Sosa and Andre McGee. This group, along with super-athletic junior wing Terrence Williams demolished Rutgers, forcing them into 24 turnovers, 87-50 over the weekend as the Cards looked like a classic Rick Pitino club flying all over the court.

If Louisville is going to take their place as the challenger to Georgetown that everyone expected in the preseason, this is the week to do it. Marquette will definitely have something to say about that as the Golden Eagles were also expected to challenge. Marquette is a 3.5-pt favorite tonight on their home floor and the Bradley Center crowd should have Marquette amped. The energy buzz that the crowd should provide the home team should allow the defensive clamps to be put down on the perimeter, making it tough for Louisville to take advantage of their front court advantage. If Marquette can make just enough from the perimeter, they should fend off Louisville in a spirited match-up.

NBE Blogger's Prediction: Marquette 69 Louisville 66

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: RUTGERS @ LOUISVILLE

February 2, 2008


Rutgers and Louisville meet for the second time this season as the Cardinals came up with a win earlier this year at the RAC. On Saturday, the Scarlet Knights travel to Freedom Hall as the Cards try to rebound from last Monday's defeat at UConn on Big Monday.

Rutgers is coming off a draining overtime home loss to rival Seton Hall. RU rallied from a 12-pt halftime lead to force overtime, but the Pirates regrouped and outscored Rutgers 17-4 in the extra session.

It is time for Louisville to begin turning things on. They are as healthy as they are likely to get this year with seniors Juan Palacios and David Padgett playing upfront with sophomores Derrick Caracter and Earl Clark. The super-athletic Terrence Williams handles the wing position. Rick Pitino will start pointing this club towards 'March' mode and time to let them run. They still need to get their talented, but inconsistent, backcourt to utilize their talent in the frontcourt. They should not be hoisting up 20 three's in a first half like they did against Connecticut last week, even with the imposing presence of Hasheem Thabeet in the middle.

Rutgers doesn't quite have a Thabeet in the middle, but Hamady D'Diaye and JR Inman form an athletic and big duo with Byron Joynes in the frontcourt. However, that is all they have upfront, so I look for Rick Pitino to implore his troops to sttack the post.

Rutgers improvement of the last few weeks has been led by their freshman guard duo of Corey Chandler and Mike Coburn. Coburn scored 40 points combined in the wins over Pittsburgh and Villanova recently and Chandler looks to be getting over the foot injury that limited him as conference play began. Anthony Farmer and Jaron Griffin round out the regulars for RU, they are not deep, but their backcourt is solid.

Coming off the loss to UConn, I expect the Cards to go on a run of good basketball and that it will start on Saturday. They will still look for their share of three's, but the look inside will be made first and that will open up their game.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Louisville 78 Rutgers 65

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: LOUISVILLE @ CONNECTICUT

January 28, 2008


The XL Center in Hartford is the site of this week's Big Monday contest as Louisville travels to Connecticut to take on the Huskies in a pivotal Big East Conference Showdown. Both teams were in action on Saturday afternoon as Louisville eased past St. John's and a short-handed UConn squad pulled off a big win on the road against Indiana.

Here are the local medial previews and stories on tonight's game:


No Rest for the Weary (New London Day)
Huskies Game Carries Weight for Cards (Louiville Courier-Journal)
Thabeet Blossoming on the Block (Courier-Journal)
U of L Faces Surging UConn (Kentucky.com)
Dyson, Wiggins Wont Play Against Cards (Courier-Journal)
Little Time to Savor Win (Hartfod Courant)
Calhoun Proud of 'Special' Win (Rep-Am)
Underage Huskies Found With Alcohol (Connecticut Post)

Connecticut has been on a roll since they lost at the XL Center to Providence College 11 days ago. Since that game they rolled past Marquette and picked up road wins over Cincinnati and now Indiana. The win over Indiana was particularly impressive as it handed Kelvin Sampson his first loss at home since becomming the Hoosiers head coach. The win also came without Jerome Dyson and Doug Wiggins, suspended prior to the game by UConn coach Jim Calhoun. Late Thursday night the pair was cited by UConn police for possession of alcohol by minors. They remain suspended indefinitely and will not be with the team for tonight's game.

Louisville sits at 5-2 in conference play and has won six of their last seven games overall. The lone loss was on the road to Seton Hall on January 19th. Louisville saw a 14-pt 2nd half lead evaporate in that one. Since then, they have cruised past both South Florida and St. John's and now look to make a statement in the conference that they want to be the challenger of Georgetown's lead in the Big East. So far, anyone who looks like they are positioning themselves to join the Hoyas as separating from the conference pack have been pulled back to the pack, sometimes (see Pitt) in the unlikeliest of ways.

