March 15, 2012 Edition: Big East Champs! by Louisville SportsReport

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VOLUME XVI • NUMBER 30 MARCH 15, 2012

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LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

FEBRUARY 3, 2011

MARCH 15, 2012

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

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WHAT’S INSIDE:

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AMERICA’S FOREMOST AUTHORITY ON UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE ATHLETICS®

VOLUME XVI, NUMBER 30 • MARCH 15, 2012

EDITORIAL STAFF GENERAL MANAGER - Jack Coffee SENIOR WRITER AND EDITOR - Russ Brown OPERATIONS MANAGER - Howie Lindsey ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES - Mickey Clark, Betty Olsen and Blanche Kitchen CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Gail Kamenish, Howie Lindsey and Chuck Feist CONTRIBUTING COLUMNISTS Matt Willinger, Jeff Wafford, Jason Puckett and Rick Cushing GRAPHIC DESIGNER - Scott Stortz COPY EDITOR - Rick Cushing

“Louisville wins the Big East Tournament” was the headline scrolling across the news ticket boards in Times Square Sunday after the Cardinals beat Cincinnati to claim Louisville’s second title in four seasons. - photo by Vickie Volyn The Louisville SportsReport is printed in Kentucky and based in Louisville. It is published weekly in January, February and March, monthly in April, May, June and July and weekly mid-August through late December by Louisville Sports News, L.L.C., in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville Sports News, L.L.C.: Owner and General Manager - Jack Coffee. The SportsReport was founded in 1996. United States Postal Number: 015255 POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Louisville SportsReport, P.O. Box 17464, Louisville, KY 40217. Four weeks advance notice is required on old addresses as well as new. Periodicals Postage paid at Louisville, Ky. Subscriptions are priced at $57.95 each (plus 6% Ky. tax) for 32 issues. Members of the University of Louisville’s Cardinal Athletic Fund receive a special group rate of $39.75 for their initial subscriptions and that amount is applied from each annual donation. Year-round firstclass mailing is available for an additional $53 per year. Please call for Canadian and overseas rates. Not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs unless accompanied by return postage. Publisher reserves right to accept or reject advertisements. Copyright 2008 by Louisville Sports News, L.L.C. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. For subscriber information or circulation questions call 1-502-636-4330. Office hours at 2805 S. Floyd St. in Louisville: By Appointment Only.

7 CARDS AREN’T LOOKING TO THE PAST

9 DAVIDSON WANTS TO RUN

Louisville won four games in four days to bring the Big East Tournament Champion trophy back to Louisville, but they aren’t done. “Coach talked to us about a new season, and we took it to heart,” Kyle Kuric said.

Rick Pitino said when his team is looking for motivation for a postseason run, they won’t be reviewing film of the Cardinals’ first-game NCAA exits the last two seasons. “I think it is all different factors,” he said.

Rick Pitino called Louisville’s first NCAA opponent Davidson “Princeton on steroids.” The Wildcats “look to run against anyone... they look to push the pace,” Pitino said. Tipoff is Thursday at 1:40 p.m.

11 SIVA’S ONLY FOCUS? HIS COACH

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19 UOFL WOMEN LAND A No. 7 SEED

Junior guard Peyton Siva was listening to too many voices whispering in his ear this season. Now he’s playing to please his coach. “He told me to forget about everything ... Coach P. had a lot of faith in me,” Siva said.

Charlie Strong took two buses of football players to Southern Indiana last week to help residents clean up after devastating tornados ripped through their towns. “It is great our guys have a chance to give back,” Strong said.

BIG EAST TITLE A ‘STARTING POINT’

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www.cardinalsports.com THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT WILL BE MAILED MARCH 20 COVER DESIGNED BY SCOTT STORTZ COVER PHOTOS BY DEBBIE WONG, US PRESSWIRE

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STRONG HELPS TORNADO CLEANUP

2012 NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKET BASKETBALL BY THE NUMBERS By Howie Lindsey TOURNEY SUCCESS CONFIRMS PITINO IS A MASTER By Jack Coffee OPPONENT PREVIEW: DAVIDSON WILDCATS By Rick Cushing OPPONENT PREVIEW: NEW MEXICO LOBOS By Rick Cushing OPPONENT PREVIEW: LONG BEACH STATE 49ERS By Rick Cushing MEN’S BASKETBALL SEASON STATS

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UofL is a seven seed facing a No. 10 seed from a major conference with a 5th-ranked No. 2 seed waiting in the second round for the second season in a row. Last season ended with a Sweet 16 run. Can the Cards do it again?

DERBY FESTIVAL BASKETBALL CLASSIC ROSTERS RELEASED THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY By Howie Lindsey 2012 NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKET SPRING SPORTS SCHEDULES UNDEFEATED SOFTBALL CARDS GET A BIG BOOST By Howie Lindsey CARDINAL STARS OF THE WEEK By Howie Lindsey CARDINAL KIDS PHOTO GALLERY

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2012 NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKET

MARCH 15, 2012

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

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RECRUITING NOTEBOOK LOUISVILLE BASKETBALL 10 AMAZING AND MEMORABLE MOMENTS OF THE 2009-2010 SEASON

NOW UOFL EYES A SIMILAR RUN IN NCAAS

BIG EAST TITLE JUST A ‘STARTING POINT’ FOR CARDS By Russ Brown It’s a motivational ploy as old as the conference tournaments themselves. Coaches love to point to those events that mark the start of the post season hoopla as the start of a “new season,” and it’s particularly prevalant among teams who have just endured a disappointing regular season. Like Louisville. Coach Rick Pitino talked to his players about that very thing after their 58-49 loss to Syracuse in their regular-season finale in the Carrier Dome a week ago Saturday. “We had a real rough season,” senior forward Kyle Kuric said. “Coach talked to us about a new season, and we took it to RUSS BROWN heart.” “We just take it as the season is starting over,” freshman forward Chane Behanan said following the loss at Syracuse. “Hopefully, we can go on our run now.” Mission accomplished. The unranked and overlooked Cardinals (26-9), who finished seventh in the Big East, ripped through four opponents in the league tourney in Madison Square Garden last week to win their second championship in the last four years. Now it’s time for the 2012 season’s third segment, another “new season” commonly known as the NCAA Tournament, and the Cards are intent on using their new-found momentum to forge a deep run in the Big Dance. “I think we have to,” Kuric said. “This can’t be the high point of our season. It’s a good starting point.” UofL entered the Big East Tournament predicted to be a No. 5 seed in the NCAAs, but in danger of falling to a No. 6 if it didn’t turn in an impressive showing in the Big Apple. But with their dominating performance in the Garden, the Cards vaulted into position to claim a No. 4 seed. Furthermore, while finally showing an ability to win against quality competition and survive against virtually any style of play, Louisville stamped itself as a very dangerous team as it tries to avoid its third straight first-round exit in the NCAAs. The Cards seemingly came out of nowhere to advance to the championship game for the third time in four seasons and ultimately capture the title by winning four games in four days, capping the renaissance by hanging on to beat Cincinnati 50-44 for the trophy Saturday night. There was little in the Cards’ resume’ or late-season performance -- except possibly a number of close calls -- to suggest or even hint that they were on the brink of such a major accomplishment. After a six-game winning streak against teams in the bottom half of the conference spanning late January and early February, UofL lost four of its last six, needed an overtime to edge a bad DePaul team and showed no progress in solving its offensive dysfunction. The Cards failed to score more than 57 points in five of their last six outings while

