That was fun, wasn’t it? A cake walk through the first round. The ‘Cats haven’t blitzed a first round opponent like that since 2003 when they handled IUPUI with a crushing performance, 95-64 in the opener. Scary thing is that Kentucky could have scored anytime they wanted underneath and they didn’t even have to. This team is crazy talented and they share the basketball. That’s a good combination.
Now it’s on to the No. 9 seeded Wake Forest Demon Deacons and you can expect a lot more blue to be in the crowd than there was on Thursday night.
The Deacons entered postseason play reeling, losers of five of their last six, including a first round loss to Miami in the ACC Tournament. At 19-10, and 9-7 in the ACC, they had reason to be nervous about even getting into the NCAA tournament. But, apparently early wins over both Gonzaga and Xavier were enough to earn them entrance into the dance.
Then in the first round they faced a Texas team that was in even more of a downward spiral. It took overtime, but Wake Forest downed the Longhorns, 81-80, to earn their first NCAA Tournament victory since 2005. It also marked head coach Dino Gaudio’s first ever tournament victory. Prior to Thursday night’s win he had yet to even record a victory in the ACC Tournament.
According to Guadio, energy levels and a lack of emotion can be attributed to their recent lack of success. But, they are coming off a tourney win and they have the size underneath and the guard play that could foreseeably give the Wildcats issues.
With 6-9 Al-Farouq Aminu, 7-0 Chas McFarland and 6-11 David Weaver all in the starting lineup, Wake Forest was forced to insert a clearance sign simply for their starting lineup introductions. They also have 6-11 Tony Woods coming off the bench. Clearly the Deacons have plenty of guys that have the size to bang with Kentucky’s bigs. Something that UK is not accustomed to.
AP Photo/Lynn Hey
Aminu, just a sophomore, is the best of the bunch as he leads the team in scoring (15.8 ppg) and rebounding (10.8 rpg) and has recorded a double-double in all but 11 games this season. He struggled during their recent stretch of bad play but was good on Thursday night, finishing with 20 points and 15 rebounds. He did however shoot just 6-for-18 from the field.
Senior Chas McFarland averaged 8.4 and 5.8 as a sophomore and his numbers the last two seasons have been kind of stagnant. He enters Saturday’s contest, averaging 7.2 points and 7.1 rebounds. Still, if he can stay out of foul trouble against UK’s bigs, he provides Wake Forest with another competent body underneath. That, however, is a big “if”, as he has been called for at least three fouls in 11 consecutive games and has fouled out in two of their last three.
Senior guard Ishmael Smith leads the charge for the Deacons and he could have the quickness necessary to have some success against Kentucky’s backcourt. In UK’s first round crushing of the Bucs, one area where they struggled defensively was keeping Micah Williams out of the lane. So Smith could be a concern.
He is averaging 13.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game, so he does a little bit of everything for the Deacons. He has scored in double figures in all but five games this season. In those five games, Wake Forest is 4-1, their lone loss was at Duke. However, he is not that great of shooter and is prone to turn the ball over. He is shooting just 22-percent from beyond the arc and he stuggles at the line as well, shooting just 50-percent.
For Wake Forest to have success, they need Smith to be “that guy” and he was “that guy” against Texas. In 44 minutes of action he finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. He also had eight turnovers.
Aside from Smith, Wake Forest’s backcourt becomes inexperienced if senior L.D. Williams struggles from the field and he has really been struggling of late. He is averaging 8.8 points on the season, but since his 9-for-11 performance against Virginia Tech on February 16, he is shooting just 14-for-51 from the field.
Like ETSU, the Deacons just do not have anyone who scares you from deep. On the season they are shooting just 31-percent and have connected on just 132 three-pointers. Their best shooters are C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart, but neither one of those guys really scare you. Harris is shooting 33-percent from deep and has connected on 34 threes, while Stewart is shooting 38-percent and has made 42.
Kentucky has not seen a frontline that matches up with theirs size-wise all season long and Wake Forest presents that. However, their bigs are nowhere near as talented as UK’s. Still, expect Wake to be physical with the ‘Cats underneath because they have the bodies necessary to attack and not worry about foul trouble.