Without Dyson and Wiggins, the Huskies become quite thin in the backcourt. AJ Price remains the starting point guard and is joined in the backcourt by Craig Austrie. Their only backcourt reserve is freshman Donnell Beverly, who was not seeing much time prior to the suspensions.

Louisville does not have much depth in the backcourt either and relies on three guards to play most of their minutes with Edgar Sosa, Jerry Smith and Andre McGee. coach Rick Pitino does have a couple options with freshman Preston Knowles and walk-on Will Scott to go deeper, but often times they are used when Pitino seems exasperated with his other guards.

UConn's depth has been hit throughout the season with the transfer of Marcus Johnson earlier and now the indefinite suspenions of Dyson, their leading scorer, and Wiggins. Stanley Robinson now becomes an even more vital player and must find consistent production from the wing with a ton of potential. The inside combination of strongman Jeff Adrien and 7'3 Hasheem Thabeet is usually enough to intimidate anyone, but the Cardinals bring a talented frontline themselves with seniors David Padgett and Juan Palacios along with sophomores Derrick Caracter and Earl Clark. On the wing, Terrence Williams is the one that makes the Cards go with his all-around play.

We have seen teams band together short-handed and get a short-term lift to overcome the adversity. However, it is often tough to maintain that level. With such a quick turnaround from their trip to Indiana for a tough win and coming home to face a Louisville team that is slowly putting things together, it looks to be a tall order for the Huskies. They still have talent and they still have decent numbers on the roster, but Louisville will be coming with something to prove.

Connecticut is a slight home favorite in the early lines, but look for Louisville to be just a little too deep and to continue their defensive improvement to get a tight win on the road.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Louisville 67 Connecticut 64

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: ST. JOHN'S @ LOUISVILLE

January 26, 2008


Hopefully for Norm Roberts and his young St. John's Redstrom, Wednesday night will be the low water mark of the season. The Redstorm, playing their first Big East game at Madison Square Garden, were pounded by Pittsburgh 81-57 in front of a crowd that barely filled 25% of the season.

Louisville has been playing well and bounced back from a tough loss at Seton Hall with a dominating win over South Florida on the road. The Cardinals seem to have their injury woes behind them and are moving forward. Not quite in a stright-line, but progress is evident.

Prior to the Pitt debacle, St. John's played West Virginia tough in Morgantown and there seemed to be some hope. Against the Panthers the only bright spot was Anthony Mason's 29-pt performance. The rest of the team combined for 28 as a colelctive group.

Now the 'Storm travels to Freedom Hall and you do feel a little but of pity towards the young group. Louisville looks to have a clear advantage at every position on the floor and if you went with a 2nd five from Louisville against the SJU top 5, you would be hard pressed to find more than one SJU advantage.

But, the play the games for a reason. St. John's does have some athletes that can get up and down the floor and defend with vigor. If they find anyone willing to consistently knock down a few shots, they would improve greatly. The best candidate seems to be sophomore Larry Wright, but he seems to have falled out of favor with the SJU staff.

Louisville needs to play to their strengths, get the ball in deep to their post players and take advantage of some excellent passers for players at non-guard positions. Louisville has a mix of experience and as much raw talent as anyone in the conference, but they also need to show a maturation in managing the game with consistent effort and shot selection. There are times when they can be downright dominating defensively and others when they allow poor play to snowball. At home against the young Redstorm, I look for a dominating defensive performance and will likely get it.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Louisville 73 St. John's 52

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: LOUISVILLE @ SOUTH FLORIDA

January 23, 2008


Louisville looks to rebound on the road following their 92-82 setback at Seton Hall on Saturday night. South Florida will look to snap a 5-game losing streak and re-enter the picture for the race for New York City and a spot in the Big East Tournament.

Here are the local media previews and articles on tonight's game:


Slump Just Another Thing to Overcome (St. Petersburg Times)
Gransberry is Indeed South Florida's #1 (Tampa Tribune)
Time For Cards to Just Move On (Courier-Journal)

The Bulls road woes are well documented as USF has yet to win a road game in the Big East in two+ years. However, their home success has not been much more as they have just five wins on their home floor since coming to the Big East. I highly doubt number six will come tonight when a motivated Louisville squad comes south.

Rick Pitino is unlikely to allow any mid-winter vacationing on the trip south. The Cardinals need to get better and in a hurry. Each time it looks like the Cardinals are starting to turn a corner, they pull a U-Turn. Just days after blitzing Marquette, 71-51, and continuing a stretch of excellent defense, the Cards give up 92 points and fail to get any defensive stops when they needed them in a 10-pt loss to Seton Hall.