Freshman Chane Behanan raised his jersey to show cameras the LOUISVILLE across his chest after the Cincinnati native helped the Cardinals beat Cincinnati in the Big East Tournament finals Saturday in Madison Square Garden. - photo by Andrew Force

averaging a mere 52.8 ppg, a string of futility that would have ranked them 336th out of 338 Division I teams over the course of a full season. They hadn’t beaten any Big East team with a winning record in conference play, were 0-7 against the teams that finished ahead of them in the standings and could claim no victories over teams in the current top 25. Not exactly the bloodlines of a champion. But that all changed in New York when UofL avenged three of its regular-season losses while beating No. 9 Marquette (8471) and No. 23 Notre Dame (64-50) in addition to Seton Hall (61-55) and Cincinnati, the Pirates being UofL’s only previous victim. The point total against the Golden Eagles equaled the Cards’ highest output of the season in a conference game (84-74 vs. Villanova). Who could have seen this coming? Probably nobody except the guys in the Louisville locker room who had circled the wagons in the face of withering criticism of both Pitino and his players late in the season. “Everybody kind of just doubted us and wiped us off the map,” said junior guard Peyton Siva, who was named the Big East tourney’s Most Outstanding Player. “A lot of people wrote us off, forgot about us. Nobody expected us to even get this far (the title game), and we wanted to prove everybody wrong, that we had each other’s backs and we play for each other and no one else.” Siva was the catalyst. Finally 100 percent healthy after being hindered by a sprained ankle for much of the season, the Seattle native played at the high level Pitino and others expected of him going into the season. In four tournament games he averaged 13.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists,

and he had 10 points, four rebounds and five assists in the final. “Peyton crossed the line to being a great point guard in this tournament,” Pitino said. Sophomore center Gorgui Dieng also showed improvement over his recent performances, and Kuric was steady, committing only one turnover in 147 minutes, leading UofL against Notre Dame with 20 points and getting 13 points and four rebounds against UC. Dieng averaged 8.7 points and 8.7 rebounds in the four games. He was 8 for 8 from the field against the Irish, barely falling short of the tournament record for accuracy. Craig Smith (Boston College vs. West Virginia; March 10, 2005) and Ricky Wright (Villanova vs. Boston College; March 8, 2001) both went 9 for 9. Louisville will need all three, and more, if it expects to keep dancin’ for very long. After UofL’s 60-56 loss to Cincinnati on Feb. 23, Pitino said Dieng was bullied by UC senior Yancy Gates. Not this time. Dieng had 10 rebounds, five points and three blocks to Gates’ six boards, nine points and zero blocks. “Gorgui is becoming a terrific player,” Pitino said. “He’s developing a variety of different moves, especially his jump hook. He’s becoming a terrific player.” When things looked the bleakest this season, Pitino remained upbeat and optimistic, citing injuries, continuing to praise his team’s effort and attitude, never expressing any doubts and waiting patiently for the pieces to come together, which they obviously did in New York. Going into the tourney, he had promised a different team, and the Cards delivered. “It wasn’t the players’ fault,” Pitino said of Louisville’s struggles. “We started out, we had a very difficult time practicing. We were just trying to survive. We had so

many injuries we never had any continuity. We had to reinvent this team every three weeks, but nobody wanted to hear about the injuries, so we just went about our business and kept improving. We had to get to this point where everybody is healthy. And the guys have done a great job.” “We kept our confidence and kept going,” senior guard Chris Smith said. If the championship was special for his players, his second title was extra special for their coach, a New York City native and former head coach of the New York Knicks. “For me, any time you win on this floor, it’s a big, big deal,” Pitino said of the Garden. “To win a championship on it is just awesome. When I walked in here at a young age as head coach of the Knicks, I literally cried when I came into the building. I had to go into the bathroom to wash my face. I get emotional every time I come here.” It was Pitino’s ninth conference championship in three different leagues. He had five in the SEC at Kentucky, plus two Conference USA titles with UofL, and now two Big East trophies. On six of the previous eight occasions his teams have advanced at least to the Elite Eight. Reminded of that statistic, Pitino joked, “We’re going to win it all.” Asked how it feels to win the Big East Tournament crown, Chris Smith -- playing only his second season as a Cardinal after transferring from Manhattan -- said it’s a milestone he’ll cherish forever. “When you’re a kid and you get that first dollar bill, and you just want to hold onto it, that’s what it feels like,” he said. And now maybe it’s on to even bigger and better things. “This is a great feeling; it’s amazing,” Chris said. “Now we just want to build on it going into the NCAA Tournament.”

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LOUISVILLE BASKETBALL

BY THE NUMBERS

Saturday’s 50-44 victory over Cincinnati gave Louisville its second Big East Tournament crown in four years. The Cardinals also won the tournament in 2009 with a 76-66 victory over Syracuse. That 2009 Louisville team was the No. 1 overall seed and made the Elite Eight before falling to Michigan State. Louisville made the Big East title game last year but was upset 69-66 by eventual national champion Connecticut.

The Cards (26-9) beat six teams that won their conference tournaments this season: Vanderbilt (SEC), Ohio (MAC), Western Kentucky (Sun Belt), Long Beach State (Big West), Lamar (Southland) and Memphis (C-USA). The Cards have a 13-8 record against 16 tournament teams this season.

Junior guard Peyton Siva scored 55 points during Louisville’s fourgame run to the Big East Tournament championship. Siva, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, also had 25 rebounds and 23 assists. “My teammates are really the people who deserve this trophy,” Siva said of the MVP award as the nets were being cut down. For the season he is averaging 9.1 points, 5.45 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game.

Gorgui Dieng hit all eight of his shots against Notre Dame in the tourney semifinals, just one made field goal away from tying the Big East Tournament record for most made shots without a miss. He scored 16 points and had six rebounds, a block and a steal in 37 minutes. His .546 shooting percentage this season is best on the

team. The sophomore center averages 9.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. He also leads the Big East in blocked shots with 111.

Led by Dieng’s 100 percent shooting, the Cardinals hit 56 percent of their shots against Notre Dame, their best shooting performance of the year. Chane Behanan was 3 of 4, Siva 6 of 10 and Kyle Kuric 5 of 10. Russ Smith (1 of 6) was the only Cardinal who took more than one shot and shot less than 40 percent. That’s a good thing, too, because Notre Dame sent Louisville to the free-throw line just four times (3 of 4). The Irish shot 35.8 percent and were 10 of 19 from the foul line.

Despite winning the Big East Tournament, Louisville is a No. 4 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Big East members Marquette and Georgetown received No. 3 seeds and, of course, Syracuse got a No. 1 seed. The tournament committee’s final rankings showed Louisville as the 16th-best team in the field, meaning the Cardinals got shipped to the West Region.

The West Region is probably the toughest overall bracket in the tournament. According to Ken Pomeroy’s computer rating at KenPom.com, the West has eight of the top 20 teams in the nation. Top seed Michigan State is third in the KenPom rating, No. 2 seed Missouri is eighth, No. 3 Marquette is 18th, Louisville is 20th, No. 5 New Mexico is 13th, No. 7 Florida is 19th, No. 8 Memphis is ninth and No. 9 Saint Louis is 15th. Murray State, the No. 6 seed in Louisville’s bracket, is 45th (the Racers are 249th in strength of schedule).

Peyton Siva and Kyle Kuric had a South Florida player trapped last Wednesday. The Cards came up with six steals against the Bulls but still lost 58-51on Senior Night because they made just 5 of 22 three-point shots (Kuric was 2 of 8) and were outrebounded 40-29.

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LOUISVILLE BASKETBALL

CARDS MINDFUL OF UCONN’S RUN, TRY TO END NCAA DROUGHT

PITINO DOWNPLAYS MOTIVATION OF PREVIOUS EARLY EXITS By Russ Brown Before going into the Big East Tournament, University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino pronounced himself “bullish” on the Cardinals despite their late-season dive that saw them lose four of their last six games. If anything, Pitino should be even more optimistic heading into the NCAA Tournament now that UofL (26-9) won four games in four nights as the No. 7 seed to win its second Big East Tournament in four years. But the early exits of the last two seasons, combined with a dangerous opening opponent, has put Pitino in a cautious mode. “I’m the same way, but we have a very tough opponent,” he said. “We could win, we could lose. If you’re anything from a 3 seed up, you’re going to play somebody very, very good, and that’s the thing about college basketball today, is parity.” The Cards have gotten a bitter taste of that parity recently, falling to lower-seeded teams each of the past two seasons in California and Morehead State, the first time UofL had lost to an OVC team in the tourney in more than half a century. The fourth-seeded and No. 17/18 Cardinals will try to avoid their recent failures when they take on unranked and 13th-seeded Davidson (25-7) at 1:40 p.m. EDT Thursday in the West Region. Asked about the motivation of losing two years in a row in their NCAA debut, Pitino said the circumstances were different. “I think it’s all different factors,” he said. “When we played Cal, they were much better than us and just kicked our butt. Last year I felt we would have won the game if Preston Knowles doesn’t get injured. We had a bad injury (but) give all the credit to Morehead State. This is a tougher opponent than both of those teams. Are we better than those two years? I don’t know. “I do know I’m real proud of this team. They have fought real hard under some very, very adverse conditions and always had a positive attitude, always treated their opponent with great respect, and they got their just reward by going into the Garden and (winning) four games in four nights. I don’t think the (losses) will help us because we are extremely motivated to play.” The Cards are trying to become this season’s Connecticut from the Big East. Last year the Huskies finished ninth in the conference but then won 11 straight elimination games to claim their third national title. For UofL, the number would be 10 in a row. But there also is history that suggests it could easily happen the other way around. Before being upset by Morehead last year, the Cards had finished strong, winning six of their last eight, and had advanced to the Big East Tournament title game, losing a squeaker to UConn, 69-66, in the final seconds. In 2006 Syracuse won the conference tournament as the No. 9 seed, got a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tourney and was promptly ousted in the first round by Texas A&M.