If Smith can get into the lane and Williams, Harris and Stewart can make some shots, the Deacons could potentially stay in the game. I just don’t see it happening.
It is tough to turn it off and turn it on and the Deacons entered the tournament with it off. They just ran into a team in the first round that lost all power two months ago. This Kentucky team is on a mission and I don’t believe Wake has the talent necessary to derail them.
Kentucky 82, Wake Forest 68
Here are the first round standings of the 2010 StraitPinkie.com Bracket Challenge. Remember, first place receives a $100 Gift Certificate from FansCloset.com. FansCloset.com is your best source for UK and UofL gear. The Top Five will receive a Strait Pinkie T-Shirt and if you finish in the Top Ten we’ll get you some Strait Pinkie koozies. We’ll also sprinkle in some Jeremy Sharfe and Timmy Lickteig CDs.
The Cards saw their season come to an end at the hands of a team with no inside game, but experienced guards who played like experienced guards. Cal rode a combination of good shooting and poor Louisville defense to advance to the second round of the Big Dance. Cal’s Jerome Randle and Theo Robertson each scored 21 points to led the Golden Bears to their win and chance at top seeded Duke on Sunday.
The lone, and I mean, lone bright spot for the Cards was the play of freshman Rakeem Buckles. The man we call ‘the Dream’ played a spectacular game and was the one Louisville player who without question left everything he had on the floor. Rakeem finished with 20 points, on 10-11 shooting, and 9 rebounds. He attacked the glass, rather than wait for the ball to bounce his way, which resulted in 4 offensive rebounds. Once this kid develops a mid-range game, he could really become a special player.
For me, the story of this night, once again highlighted an ongoing problem this Louisville team has had all year: senior guards playing like freshmen. Jerry Smith and Edgar Sosa too often make plays that cause a person to want to bang their head against a brick wall. Jerry has apparently not only lost his shooting stroke, but the ability to dribble as well. His attempted drive late in the game with the Cards down by ten was a prime example.
Jerry got around a defender on the perimeter, then bounced the ball off his leg, then swiped it out of bounds. While the sequence was atrocious, it could ultimately be forgiven if it were just an isolated incident. However, Jerry has been doing that all season and in crunch time, those types of things cannot occur.
Edgar Sosa had a good senior season. The stats bear it out and watching the games intently bear it out as well. Unfortunately, Edgar does not consistently make good decisions or free throws. A senior point guard who shoots only 66% from the foul line is absolutely unacceptable and in my opinion, enough of a reason to be taken off the floor late in close games.
Edgar also is not adept at making correct decisions on a regular basis. Against Cal, the Cards had the deficit down to a manageable seven points. After the ball was inbounded, Edgar brought the ball up the floor and launched a three from three feet behind the line. This was an especially poor decision because the Cards had momentum in their favor and were getting good shots off some good ball movement. Instead, the Cards’ senior point guard did not recognize the situation and put up a shot.
Keep in mind, I do not think Edgar is a selfish player. I believe his mindset is, “we could use a three here and cut this lead to four, I can make this shot.” I don’t think there’s the thought of padding stats, I think it’s simply a matter of making an incorrect decision and failure of recognition.
That’s it for now, it’s 1:30 am and I’m beat. I’ll have a season recap and off-season preview in the coming days, but for now, the Cards end their season at 20-13 and a 1st round exit.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL BOXSCORE COURTESY OF YAHOO SPORTS
CBS has been getting pretty roundly criticized for their coverage of the NCAA Tournament over the past 48 hours. It’s really not that difficult to switch between two close games in the last two minutes, but CBS has butchered that pretty badly. It’s also not that hard to send the appropriate feed to your Louisville, KENTUCKY affiliate for the KENTUCKY-East Tennessee State game, but CBS decided showing the first five minutes of the UK was not a priority.
Now it appears CBS has forgotten that the two seed plays the 15 seed in the first round.
Yeah, I know this is a mistake that can be pretty easily made by a slip on the keyboard, but let me have a little bit of joy in criticizing CBS for being really stupid.