With Juan Palacios and David Padgett back in the line-up, Louisville is as deep and talented as anyone in the conference. Coach Pitino is still trying to find consistent leadership out of his guards where Edgar Sosa, Jerry Smith and Andre McGee all seem more comfortable as under-sized shooting guards than being true point guards. With talented forwards and big men such as Derrick Caracter, Earl Clark, Terrence Williams, Padgett and Palacios, the guards should be concentrating on allowing them to do the scoring and find ways to get them the ball in position to score. However, that is not always the case.

The Bulls really do not match up well with Louisville. Kentrell Gransberry is their biggest weapon, but Louisville is so deep and, can be, very active inside that Gransberry will have his hands full on both ends of the court. Dominique Jones is a dynamic scorer, but the Cards can lock him down if they give a consistent effort on defense. The rest of the Bulls are too inconsistent to count too much on anyone stepping up for a big game.

On a night when home dominance will be tested in each contest, I expect Louisville to come out with some fire and a little more skip in their hop. As a 7.5-pt favorite, the Cards could be flying high again.

NBE Blogeer Prediction: Louisville 73 South Florida 63

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: MARQUETTE @ LOUISVILLE

January 17, 2008


The highlight of tonight's schedule brings together two former rivals from Conference USA as Marquette travels to Freedom Hall to take on the Louisville Cardinals.

After dropping their conference opener at home against Cincinnati, Louisville has won their last two Big East games, beating West Virginia at home and getting the win at Rutgers last weekend.

Marquette is one of the many tied atop the conference at 3-1 and looks to make their break from the pack. The Golden Eagles are coming off a 92-66 thumping of Notre Dame and also owns home wins over Seton Hall and Providence. Their lone conference defeat came at West Virginia.


Here are the local media previews of tonight's game:

Marquette Will Try to Steal One (Louisville Courier-Journal)
Marquette Men's Basketball Preview (post-Crescent)
Eagles Can Make Move in Big East (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
Looking at louisville (Journal-Sentinel)
cards Eyeing 'Big-Time' Win Over Marquette (Kentucky.com)


We are waiting for someone to make a statement in the Big East and show they are serious about winning this conference. Marquette has just that opportunity tonight when they travel to face Louisville in a Big East conference game.

For the Cards, if they hope to compete for the conference crown, these are they games they must win, on their home floor against other good teams. We are still waiting for Louisville to show us how good they are, but with David Padgett and Juan Palacios back in the line-up, the Cards could be hitting their stride soon.

The strength of the Marquette squad is obviously in their guards. With Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews the Marquette guard trio is among the best in the country. It doesn't stop there, Maurice Acker and David Cubillan are very capable back-ups each adding a distinct role to the rotation.

At the forward spot, Lazar Hayward and Dan Fitzgerald are far from proto-type Big East power forwards. However, they each create match-up problems for most opponents with their inside-out talents. That probably will not be as much of an advantage against a team like Louisville who also has a pair of versatile big forwards in Juan Palacios and Earl Clark to match-up with Hayward and Fitzgerald. The Cardinals are still trying to sort out their rotation with the talent they possess, so they have not been as consistent as they should since the return of Palacios and David Padgett from injuries. Padgett teams up with Derrick Caracter in the post for coach Rick Pitino and Marquette counters with their two-headed center tandem of Dwight Burke and Ousmane Barro. On paper, Louisville should be able to take full advantage in the paint with their depth and talent.

That leaves the Louiville guards. The trio of Edgar Sosa, Jerry Smith and Andre McGee will have their hands full with Marquette. Terrence Williams should do well against Wesley Mathews and find his opportunities to shine, but coach Pitino will need his guards to be at their best in terms of decision making and shot selection. Louisville has some clear advantages in the game and it will be up to their guards to take take advantage of the opportunities.

I expect the Cards to learn from other teams that have played Marquette and use several different defenses, but mostly find themselves in a zone. The zone will cut down on the MU dribble penetration and force them to make perimeter shots on the road, a tough task.

This promises to be a very good game. Marquette will try to steal this one with pressure on the ball from their guards, but Louisville, a 2.5-pt home favorite, knows the importance of winning at home in the conference, especially after letting the game with Cincinnati get away.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Louisville 66 Marquette 64

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: WEST VIRGINIA @ LOUISVILLE

January 9, 2008



Rick Pitino and his Louisville Cardinals look to earn their first Big East win of 2008 when they host an old nemesis, Bob Huggins, and his West Virginia Mountaineers at Freedom Hall tonight.