Louisville coach Rick Pitino embraced freshman power forward Chane Behanan as fellow freshman Angel Nunez raised the 2012 Big East champion placard above his head on the court at Madison Square Garden after the Cardinals won the Big East Tournament. - photo by Andrew Force

And Pittsburgh won the Big East tourney as the No. 7 seed in 2008, then lost to Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA tourney. “People bring up UConn, but I feel we’re a different team,” UofL senior guard Chris Smith said. “Kemba Walker was pretty much a one-man show. We’re winning as a team with our defense.” Said senior forward Kyle Kuric: “Everything is clicking at the right time for us right now, and moving forward we have to keep that same mindset. Anything is possible.” Pitino hasn’t used the UConn analogy with his players, but he has referenced the New York Giants, who struggled at times during the regular season, then won the Super Bowl. “When I talk about the Giants, I mean the regular season sometimes really doesn’t matter,” he said. “If you don’t have a great regular season, you can have a great postseason. Throw it out the window, you can still win. All the motivational techniques, once the ball is thrown up it really doesn’t matter. It’s about matchups. Matchups play an awful big key to almost every game. “I’m very satisfied with the regular season, very satisfied with the Big East Tournament, and now it’s a new season, and that’s the way you have to look at it. We still have weaknesses we’ve got to overcome, and only time will overcome those weaknesses. Players getting older and developing their skills, it’s just going to take some time, but it will be done. I always look at, ‘Is the team reaching its potential?’ and the answer is yes. Now will the team reach its potential in the postseason? You don’t know until you play the game.”

One thing Pitino isn’t about to mess with are the Cardinals’ new infraRED uniforms they started wearing in the Big East Tournament as a promotion by adidas, even though the outfits are more orange than Cardinal red. “I think the infraRED is here to stay,” Pitino said. “The players would kill me if I tried to change. They loved it. I’m sure some fans don’t and some fans do. The bottom line is this game is for the players and the players love them, they’re undefeated in them, so it would be silly to change right now.” 2005 TAUGHT PITINO A LESSON In 2005 when UofL got a lower-thanexpected No. 4 seed, presumably because of its weak non-conference schedule, Pitino stormed out of a restaurant without speaking at a planned news conference. Since then, he has waited until the following day to talk about Louisville’s seeding and opponent. Things didn’t turn out so badly, of course, in 2005. The Cardinals got sent to the West Regional, home of the weakest No. 1 seed, Washington, and advanced to its only Final Four since 1986. This year, Pitino watched the pairings announcement with his team at the Yum! Center practice facility, then went home, slept for a while, then got up about 12:30 a.m. to watch film of Davidson. “(2005) showed me to react the way I reacted Sunday,” Pitino said. “Don’t say a word, go home, watch tape, don’t care where we play, what time we play. Taught me that lesson. Don’t react negatively to things you cannot control.” So naturally, Pitino wasn’t complaining

about Louisville’s seeding or being sent to Portland. “You can’t control how they seed you,” he said. “We’re excited to be part of a great event. And there was a point in the season that when you lose your early home games in the Big East and now you have to set a goal to win so many games to get in the tournament and then you come away when all’s said and done with a ... Big East championship, you’ve got to be really happy about it. So you can’t worry about where you’re at.” Pitino said he also is not concerned about the early start time of 10:40 a.m. PDT because Davidson, N.C., is in the same time zone as Louisville. “Now if you were playing somebody from Seattle in the first round and they’re three hours away and you’re traveling, it would be difficult,” he said. “But Davidson has the same problems we have.” Pitino did admit, though, that he was surprised the Cards were sent to Portland, because the games there are on the same days as the regional UofL is hosting at the KFC Yum! Center. He said he was expecting to be placed in either Nashville or Columbus, which play on Friday/Saturday. NO DR. DUNKENSTEIN Pitino showed up at his press conference Monday afternoon with his right wrist heavily bandaged, the result of accepting a challenge from Russ Smith to try and dunk. “Russ bet I couldn’t dunk, and I told him I could,” Pitino said. “I came close. I went up and grabbed the rim and strained my wrist. I had to pull myself up.”

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COFFEE BREAK WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

TOURNEY SUCCESS HAS SILENCED CRTICS, CONFIRMED THAT PITINO IS A MASTER Remarkable, inconceivable (a week ago), stunning -- help me out here, what other words can you think of to describe Louisville’s improbable run through the Big East Tournament? Were you like my family when the title game ended Saturday night -- looking at each other in stunned silence? Or did you jump and yell as you did when the Cards won NCAA championships in 1980 and 1986? There were so many implausible things that happened last week that make the tourney win that much more satisfying for Cards fans and the team: winning the tournament as a No. 7 seed; beating three teams that had defeated the Cards during the regular season; silencing the critics who said the Cards were finished for this season; winning the four games by an average of 10 points. This was no “barely” moment. Coach Rick Pitino’s team won every game with room to spare. This wasn’t luck, this was almost domination. In addition to the aforementioned accomplishments were the “in-your-face” selections to the All-Tournament Team announced after the final. Peyton Siva was properly named Most Valuable Player, and Kyle Kuric and Gorgui Dieng also were named to the five-member All-Tournament team. Considering that not one Louisville player was named to the regular-season all-conference first, second or third teams, it had to be very satisfying for the Cardinals trio to show the Big East Conference that they can play. The Big East tourney win should also put to rest the clamor by many to replace head coach Rick Pitino. Such complaints as, that the game has “passed him by,” that he can’t recruit or (my favorite) that “he works his team too hard,” all have turned out to be foolishness. Anyone who watched the four-game tournament knows that Pitino outcoached his opponents and that Louisville was the most well-conditioned team. Louisville displayed a deep bench as at least nine players participated in each game. Against Marquette Pitino used 11, with eight players scoring six points or more. Bringing young players along slowly has prepared them to contribute at tournament time. Some have said that Pitino couldn’t relate to younger players, but his handling of a troubled Peyton Siva is a case of counseling at its best. Whatever Siva’s problems at the end of the season were, they disapJACK COFFEE peared in a flurry of drives to the basket, good decisions and speed that could not be matched by any Cards opponent in this tourney. And could any other good coach in the country deal with the perplexing Russ Smith? He is the consummate “don’t-do-tha ... good-shot” player. It is unfortunate that fans blamed Pitino for circumstances outside his control -- injuries. A look at the end of the Cardinals bench should illustrate the reasons for the inconsistent play from the beginning of the season. I won’t recite the long list of games missed by those injured, because all Cards fans know the litany. The loss of so many players totally disrupted this team during practice and in games. Many have suggested multiple reasons for the Cards inability to score. But as we saw in this tournament, offensive woes can afflict any team. Pitino knows that defense is the key to victories in college basketball because scoring droughts can occur to any team at any time. Cincinnati shot 39 percent overall and 21 percent on three-point shots against Louisville. The Bearcats made just 1 of 7 free throws. During the season they shot 42 percent overall, 34 percent on treys and 64 percent on foul shots. Against Syracuse they shot 45, 45 and 61. Louisville didn’t shoot much better from the field in the title game -- 35 and 36 -- but hit 11 of 12 foul shots (92 percent). Louisville’s ability to reduce Cincinnati’s shooting percentage was the difference in the game. The Cards were outrebounded by nine and took three fewer shots than the Bearcats. Cards fans have very short memories. It’s, What have you done for me this week? But for those of us who have a 40- or 50-year perspective, Cardinals basketball is in pretty good shape. This will be the sixth year in a row to go to the NCAA Tournament. The team has averaged 24.4 wins a year over the past 11 seasons, and Pitino has won 20 or more games every season as UofL coach except his first, when he won 19. The Cards won just 12 games the year before he arrived. North Carolina has won two national championships over the past seven seasons but has averaged only 25.3 wins a year, one less than the Cards during that time frame. I don’t know how the Cards will do in the NCAA Tournament. Will injuries derail them, as they did last year? Will they make it to the Final Four? Will Dieng and Siva stay out of foul trouble? Regardless of the outcome, at this point I feel much better than I did this time a week ago.