NCAA South Region First Round
#9 Louisville Cardinals vs #8 California Golden Bears
Jacksonville, FL
Date: Friday March 19, 2010
Time: 9:45 pm EST
T.V.: CBS (Jim Nantz and Clark Kellog)
Radio: WHAS 840 AM
The University of Louisville men’s basketball team will be the last team to open up March Madness play when they take on the University of California Golden Bears tonight at 9:45 pm EST. Louisville earned their trip to the Big Dance with a convincing home win over #1 Syracuse two weeks ago to close out Freedom Hall. But the Cards come into NCAA play with many question marks. A poor showing against Cincinnati in the first round of the Big East Tournament has many people questioning if the Cards belong in the field of 64 and if they are capable of hanging with the Pac 10 champion Bears. Rick Pitino usually finds a way to have his team ready to play in March, and I expect the Cards to bring it tonight.
The California Golden Bears found their way into the tournament as an at-large selection from the Pac-10 conference. Cal was the Pac-10 regular season champion and was upset by Washington in the conference tournament championship game. The Bears enter the game against the Cards on a bit of a hot streak as they were winners in nine of their last 11 games. With a 23-10 overall record, including 13-5 in conference, Cal was by far the superior team in what is being labeled as a weak Pac-10. But let me assure you, there is nothing weak about the Bears. Cal is making their 11th appearance in the tournament and their sixth in the last 10 years.
This is the first meeting in school history between the Cards and the Bears. Louisville has not faired well historically against the Pac-10 conference, going 19-21. But things have been good for the Cards lately, especially in March when Louisville has defeated Stanford, Arizona, and Washington all within the last five years.
Meet the Golden Bears
Cal is a team built on senior leadership and experience. The Bears start four seniors, all of which average double figures in points. The Bears are undersized in their lineup and rely heavily on stellar guard play and three point shooting. In fact, Cal is so good from behind the arc that three of their starters are in the top eight in school history for three’s made.
Offensively, the Bears like to push the pace and run. They average 78.0 points per game which is a pretty high number. Cal doesn’t waste time in looking for their shots and will pull from about anywhere on the court, which is something the Cards need to be aware of. Point guard Jerome Randle does a great job of protecting the ball and running an efficient offense. Although he stands just 5′10 he is not afraid to drive the lane, and is excellent at creating off the bounce for a pull up jumper or dish to the wing. The Bears will start three guards against the Cards so they will have speed all over the court. This type of team has presented problems for Louisville in the past and Rick Pitino says Cal plays a similar style as Marquette.
As a team, Cal does an excellent job at protecting the ball. They average only 12 turnovers per game while dishing out 14.5 assists. They are not easily affected by pressure which is something that the Louisville defense relies on. As I mentioned earlier, the Bears do an excellent job of penetrating the lane and kicking to waiting shooters.
Size is the only problem for Cal. With the suspension of starting forward Omondi Amoke, the Bears will be even more undersized. They are an average rebounding team at best and aren’t very good defensively in the post. This should work to the Cards advantage. If Louisville look inside early and often, Samardo Samuels should be able to get on track and have a big day.
Team Comparisson
Statistical Comparison
Cal Uof L
Record ………………… 23-10 20-12
Scoring Average …….. 78.0 76.3
Points Allowed ……….. 68.4 66.6
Scoring Margin ……….. +9.6 +6.8
FG Percentage ……….. .477 .447
Opp. FG Percentage .. .433 .426
3-Pt. Percentage …….. .373 .339
FT Percentage ……….. .757 .703
Rebound Margin …….. +3.9 +1.6
Turnover Margin ……… +0.9 +1.7
Players to Watch
#3 Jerome Randle- This little 5′10 guard is absolutely amazing. He was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year and leads Cal in both scoring (18.7) and assists (4.5). He is the all-time leading scorer in Cal’s history, totaling 1,802 points in his four year career. As I stated earlier, this kid is quick and fearless. He isn’t afraid to get in the lane amongst the big men and challenge them at the rim. He does an excellent job off the bounce and likes to hit the pull up mid range jumper. What makes Randle even more dangerous is his three-point shooting ability. He is Cal’s all-time leader in three’s made with 248 and is sixth on the list in three-point percentage. When he isn’t scoring, Randle is dishing. He currently is tied for second on the school’s all-time assists list with 521. This kid can beat teams in so many ways it’s scary. Edgar Sosa, Peyton Siva, and Preston Knowles are going to have an extremely tough time trying to keep up him. If the Cards switch to zone to stop his penetration, he will knock down the long distance shot. This is a match up that really worries me.