Here are the local media previews of tonight's game:


Could Be Another UofL-WVU Classic (Kentucky.com)
WVU Men;s Welcome Challenge of Facing Louisville (Times West Virginian)
WVU Needs Short Memory (Charleston Gazette)
It's Huggins vs. Pitino...Again (SI.com)
Cards Hope They are Over Hump (Louisville Courier-Journal)


Louisville is a home favorite tonight, but it is slight, just 2.5 points over the visiting Mountaineers. West Virginia hit the road once already in the Big East and lost at Notre Dame, suffering their worst offensive showing of the season in the process. Louisville was surprised by Cincinnati, at home, in their Big East opener on New Year's Day.

West Virginia rebounded from their loss to Notre Dame over the weekend by cruising past Marquette at home. The Mountaineers got back to the effecient offense that makes them very difficult to play and Bob Huggins has been mixing in several different defenses to incorporate his strategies while meeting the strengths of his players.

For Rick Pitino, things have not been easy. They have already been through injuries with seniors Juan Palacios and David Padgett and frustrations with a talented, but inconsistent sophomore class. Palacios had his most productive game since returning to the line-up from a knee injury in the Cards' 89-75 win over Kentucky last weekend. Padgett had a quality showing in his first game back, in the loss to Cincinnati, and will continue to get stronger. Both players add experience and an element of comfort for Pitino, they also offer options if sophomores Derrick Caracter and Earl Clark are not playing up to their massive potentials. Thus far, it can be hit or miss with the talented forwards.

As frustrated as Pitino has been with the play of his forwards, it has been sophomore point guard Edgar Sosa that has been the most puzzling situation. Sosa is naturally a scoring guard from the tough CHSAA league in New York City. Pitino is trying to get his sophomore guard to be more of a true point guard, but all too often Sosa's natural instinct to hunt out his own offensive opportunities take over. This has led to Sosa spending a lot of time on the bench, but his talent is definitely needed on the floor.

One player coach Pitino has no worries about in terms of effort is Terrence Williams, the athletically gifted 6'6 junior forward. Few have the athletic ability of Williams int he college game and he can hurt an opponent in many ways. The effort is always there, sometimes he can be a bit out of control and needs to allow the game to come to him. With the veteran presence of Palacios and Padgett in the line-up more, it should begin to work that way for Williams.

The backcourt is completed by Andre McGee and Jerry Smith, a pair of quality guards that are capable of scoring in a hurry, especially Smith, one of the best 3-pt shooters in the league. Will Scott adds a deep threat and Terrence Farley rounds out the frontcourt rotation.

For West Virginia, they have an experienced point guard in Darris Nichols who understands the importance of running the team and putting players in position to score. One of the things coach Huggins has tried to get Nichols to do more is be aggressive and show it is ok to make mistakes being aggressive. Nichols, a senior, can hit the perimeter shot and makes very few mistakes with the ball, almost ensuring WVU has a chance to score on each and every possession.

Nichols' backcourt mate is Alex Ruoff, a solid ballhandler, fundamentally sound defender and excellent 3-pt shooter. Joe Alexander is their go-to forward who plays within the system and uses lenght and ahtleticism to produce points and rebounds. The pair of juniors have progressed into all-league type of players in the Big East.

Maybe the west Virginia x-factor is DaSean Butler, a do-everyting 6'7 sophomore forward. Butler can shoot, pass, defend or just plain score. He is the type of player that excels in any system or any type of game. Again, he is one that can be too unselfish, but when WVU needs a play, he is typically the one to make it, on either side of the ball.

West Virginia's glaring weakness is inside presence. Jamie Smalligan is 7-foot in height, but is more prone to be out by the 3-pt line on offense. He will battle and hustle, but his game is not really suited for the physical Big East. A pair of forwards, Wellington Smith and John Flowers, are quickly developing into quality Big East reserves, capable of having good games against anyone and Jou Mazzulla adds quality depth to the backcourt.

Louisville got a much needed confidence boost with their win over Kentucky. No, Kentucky is not the Kentucky of old, or even the Lentucky of Tubby Smith circa 2006-2007, but winning on your rivals home floor with a dominating 2nd half can give you a lift. They need to carry the intensity back to the court tonight and defend the perimeter with their athleticism and hit the boards with their size. We are starting to see Louisville with the personnell they expected to have this year, maybe now we will start seeing the Louisville team we expected.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Louisville 74 West Virginai 69

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