LOUISVILLE’S ROAD TO BIG EAST GLORY March 7, 2012

Second Round vs. Seton Hall

W, 61-55

Peyton Siva scored 14 and Kyle Kuric added 13 to seal the win.

March 8, 2012

Quarterfinals vs. #9 Marquette

W, 84-71

Louisville’s defense forced 26 Marquette turnovers including 14 steals.

March 9, 2012

Semifinals vs. #23 Notre Dame

W, 64-50

Gorgui Dieng’s 8-for-8 shooting performance led the way.

March, 10, 2012 Finals vs. Cincinnati W, 50-44 ‘Exhausted’ Cards build 16-point lead and hang on to win.

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LOUISVILLE BASKETBALL

‘ P R I N C E T O N O N S T E R O I D S , ’ P I T I N O S AY S

DANGEROUS DAVIDSON READY TO RUN IN REGIONAL By Russ Brown Louisville’s basketball players have been frustrated much of the season when teams elect to play a grinding, methodical style against them, taking the shot clock down to its final ticks before getting serious about scoring. So the No. 17/18 Cardinals (26-9) should be eagerly looking forward to facing unranked Davidson (25-7) because the Wildcats also favor an up-tempo style. Those two teams will meet in what figures to be a fast-paced affair in the opening round of the West Regional at 1:40 p.m. (EDT) Thursday in the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore. While fourth-seeded UofL wants to run, however, the Cardinals RUSS BROWN always emphasize defense, so their first order of business will be to try and slow down the 13th-seeded Wildcats of the Southern Conference rather than outscore them. Davidson ranks 12th in the country in scoring at 78.4 points per game but is only No. 108 in field-goal percentage (44.9) and No. 184 in three-point percentage (33.9). UofL is third nationally in field-goal-percentage defense at 37.9 and is allowing only 61.2 ppg (35th). “It wouldn’t be my first pick of teams to play,” UofL coach Rick Pitino said. “I do like the fact that they run, but I could pick 50 other teams I’d rather play. I call them the Princeton offense on steroids because they do all the fundamental things a great offensive team will do, but they do it at a very fast pace. They look to run against anyone, doesn’t matter who they play against, they look to push the pace.” Pitino, never one to be stingy with his praise of an opponent, called Davidson “the toughest first-round game I’ve had as a coach.” The Wildcats’ top two players are 6-7 sophomore forward De’mon Brooks and 6-10 junior center Jake Cohen, who each received Player of the Year honors in the Southern Conference, Brooks from the coaches and Cohen from the media. Brooks averaged 16.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and shot 53.7 percent. Cohen averaged 14.0

Davidson’s De’mon Brooks is the team’s most-versatile player. - photo by SoConSports

ppg, 6.0 rpg and shot 49 percent, including 37.0 from three-point range (30 of 81). “But it’s not just those two,” Pitino said. “Those two obviously stick out, but they go seven or eight deep, and they all can play.” Five players average in double figures for Davidson, and five have hit at least 30 treys. And you don’t want to foul these Cats -- they rank ninth nationally in freethrow percentage at 76.4 (542 of 709). Davidson earned the Southern Conference’s automatic bid by surviving a dramatic, double-overtime 93-91 victory over Western Carolina in the title game. The Wildcats will carry a five-game winning streak into the NCAAs and are 18-3 since late December. Their most impressive win came on Dec. 19 in Kansas City when they upset Kansas 80-74. The Jayhawks are now ranked No. 6 and are a No. 2 NCAA seed. “They are a great passing team, not good, great,” Pitino said of Davidson. “They are a great motion-shooting team, that’s their forte. Very solid on defense, they trap the post very well. They’re a very hard-nosed, deep team. Anytime you beat Kansas in Kansas City, and they were in control of the game the whole way, they’re a great basketball team.”

Pitino compared the Wildcats to Luke Hancock, who transferred to UofL from George Mason and is sitting out this season but has drawn frequent praise from the coach for his skills and basketball IQ. “They have about six guys like Luke Hancock in the style of player he is,” Pitino said. “So they’re very difficult to defend because they have a lot of motion to their offense, they pass the ball extremely well, they go inside-outside, their fours and fives put it on the floor, they go right, they go left, their guards all handle and shoot well, (they have) a young man coming off the bench who shoots the lights out.” The reserve sharpshooter Pitino referred to is 6-7 Swedish sophomore Chris Czerapowicz, who leads the Wildcats in threepointers made with 64 (of 187, 34.2 percent). But they have four players shooting even better than Czerapowicz from beyond the arc: Brooks (37.5), Cohen (37.0), 6-3 junior Nik Cochran (37.4) and 6-4 junior JP Kuhlman (35.0). “They’re not going to beat themselves,” Pitino said. “It will be a very close, hardfought game because they shoot and execute so well and you can’t put them on the (free-throw) line. They score a lot of points, and they don’t turn it over.” Davidson coach Bob McKillop, whose team is making its first NCAA appearance since 2008 when it made a surprising run to the Elite Eight behind Stephen Curry by beating Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin, believes the tough game in the league final will benefit his club against Louisville. “I was encouraged by the attitude we had,” he said. “That will be a positive in terms of their tough-mindedness in the tournament. That’s a quality that sometimes is almost as valuable as dribbling and passing and defending. It’s one of the qualities of a champion. Louisville’s a great team and a great matchup for us.” Davidson and Louisville have met only one other time, with the Cardinals thumping the Wildcats 90-47 on Dec. 12, 1959, in Freedom Hall. The winner will advance to face the victor of the game between fifthseeded New Mexico (27-6) and 12th-seeded Long Beach State (25-8) on Saturday, with that survivor advancing to the regional semifinals in Phoenix.

WEST REGIONAL AT A GLANCE TOP COACHES Pitino, a nominee for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this year, is the only coach who has taken three different schools to the Final Four -- Providence, Kentucky and UofL, winning the 1996 title with UK. Florida’s Billy Donovan, a Pitino disciple, won back-to-back championships in 2006 and 2007. BEST PLAYER Michigan State forward Draymond Green, who is on track to become the first player from a BCS conference to average at least 15 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in a season since Wake Forest’s Tim Duncan did it in 1996-97. OTHER PLAYERS TO WATCH Peyton Siva, 6-0, G, UofL; Marcus Denmon, 6-3, G, Missouri; Jae Crowder, 6-6, F, Marquette; Isaiah Canaan, 6-0, G, Murray State; Casper Ware, 5-10, G, Long Beach State. BEST EARLY MATCHUP UofL vs. Davidson, the latter a very strong No. 13 seed that uses the three-point equalizer well enough to spring an upset. BEST POTENTIAL MATCHUP No. 1 Michigan State vs. No. 2 Missouri. They have contrasting styles, with the Spartans’ size, bulk and defense trying to offset the smaller Tigers’ speed and quickness with their ability to score off the bounce from nearly every position. UPSET ALERT No. 10 Virginia plays defense well enough -- allowing just 53.2 ppg -- to contain seventh-seeded Florida, which relies heavily on an offense that averages 76.8 ppg. No. 12 Long Beach State over No. 5 New Mexico. The 49ers have been well-tested, with a demanding non-conference schedule that included trips to Louisville, North Carolina, Kansas and San Diego State, and the Lobos’ Steve Alford hasn’t coached a team to an NCAA Tournament win since 1999. But if standout forward Larry Anderson, who missed the Big West Tournament with a sprained knee, is unable to play, LB State’s chances drop significantly. CINDERELLA CANDIDATES No. 6 Murray St. and No. 12 Long Beach St.