# 23 Patrick Christopher- Christopher is a little bit of a taller guard than Randle but is just as effective. Like his back court mate, Christopher was also named to the All-Pac 10 First Team. He is second on the team in both scoring (16.0) and rebounding (5.4) and is a player that can also stroke it from deep. Christopher ranks sixth in school history for three’s made (153) and is fourth on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,681 points. This is another potential match up problem for the Cards when facing Christopher. He is an athletic shooting guard that can knock down the three, but also attacks the rim and goes after rebounds. At 6′5, Christopher is a good three to four inches taller than the Cardinal shooting guards. I expect him to use his size advantage to shoot over Louisville defenders and try to muscle his way to the rim.
Keys to Victory
1) Contain Jermone Randle. This is a lot easier to say than it is to do. Cardinal guards must stay in his face all over the court and pressure him out on the perimeter. He can’t be allowed to get off good looks at three because he will drain them. If he penetrates, the Cards need to do a good job of rotating on defense and having the big man step up and contest the shot. The Louisville defense will be on their heels a lot in this game, so they must be quick and recover in time to contest Cal’s shots.
2) Guard the perimeter. Cal loves to shoot the three and can make them at a high rate. Louisville must pressure Cal outside the arc and force them to look inside. If the Cards can force the Bears into tough shots and turnovers, I like their chances.
3) Get the ball inside. The lack of size for the Golden Bears is something Louisville needs to take advantage of. Samardo Samuels should have no problems posting up and could have a monster day. The Louisville guards need to find him early and often and let the big man go to work. It’s up to Samardo to finish.
4) Louisville must score. Cal is not a very good defensive team so the Cards will have plenty of opportunities to put the ball in the basket. Louisville can’t go on their usual six minute droughts or the game will get out of hand. The Cards need to stay poised, move the ball, and hit the open jumpers. Edgar Sosa and Samuels need to limit their turnovers and take good shots. If the Louisville offense plays to their potential tonight, they will win the game.
Al Gore Invented the Internets for Lady Gaga (Straight Bangin’)
Don’t Be Mad UPS Is Hiring: Stacey Dash (Crunk & Disorderly)
Like We Needed Another Reason To Hate Notre Dame (Rumors And Rants)
Question 2 Asks: Is Progressive’s Flo Hot? Uh….. (Kissing Suzy Kolber)
Six “Boss Buttons” That Would Most Certainly Get You Fired (Guyism)
The Booby Fishing Lure (Total Pro Sports)
The Ghost of Christian Laettner Haunts KY Politics (Hugging Harold Reynolds)
The 10 Biggest Misconceptions We Learn in School (Smile Panic)
The 75 Most Amazing Amateur Basketball Trick Shots Caught On Video (Gawker.TV)
And for more great links to all things awesome from the web, check out Linkiest.com
It’s Friday, Lent is still goin’ on for all you Catholics and March Madness is in full swing. A slight distraction from all the tournament coverage with a former NBA dancer for the Charlotte Bobcats, and current girlfriend of NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin — who, is an idiot. The man believes Muscle Milk builds strong bones… Irrelevant. Why do I not drive a car for a living?? DAMMIT!!! Jordan Fish, Uh YUMP!!
[CLICK HERE FOR JORDAN FISH'S FULL GALLERY]
Andy Lyons - Getty Images
What a first day of the NCAA Tournament, huh? Lots of close games, lots of upsets, and a big ‘Cats victory.
It’s been a long time since UK had a laugher in a first round NCAA Tournament game. Even in 2005, when UK was a two seed, it was a tight one. I have to say, it’s nice to issue a round one beatdown again, and a beatdown it was. UK poured in threes from all directions and when Eric Bledsoe wasn’t breaking the all time UK tourney record for treys, the ‘Cats were tossing alley oops and dunking all over the badly overmatched Buccaneers.
