Cards Pound Providence 92-70

Recap

Edgar Sosa scored a season-high 26 points and Samardo Samuels added 17 points as Louisville held off a first-half charge from Providence to take a 92-70 victory on Wednesday night.

After the Cardinals opened with a 14-0 lead, the Friars hit their stride, rallying to take a 42-37 halftime lead.

But Louisville (11-4, 2-0 Big East) again seized control in the second half with physical play on the boards, grabbing 26 second-half rebounds to Providence’s seven.

The Cardinals outrebounded the Friars 45-21 in the game and scored 23 second-chance points.

Marshon Brooks had 21 points, going 8-for-11 to lead Providence (9-6, 1-2). Sharaud Curry and Bilal Dixon each added 12 points for the Friars.

 Jerry Smith added 14 points and Jared Swopshire had eight points and 11 rebounds for Louisville in a game that featured eight lead changes.

My Take

I take a twenty point conference win on the road every day of the week. I realize the Cards gave up a 14-0 lead and were losing at halftime, but the bottom line is they re-grouped and proceeded to beat down a conference foe on their home court.

In the first half, three pointers were the reason for the big lead and ultimately, the Cards giving up the big lead. Louisville took twenty three point attempts in the first half and even though almost all of them were good shots, it still caused them to neglect their big men. This type of thing is what leads Samardo Samuels to becoming disinterested in the paint.

In the second half, the Cards developed an inside presence with Samuels and Terrence Jennings. Once the Cards developed a threat in the paint, Providence had no choice but to defend honestly. Once that occurred, the tide turned for good.

Speaking of post play, the efforts of Sam Sam and Terrence Jennings were what the Cards need. The two combined for 21 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks. More importantly, they were active, particularly on the offensive glass. Samardo grabbed 4 offensive rebounds and TJ added 2.

The good shooting the Cards showed earlier this season resurfaced tonight. For the game, they shot 51.7% (31-60 )from the field, including 40% (12-30) from the three point line. They also shot well from the foul line, going 18-22 on the night.

The formula for success for the Cards this year is not complicated, at least in my opinion: shoot a good percentage from the outside to soften up the defense, then go inside.

On the defensive end, the Cards were poor in the first half, then much better in the second. They dominated Providence on the glass 43-19. Game over.

While the Cards only forced 10 turnovers, they played smarter defense in the second half and made Providence work harder for their shots. The Cards still need to put two good halves of basketball together because against better teams, they cannot afford to play only one good half and expect to win.

Also, for all the fans who clamor for Samardo and Jennings to play together, this weekend’s game against St. John’s may be the game. Slick Rick said after the game he is seriously considering starting those because the match-up. We all know Rick and is “maneuvering”, but it is definitely something to watch. 

Individual Breakdowns

Edgar Sosa – Edgar is the guy who needs to put this team on his back when they need a bucket. Edgar had 26 points on 9-15 shooting, but the bigger deal for me were the other things Sosa did. He grabbed 5 rebounds and dished out 4 assists. The Cards can be decent with Sosa scoring, but they can be very good with him scoring and grabbing some boards and distributing the ball.

Samardo Samuels – Samardo takes a bit too much grief in my opinion. Yes, he still misses some shots around the rim and yes, he still looks lazy at times but, Samardo ended up with 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists. He’s averaging 15.9 points and 7.7 rebounds for the year, which is nothing to laugh at. 

Jerry Smith – Jerry is the key to the season in my opinion. When Jerry is a threat offensively, Louisville is good. Tonight, Jerry became a threat offensively and has started to wake up a bit recently. He finished with 14 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds.

Jared Swopshire – Swop takes a decent amount of heat from the fans, so when he has a good game he deserves to be applauded. Tonight, Swop was active and played under control. He scored 8 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out 3 assists. He will probably never look like the smoothest player on the floor, but he is an important figure on this team.

Reginald Delk – Delk lost a bit of playing time tonight, mostly because Mike Marra played so well. Delk is becoming a bit more consistent and is playing much better defense. Reginald had 5 points and 2 rebounds, in only 12 minutes of play.

Mike Marra – Marra had his best game by far and I’m sure playing in front of his family and friends helped. The Rhode Island native played 26 minutes and scored 11 points, matching his career high for his young career. Marra is starting to play more under control and look more comfortable on the floor.

Preston Knowles – Preston is taking over the role as official stat stuffer of this team. He scored 7 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and added 4 assists. Preston is also crashing the offensive glass and grabbed 4 offensive boards tonight.

Terrence Jennings – TJ, like last season, is starting to pick up his game when Big East play begins. Tonight, TJ did what he does best: play defense, run the floor, and dunk the basketball. His 4 points were nice, but his 6 rebounds were better. Scoring is not his strong suit yet, so he needs to get on the glass to maximize his playing time.

Rakeem Buckles – Rakeem “the Dream” only saw 5 minutes of action. He grabbed a rebound, but did not get to see the floor too much, mainly because Swop played so well.

Peyton Siva – Like Bucktown, Peyton did not get a large amount of playing time tonight because Edgar played so well. Peyton only played 5 minutes and recorded a steal.

Kyle Kuric, Chris Brickley, and Stephan Van Treese did not play tonight.