PAGE 10

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

MARCH 15, 2012

GAMEDAY PREVIEW - DAVIDSON

DAVIDSON WILDCATS

BREAKING DOWN THE WILDCATS By Rick Cushing The Wildcats were expected to have a good season, and they didn’t disappoint, going 25-7 overall and 16-2 in the Southern HEAD COACH Conference, winning both the regularBOB MCKILLOP season and conference-tournament titles. They returned four starters and the top two subs from a team that went 18-15 and won 10 of its final 13 games last year. Both top subs have moved into the starting lineup. They possess good size, with a starting lineup measuring 6-3, 6-5, 6-6, 6-7 and 6-10, and are a good-shooting team at 44.9 percent overall, 107th in the country, and 33.9 percent from three-point range, 184th in the country. They do like to put it up from outside and are averaging 7.8 three-pointers a game, 40th in the country. They also like to run and are averaging 78.4 ppg, 12th in the country. The Wildcats, who are the No. 13 seed in the West Regional, have five players in double figures, four starters and a sub, led by 6-7 sophomore forward De’mon Brooks, who was the top sub last season. He is averaging 16.0 ppg and also leads the team in rebounding at 6.3 rpg. UofL and Davidson met two common opponents this season – Vanderbilt and College of Charleston. UofL beat the visiting Commodores 62-60 on Dec. 2, and host Davidson lost to them 87-83 five days later. UofL beat visiting Charleston 69-62 on Dec. 20, and Davidson split with the Cougars, beating them 8769 on Jan. 19 at home and losing to them 86-78 on Feb. 11 in Charleston. Davidson has played three ranked teams this season. The Wildcats lost 82-69 at then-No. 6 Duke on Nov. 18, beat then-No. 12 Kansas 80-74 on Dec. 19 in Kansas City, and lost 91-74 on Feb. 18 to then-No. 24 Wichita State in Davidson. The Wildcats will be no pushover for the Cards. GUARDS The Wildcats employ a three-guard offense. Operating at the point is 6-3 junior Nik Cochran, a native of Vancouver, B.C., who was a sub last year. He’s averaging 11.0 ppg, fourth on the team, leads in assists at 3.66 a game and is second in steals at 0.97 a game. His assist-to-turnover ratio is 2.09-1, which is 66th in the country, and he’s a very good free-throw shooter at 88.7 percent, 14th in the country. J.P.Kuhlman, a 6-5 junior, averages 11.1 ppg, third on the team, 3.9 rpg, fourth on the team, and 2.8 assists, second on the team. He’s shooting 42.8 percent overall and 35 percent on treys. The third starter in the backcourt is 6-6 sophomore Tom Droney (3.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.2 apg). He’s shooting 40.5 percent overall but just 26.5 percent on treys. The top backcourt sub is Chris Czerapowicz, a 6-7 sophomore from Sweden who is averaging 10.2 ppg, fifth on the team, and 4.8 rpg, third on the team. He’s shooting 41.8 percent overall

and 34.2 percent on treys but has made and taken the most treys on the team (64 of 187). He averages two three-pointers a game, which is 191st in the country. Another backcourt sub is 6-4 freshman Tyler Kalinowski (4.8 ppg). BIG MEN Brooks is shooting 53.7 percent overall, which is 36th in the country, and a team-leading 37.5 percent on treys. He also leads in steals at 1.03 a game. At center is 6-10 junior Jake Cohen, who’s averaging 14.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg, both second on the team. He’s shooting 48.8 percent overall and is capable from outside, averaging 37 percent on treys (30 of 81). He’s also a very good free-throw shooter at 87.7 percent, 20th in the country. He leads the team in blocks at 1.7 a game, 71st in the country. The top sub up front is 6-7 junior Clint Mann, who was a starter last season. He’s averaging 5.5 ppg and 3.1 rpg and is shooting 48.5 percent overall but is no outside threat (0 for 4 on treys). STAR Brooks is a good one. TEAM STRENGTHS The Wildcats are a very good free-throw shooting team at 76.4 percent, which is ninth in the country, and they take care of the ball, with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.17-1, which is 41st in the country. TEAM WEAKNESSES The Wildcats commit a lot of fouls, averaging 20.3 a game, which is 307th in the country, and they don’t force many steals, with their 5.6-a-game average ranking just 258th in the country. HEAD COACH Bob McKillop, 61, has been a head coach in college for 23 seasons, all at Davidson, and has a record of 456-268. Before that he was a successful high school coach, winning five New York state titles, and an assistant at Davidson before taking over in 1989. He has been called by Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski “a sensational coach,” and Michigan’s John Beilein said “he’s equal or better than any coach I know.” This will be his sixth trip to the NCAA Tournament, the last time coming in 2008 when a team led by consensus All-American guard Stephen Curry made it to the Elite Eight before losing 59-57 to No. 4 Kansas, which went on to win the national title. NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY This will be Davidson’s 12th trip to the tourney, and the Wildcats are 8-11 all-time. They also made it to the Elite Eight in 1969. That team, which was coached by Lefty Driesell and was ranked No. 3 in the nation, fell 87-85 to North Carolina, which went on to lose to Rick Mount and Purdue in the Final Four. ALL-TIME SERIES UofL and Davidson have met just once, with the Cards crushing the Wildcats 90-47 at Freedom Hall in 1959.

2011-12 DAVIDSON BASKETBALL ROSTER NO 1 2 4 5 12 14 15 20 22 23 24 25 34 35 40

NAME YOUSSEF MEJRI MASON ARCHIE, II TYLER KALINOSKI JP KUHLMAN NIK COCHRAN CLAY TORMEY JAKE COHEN WILL REIGEL ALI MACKAY TOM DRONEY DE’MON BROOKS AJ ATKINSON FRANK BEN-EZE CHRIS CZERAPOWICZ CLINT MANN

POS F G G G G G F F F G F G F G F

HT 6-7 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-3 5-11 6-10 6-5 6-11 6-6 6-7 6-6 6-10 6-7 6-7

WT 183 175 172 195 188 165 235 202 204 200 227 214 237 200 229

EXP (L) FR. FR. FR. JR. JR. SO. JR. SR. FR. SO. SO. SR. SR. SO. JR.

HOMETOWN (SCHOOL) HAMMAM LIF, TUNISIA / MONTCLAIR PREP INDIANAPOLIS, IND. / TINDLEY SCHOOL OVERLAND PARK, KAN. / OLATHE EAST PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLA. / PROVIDENCE SCHOOL VANCOUVER, B.C. / CHAMPLAIN ST. LAMBERT CHICAGO, ILL. / HENDERSON INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL BERWYN, PA. / CONESTOGA CHARLOTTE, N.C. / CHARLOTTE LATIN NORTH BERWICK, SCOTLAND / NORTH BERWICK PITTSBURGH, PA. / SEWICKLEY ACADEMY CHARLOTTE, N.C. / HOPEWELL WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. / RJ REYNOLDS ARLINGTON, VA. / BISHOP O’CONNELL GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN / SANDAGYMNASIET OVERLAND PARK, KAN. / ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

Coach: Bob McKillop Overall Record: 456-268 (23rd season) Davidson Record: 456-268 (23rd season) THE WILDCATS HAVE BEEN TO THE ELITE EIGHT TWICE

JAKE COHEN

2011-12 SCHEDULE DATE NOVEMBER Nov. 11, 2011 Nov. 14, 2011 Nov. 18, 2011 Nov. 21, 2011 Nov. 26, 2011

OPPONENT

TIME

GUILFORD Richmond at Duke PRESBYTERIAN at UNC-Wilmington

W, 111-64 W, 74-61 L, 82-69 W, 68-54 W, 70-67

DECEMBER Dec. 1, 2011 Dec. 3, 2011 Dec. 7, 2011 Dec. 10, 2011 Dec. 19, 2011 Dec. 22, 2011 Dec. 29, 2011

at Wofford Furman Vanderbilt at Charlotte at Kansas at Massachusetts Pennsylvania

W, 72-69 W, 86-65 L, 87-83 L, 84-61 W, 80-74 L, 73-65 W, 75-70

JANUARY Jan. 5, 2012 Jan. 7, 2012 Jan. 12, 2012 Jan. 14, 2012 Jan. 19, 2012 Jan. 21, 2012 Jan. 26, 2012 Jan. 28, 2012

at UNC-G’boro Georgia So. Western Carolina at App. State C of Charleston The Citadel at Chattanooga at Samford

W, 92-63 W, 96-74 W, 88-67 W, 83-79 W, 87-69 W, 80-51 W, 64-63 L, 77-74

FEBRUARY Feb. 1, 2012 Feb. 4, 2012 Feb. 6, 2012 Feb. 9, 2012 Feb. 11, 2012 Feb. 15, 2012 Feb. 18, 2012 Feb. 23, 2012 Feb. 25, 2012

at Furman Chattanooga Wofford at The Citadel at C of Charleston Samford Wichita St. Elon at Georgia So.