Really the only hope ETSU had in this one was to keep it close by hitting deep balls and forcing UK into missing their threes. The complete opposite happened. Kentucky was 15-33 from deep (including 8-9 for Bledsoe) and ETSU was 4-17.
The Wildcat backcourt absolutely sliced and diced the defense all game, especially John Wall. Wall had 17 points and 11 assists, and while he didn’t have some of the highlight reel plays we have become accustomed to, he ran the team very effectively. Wall realized right away that the opponent was overmatched and that it was an opportunity to get his teammates very involved. Bledsoe and Patrick Patterson jumped at the chance, scoring 15 points apiece in the first half and 29 and 22 overall.
The Bucs set out to take DeMarcus Cousins out of the game, limiting his touches and doubling when he did get the ball. Cousins had a pretty quiet 5 point and 8 rebounds in just 24 minutes, but handled himself well and was a major defensive factor, blocking 5 shots. He also had a handful of dimes, notching 4 assists. UK has way too many weapons to be affected when an opponent takes one player away, especially when shots are falling like they did today.
There were a couple minor flies in the ointment, the first of which was UK’s performance at the foul line. UK was less than focused at the line, hitting just 23 of 34, and it seemed much worse than that. Also, late in the game, Daniel Orton went up to contest a shot, but had his legs taken out from under him. He went down HARD right on his backside and did not immediately get up. One of his teammates tried to pick him up, and with the CBS camera capturing the whole thing, Orton dropped possibly the most audible F-bomb in the history of live television. The good news was that Orton stayed on the bench when he was helped to the sideline and looked none the worse for the wear. Thankfully so, because UK is going to need him in a potentially tough second round matchup against a team with a beefy front court in Texas.
All in all, it was exactly the kind of performance you wanted to see out of the ‘Cats. It was focused and business-like. UK didn’t mess around and did not have to over exert themselves and tire themselves for Saturday. Now, they get to sit back, relax, watch, and find out who they will play next. Hmm, that sounds an awful lot like what I’m going to do.
Eight Awesome Missing Dog Signs (Next Round)
Eight Great NCAA Tournament Buzzer Beaters (SDNN)
Hung Like A First Baseman (Yep Yep)
Seven Sexiest Female Chess Players (EGOTV)
The NCAA Tournament Bracket Unlike Any Other (Rumors And Rants)
“The Office” x Lil’ Wayne Mash-up (Broken Cool)
To Serve…With Hate (The Smoking Section)
And for more great links to all things awesome from the web, check out Linkiest.com
Basketball is King for the next couple of weeks, however some schools have already started spring football practice. Also, more and more football recruits are taking visits to spring practices and making their college decisions earlier than normal. Look for both UK and Louisville to host football recruits during spring practice and push for early commitments. Both UK and Louisville are recruiting Shamir Jeffrey (link below) from South Carolina. Based on feedback, UK is offering Jeffrey an opportunity to play Quarterback, while Louisville is recruiting him as an athlete. Personally, I feel he ends up a Gamecock.
The most exciting news for UK Football Fans should be the Coaches Clinic (link below) being held at the Nutter Training Facility. Joker Phillips has key high school coaches speaking at the event which is HUGE! It allows UK to show off their facilities and help the relationship building process as well. Below are some links back to my blog (Aaron’s UK Football Blog0 for some football insight and recruiting news.
Remember to follow AaronsUKFBBlog on Twitter for the most up to date football information!
UK, who has the most to prove?
Aaron Lynch (2011-DE) recruit update
Quarterbacks on the Hot Seat
SEC getting HD instand replay
UK Coaches Clinic
2010 Recruiting Rewind- Dale Trimble
K.J. Brent (2011-WR) recruit update
Crossroad for UK Players
Cody Robinson (2011-OT/DL) recruit udpate
Shamir Jeffrey (2011-QB/ATH) recruit update
Peters and Smith Draft Stock Rising
Pre Season All-Conference Teams