W, 71-53 W, 88-61 W, 76-54 W, 77-66 L, 86-78 W, 81-54 L, 91-74 W, 66-45 W, 71-54

MARCH - SOUTHERN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT Mar. 3, 2012 Furman W, 73-54 Mar. 4, 2012 Elon W, 83-67 Mar. 5, 2012 Western Carolina W, 93-91

MARCH 15, 2012

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

PAGE 11

LOUISVILLE BASKETBALL

CARDS’ POINT GUARD COULD KEY NCAA RUN

NOW SIVA’S ONLY FOCUS IS PLEASING HIS COACH

By Russ Brown A pair of photos in the New York Daily News Sunday, the day after the Big East Tournament ended in glory for the University of Louisville basketball team, said it all. In one, Peyton Siva, the net draped around his neck, is sporting a 100-watt smile and giving the thumbs-up sign. In the other, he is holding the Big East trophy in one arm and hugging the Most Outstanding Player award in the other arm while somehow managing to hold up a No. 1 signal with his finger. Yes, Siva was the toast of Madison Square Garden last week -- winning fans with his play, his body language and his personality -- and now he’ll take his show to the West Coast and the NCAA Tournament where he’ll try and help No. 17/18 UofL (26-9) end a three-game losing streak in the tourney. First up, and hopefully not last, for the Cardinals, the No. 4 seed in the West Regional, will be unranked and 13th-seeded Davidson (25-7) on Thursday at 1:40 p.m. EDT in another Garden, the Rose, in Portland, Ore. Siva has played nearly three full seasons at UofL without tasting victory in the NCAA Tournament, and he is especially eager to erase the depressing feeling of last year’s major upset at the hands of Morehead State, 62-61, in Denver, the Cards’ second straight first-round NCAA loss. UofL’s last victory in the tourney came before Siva arrived on campus, a 103-64 rout of Arizona in the 2009 Sweet Sixteen in Indianapolis. But that was followed by the top-seeded Cards’ 64-52 loss to Michigan State in the Elite Eight. Then came a defeat by California in 2010, followed by last year’s shocker. Siva still describes the loss to Morehead as “the longest day of my life.” He didn’t leave his hotel room the rest of the day, and he refused to turn on the television or answer his phone. That’s one reason why he is intent on continuing his strong performance this week. “I don’t want my team to go through that again,” he said. “I took a week off, but there was no reason to sulk. I had to get back to work. We saw UConn win the championship and thought that could just as easily have been us. That has really motivated us this year.” If UofL is to advance very deep into the tourney this year, it surely will be because of Siva’s sudden emergence from a seasonlong funk that had rattled his confidence, which in turn had exacerbated his problems on the court. But he was undeniably the catalyst in the Big East tourney run and will assume the same role in the NCAAs. The 6-0 Seattle native was brilliant by averaging 13.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.8 steals in the Cards’ four victories. He nearly had a triple-double against Notre Dame in the semifinals with 13 points, a season-high-matching nine assists and eight rebounds, which equaled a career best. His six steals against Seton Hall was just one short of a Big East Tournament record. And in the 50-44 victory over Cincinnati in the final, Siva contributed 10 points, five assists and four rebounds.

Junior Peyton Siva was named MVP of the Big East Tournament Saturday. The point guard from Seattle could key a NCAA Tournament run for Louisville. photo by Gail Kamenish

His overall performance in the four games prompted Pitino to say that his junior point guard “really crossed the line into being a great player.” “You could tell he stepped into the role we needed him to play,” senior forward Kyle Kuric said. “The Peyton we’re all used to, you could tell he didn’t want to lose and he wasn’t going to let us lose. Anytime something happened, he would pick somebody up. Every timeout, he was always talking. He was very vocal.” Madison Square Garden certainly seems to bring out the best in Siva -- he made the all-tournament team last year when he averaged 12.0 points, 7.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds in helping the Cards reach the championship game against Connecticut. Even former President Bill Clinton, who has become a regular at the tourney, was talking about Siva. “He’s amazing,” Clinton told reporters during a brief interview in the Garden. “He’s very, very impressive ... and he has nice tattoos.” It was only a little more than a week ago, after a 58-49 loss at Syracuse, that Pitino told Siva he was “a pleaser” and that it was time for him to quit worrying about pleasing everybody and just play basketball to the best of his abilities. “He (Pitino) told me to forget about everything,” Siva said. “He just told me not to listen to anybody and press the reset button. He wanted me to start over, and that’s what I did. I wanted to block everything out and stop reading and listening to everything. And I feel a lot healthier now, too. Coach P had a lot of faith in me, and I’m very thankful for that.” Pitino said Siva is too sensitive to criticism and that he told his team floor general and tri-captain to quit worrying about what people are saying or writing. “What I basically told him was, ‘Look, you’re not having the best of years, I know you’re hearing it from all angles,’” Pitino recalled. “I said, ‘The one thing about your culture is you can’t not listen to what anybody says, you can’t have total blinders on.

You can’t be that way because you’re going to have friends text you asking what’s wrong, and this and that. “’Your girlfriend’s going to ask what’s wrong. That’s the bad part of that culture, the good part is that you go to New York and have a great tournament and everybody will think you’re having a great year.’ And everybody thinks right now he’s having the greatest season of his life. So that’s the way your world lives.” Pitino also believes Siva was helped by watching film of Seton Hall’s outstanding point guard, Jordan Theodore, before the Cards played the Pirates in their first game in the Big East Tournament. Siva has had a tendency to roar down the lane too fast, overdrive, get into trouble and then throw up an off-balance prayer or make a turnover. Pitino showed Siva how good Theodore is at changing speeds. “I think he learned a lot by watching Theodore,” Pitino said. “We kept talking about changing pace all season long, and he had a difficult time picking that up. And when we watched Theodore on tape we kept saying, ‘Look at the way he changes pace, Peyton.’ I think he picked up a lot watching him. “Part of Peyton’s problem is he goes too fast, he can’t stop. He’s one of the fastest point guards in the nation, and when you go that fast and don’t change your pace, you get off balance, you travel, you leave your feet. So he did a good job changing his pace. I think he played great in all phases of the game.” Said Siva: “I’m just trying to be really active on defense, get deflections and steals. Make the right decisions on the break and get open shots for my teammates.” And the longer he does that, the better chance the Cards have to keep dancing. NOTES -- Pitino refers to the backcourt combination of Siva and Russ Smith as “mosquitos,” adding, “They’re like little gnats, getting under your skin and bothering you. You’re always trying to get them off you, get them away from you.” ...

Siva said he is already very fond of UofL’s new InfraRED uniforms. “I love em. A lot of our fans don’t like them, but the players really like them because they’re so light, something new and different. Everybody fell in love with them, and we’re doing all right with them.” ... The UofL-Cincinnati game marked the fewest points scored in a Big East Tournament final, 16 fewer than the previous mark set by Syracuse and Georgetown in the Orange’s 56-54 victory in 1992. ... It was the first time in the 34 years the tournament has been held that at least one of the original seven members of the conference wasn’t in the final. “Conference USA comes to the Big Apple,” Pitino quipped. ... The last time UofL and UC had met for a league championship, they were in the Metro Conference in 1981 and the Cards won 42-31 in Freedom Hall before losing to Arkansas 74-73 on U.S. Reed’s half-court bomb in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Austin, Texas. ... Nine Big East teams made the 68-team NCAA Tournament field, but one that didn’t was Seton Hall, coached by former Pitino assistant Kevin Willard, who is the son of Pitino’s best friend, Ralph Willard. The Pirates (20-12, 8-10 Big East) were considered a bubble team but now will host Stony Brook (22-9) in the NIT. They are the sixth 20-win Big East team of the last 153 to not make the NCAAs. Willard is in his second season and has a roster composed mostly of freshmen and sophomores, although his two best players, Theodore and Herb Pope, are seniors. ... UofL may have set a record by playing six teams that wound up winning their respective conference tournaments -- Lamar (Southland), Western Kentucky (Sun Belt), Ohio U. (MAC), Long Beach State (Big West), Memphis (C-USA) and Vanderbilt (SEC). The Cards go into the NCAA Tournament with the No. 9 strength of schedule, brought down by non-league games against weak teams such as Tennessee Martin, Arkansas State, IUPUI and Fairleigh Dickinson. ... Pitino said the Big East realignment reminds him of Hollywood movies: “I’m with you forever. I’m with you forever, and you see these mobster movies, all of a sudden in ‘The Godfather’ -- ‘I’m selling out. It’s only business.’” West Virginia has moved to the Big 12 and Syracuse and Pittsburgh will join the ACC next year. ... Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin, a former UofL assistant, said if he had to lose in the title game, he was glad it was to Pitino’s team. “I’m very happy for coach Pitino. I love him like a brother,” Cronin said. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him.” ... Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim on the importance of conference tournaments: “The tournament that starts next week is the only one that matters. Nothing else matters any more in college basketball. It doesn’t matter than you win 31 games. It doesn’t matter that you win your conference tournament.” Cronin’s retort: “That’s what every coach who loses in the conference tournament says.”

PAGE 12

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

MARCH 15, 2012

GAMEDAY PREVIEW - NEW MEXICO

BREAKING DOWN THE LOBOS

NEW MEXICO LOBOS

HEAD COACH STEVE ALFORD

By Rick Cushing The Lobos, who are coached by former Indiana University great Steve Alford, figured to rebound from a disappointing season, when they went 22-13, finished fifth in the Mountain West Conference at 8-8 and failed to make the NCAA

Tournament. With four starters returning, including Mountain West Newcomer of the Year Drew Gordon, a transfer from UCLA, the Lobos did bounce back, going 25-6, winning the conference tournament and earning a No. 5 seed in the West Regional in the NCAA Tournament. They will face 12th-seeded Long Beach State in the first round, with the winner advancing to face the winner of the game between No. 4 seed UofL and No. 13 Davidson. The Lobos did it behind a stingy defense that allowed only 58.8 ppg, 14th in the country. Opponents were limited to 38.2 percent overall shooting, sixth in the country, and 30.6 percent on treys, 30th in the country. The Lobos can score, too. They averaged 73.4 ppg, 52nd in the country, shot 46.3 percent, 53rd in the country, including 38.5 percent on treys, 28th in the country, while averaging 16.3 assists per game, 10th in the country, with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.22-1, 31st in the country, and a rebounding margin of 6.7 a game, 18th in the country. UofL and New Mexico met no common opponents this season. The Lobos played only one ranked team all season, winning 2 of 3 games against Mountain West rival UNLV, including a 72-67 victory in the league tournament semifinals. GUARDS Kendall Williams, a 6-3 sophomore, runs the show. He’s averaging 12.0 ppg, second on the team, and leads at 4.1 assists per game and 1.31 steals per game He also averages 3.3 rpg, fourth on the team. He’s shooting 43.9 percent overall, 36.0 percent on treys. Hugh Greenwood, a 6-3 freshman from Australia, is averaging 6.7 ppg, sixth on the team, 3.7 rpg, second on the team, and 2.5 apg, also second. He’s shooting 42.3 percent overall and 34.7 on treys. Three subs see a lot of action in the backcourt: 6-2 sophomore Demetrius Walker (7.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg), 5-9 junior Jamal Fenton (6.6 ppg, 2.4 apg) and 6-5 senior Phillip McDonald (6.0 ppg). McDonald is the team’s top three-point shooter at 44.1 percent (45 of 102). BIG MEN Gordon, a 6-9 senior who left the troubled UCLA program three

years ago after being rated one of the nation’s top recruits, is averaging a double-double (13.4 ppg, 10.9 rpg, seventh in the country) and shooting 53.7 percent, 37th in the country. He’s 1 for 1 on treys and also leads the team in blocks with 34. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the Mountain West Tournament. Tony Snell, a skinny 6-7 sophomore (195 pounds), is averaging 11.0 ppg, third on the team, and 3.3 rpg, fourth on the team. He’s shooting 45.9 percent overall, 39.9 percent on treys (a team-leading 71 on 178 tries), and averages 2.4 assists per game, tied with Fenton for third on the team. A.J. Hardeman, a 6-8 senior, is averaging 4.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg, third on the team. He’s shooting 48.7 percent and has not tried a trey all season. The top frontcourt sub is 6-6 junior Chad Adams (3.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg). He’s shooting 43.8 percent on treys but has tried only 16, making seven. He’s a good free-throw shooter at 86.4 percent. STAR Gordon, without a doubt. TEAM STRENGTH Defense, as reflected by the stats listed above. TEAM WEAKNESS Frontcourt depth. Should Gordon get in foul trouble, the Lobos could be in serious trouble. HEAD COACH Alford, who starred on IU’s 1987 NCAA championship team, is in his fifth season at New Mexico and is taking the Lobos to the NCAA Tournament for the second time. He is 123-45 at UNM and 431-228 in 21 seasons overall, going 78-29 in four seasons (1991-95) at NCAA Division III Manchester (Ind.), 78-48 with one NCAA Tournament appearance in four seasons (1995-99) at Southwest Missouri State, and 152-106 in eight seasons at Iowa, with three NCAA Tournament appearances. He was Indiana’s Mr. Basketball in 1983 after averaging 37.7 ppg as a senior at New Castle H.S., which was coached by his father, Sam. He left IU as the school’s all-time leading scorer and played three seasons in the NBA with Dallas and Golden State. ALL-TIME SERIES UofL and UNM have met twice, with the Cards winning both times – 78-49 in 1989 and 64-63 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 1997. That UofL team advanced to the Elite Eight before falling 97-74 to No. 4 North Carolina, which lost in the Final Four to eventual national champion Arizona, which beat the Rick Pitino-coached UK for the title.

2011-12 NEW MEXICO BASKETBALL ROSTER NO 00 2 3 4 5 10 13 21 23 24 32 40 41 53

NAME A.J. HARDEMAN CHRIS PEREZ HUGH GREENWOOD CHAD ADAMS DOMINIQUE DUNNING KENDALL WILLIAMS JAMAL FENTON TONY SNELL PHILLIP MCDONALD KORY ALFORD DREW GORDON DEMETRIUS WALKER CAMERON BAIRSTOW ALEX KIRK

POS F G G G/F G G G G G G F G F C

HT 6-8 6-0 6-3 6-6 6-3 6-3 5-9 6-7 6-5 6-4 6-9 6-2 6-9 6-11

WT 235 180 209 190 198 180 168 195 200 170 245 200 253 242

EXP (L) SR/3VL SO/SQ FR/HS JR/2VL FR/HS SO/1VL JR/2VL SO/1VL SR/3VL FR/HS SR/1VL RS SO/TR-RS SO/1VL SO/1VL

HOMETOWN (SCHOOL) DEL VALLE, TEXAS (DEL VALLE) CORONA, CALIF. (CENTENNIAL HS) HOBART, AUSTRALIA (AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF SPORT) ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (HIGHLAND) CORONA, CALIF. (CENTENNIAL HS) RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CALIF. (LOS OSOS) HOUSTON, TEXAS (CESAR E. CHAVEZ) RIVERSIDE, CALIF. (KING) CYPRESS, TEXAS (CYPRESS SPRINGS) ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (LA CUEVA HS) SAN JOSE, CALIF. (UCLA) FONTANA, CALIF. (ARIZONA STATE) BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA (AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF SPORT) LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (LOS ALAMOS)

Coach: Steve Alford Overall Record: 431-228 (21st season) New Mexico Record: 123-45 (5th season) THE MOUNTAIN WEST LEAGUE CHAMPION THE MWC WAS AMERICA’S FIFTH BEST LEAGUE, BETTER THAN THE ACC OR PAC-12

DREW GORDON

2011-12 SCHEDULE DATE NOVEMBER Nov. 11, 2011 Nov. 16, 2011 Nov. 18, 2011 Nov. 24, 2011 Nov. 25, 2011 Nov. 27, 2011 Nov. 30, 2011

OPPONENT

TIME

New Orleans New Mexico St. at Arizona State at Santa Clara Wash. State at Boston College Idaho St.

W, 92-40 L, 62-53 W, 76-71 L, 79-76 W, 72-62 W, 75-57 W, 65-41

DECEMBER Dec. 3, 2011 Dec. 10, 2011 Dec. 17, 2011 Dec. 20, 2011 Dec. 22, 2011 Dec. 28, 2011 Dec. 31, 2011

Missouri St. at Southern Cal at OK State Montana St. Missouri-KC at New Mexico St. Saint Louis

W, 76-60 W, 44-41 W, 66-56 W, 91-46 W, 87-62 W, 89-69 W, 64-60

JANUARY Jan. 3, 2012 Jan. 7, 2012 Jan. 14, 2012 Jan. 18, 2012 Jan. 21, 2012 Jan. 25, 2012 Jan. 28, 2012 Jan. 31, 2012

HOUSTON BAPTIST NORTH DAKOTA at Wyoming San Diego St. at UNLV Colorado State TCU at Air Force

W, 98-61 W, 85-57 W, 72-62 L, 75-70 L, 80-63 W, 85-52 W, 71-54 W, 81-42

FEBRUARY Feb. 4, 2012 Feb. 11, 2012 Feb. 15, 2012 Feb. 18, 2012 Feb. 21, 2012 Feb. 25, 2012

at Boise State Wyoming at San Diego St. UNLV at Colorado State at TCU

W, 65-49 W, 48-38 W, 77-67 W, 65-45 L, 71-63 L, 83-64

MARCH Mar. 3, 2012

Boise State

W, 76-61

MOUNTAIN WEST TOURNAMENT Mar. 8, 2012 Air Force Mar. 9, 2012 at UNLV Mar. 10, 2012 at San Diego St.

W, 79-64 W, 72-67 W, 68-59

MARCH 15, 2012

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

PAGE 13

CARDS IN THE COMMUNITY

STRONG’S CARDS HELP CLEAN UP INDIANA By Howie Lindsey A week ago Friday, a massive storm composed of numerous tornados ripped through the Midwest, leaving 22 dead in Kentucky and 12 in Indiana. While much of the damage in Kentucky was more than 100 miles away from the University of Louisville, the Indiana towns of Henryville, Marysville and New Pekin are less than 30 minutes from campus. For days, police limited access to the affected HOWIE LINDSEY areas as citizens began the process of cleaning up their demolished homes, businesses and schools. Last Thursday, when access was opened up, UofL’s football team loaded into two large buses and traveled to Indiana to help their neighbors pick up debris and remove large items from their land. Coach Charlie Strong and his entire coaching staff arrived at the Metro United Way Volunteer Center just after 1 p.m. and committed their entire team to an afternoon of cleanup in the storm-ravaged area. For Strong, it was an opportunity for his players to understand he means what he says when he talks about serving your community. “It is great that our guys have a chance to give back,” he said. “That’s what you always talk to your players about - giving back. Now we have a chance to come into this community that has been hit and is a disaster. Now we have a chance to give back.”

The offense was sent to help the community of Marysville and the defense went to Henryville. In Henryville, the town comes into view as you round the I-65 exit and drive down a slight hill into the town. As the defensive bus approached Henryville, the players and coaches got a full view of the horrific damage at the town’s school (a combined grade school, middle school and high school). Strong, who said his hometown of Batesville, Ark., was hit by a tornado when he was a child, said he’d never seen anything like the devastation in Henryville. “(When the bus entered the town) own) everybody was silent,” Strong said. “No one said anything because ause they were just stunned. They were shocked more than anything.” After Strong and his staff spoke oke with a local fire department, the bus navigated a maze of aid vehihicles and electric trucks and found da parking space on the side of a road ad near the school. The players unnloaded the buses and immediately ely began carrying debris from three ee severely damaged homes behind d the school. “I’m from Cincinnati, so I am m used to hearing about tornados,” ” linebacker Preston Brown said. “II mean, you hear about them all the time, but you never really see what actually happens. It is really shocking.” Strong told his players not to tweet about their trip beforehand, and he limited media

It just wakes you up, makes you take nothing for granted.” Earlier in the week, players and coaches visited tornado victims who had been airlifted to Louisville hospitals, including the Gilles family from Henryville, UofL fans whose home was thrown 300 yards by the storm. On Friday, members of the Indianapolis Colts arrived in Southern Indiana to help the clean-up effort as well. And they weren’t helping out. Several Louisville the only ones helpin collections for the tornado teams held colle vvictims, and athletes all over town got in on the Louisville footba ll coach Charlie helping spirit. Bellarmh Strong brought a handful of limbs ine’s Braydon Hobbs, a in up to a woodpile Thursday as his team helped torn New Albany native, deN ado victims in Southern Indian livered supplies, put tarps liv a clean up their towns. - photo by on roofs, cut down trees Howie Lindsey and an did whatever else needed to be done. ne “It’s like a movie up there,” Hobbs told The the Courier-Journal. “Just unCo believable. It gives me chills bel just talking about it.... I told Coach (Scott Davenport), Coa ‘It just puts everything in j perspective.’ So unreal and pers unbelievable.... Everything unbe is literally flattened. Cars lit shattered and upside down, shatt trailers trailer upside down, roofs off houses. It’s all the pictures ho you can ca imagine, times 10.” Said Strong, “We are so blessed, blessed so we feel like we should take every opportunity to help others.”

notice. He wanted his players to focus on working to help, not publicity. The players didn’t just pose for photos. They were each given gloves and went to work despite sputtering rain and muddy conditions. Their work site was within easy view of the demolished school. “I’m from Miami, but I wasn’t really old enough during Hurricane Andrew to remember any of it,” defensive lineman Jamaine Brooks said. “It was bad, probably like this, but I was too young.

PAGE 14

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

CARDS IN THE COMMUNITY

Louisvilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defense helped clean up debris from the land surrounding the Henryville School building while the offense helped in Marysville, Ind. - photos by Howie Lindsey

MARCH 15, 2012

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

PAGE 15

LOUISVILLE BASKETBALL

LONG BEACH STATE 49ERS

BREAKING DOWN THE 49ERS By Rick Cushing The 49ers returned four starters and added top JUCO transfer James Ennis, and they hoped to end the frustration of losses to UC Santa Barbara in the Big West Conference Tournament final the HEAD COACH DAN MONSON past two seasons that kept them out of the NCAA Tournament. Mission accomplished as the 49ers beat UCSB 77-64 in the conference tournament final this year to earn a No. 12 seed in the West Regional in the NCAA Tournament. They will face No. 5 seed New Mexico on Thursday, with the winner to face the UofL-Davidson winner on Saturday. Long Beach finished its season at 25-8 and won the Big West regularseason title at 14-1. The 49ers faced six ranked teams this season, including then No. 6 UofL, which beat visiting LBSU 79-66 on Nov. 28 in the KFC Yum! Center. The 49ers also lost to Kansas 88-80 on Dec. 6, to North Carolina 84-78 on Dec. 10 and to Creighton 81-79 on Feb. 18. They won 86-76 at then-No. 9 Pittsburgh on Nov. 16, a victory that turned out to be not so impressive, and they beat Xavier 68-58 in the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii on Dec. 22. UofL and Long Beach State played no common opponents this season. GUARDS Casper Ware, a 5-10 senior who runs the show, leads the team in scoring at 17.4 ppg and in assists at 3.3 a game.

The team is shooting 47.2 percent, which is 31st in the country, and the balanced scoring of the starting five – 17.4 ppg to 9.5 ppg. TEAM WEAKNESS Lack of depth. LBSU used only three reserves against UofL for a total of 29 minutes, and they scored only four points. The Cards used five reserves for a total of 57 minutes, and they scored 21 points. HEAD COACH Dan Monson is in his fifth season at LBSU and 15th season overall. He’s 85-76 at LBSU, 255-199 overall, having gone 52-17 in two seasons at Gonzaga (1997-99) and 118-105 in seven-plus seasons at Minnesota (1999-2006). He took Gonzaga to the Elite Eight in 1999, and he took Minnesota to the NCAA tourney once. This will be the first trip for the 49ers under Monson. ALL-TIME SERIES This season was the only time the teams have met.

He’s shooting 40.7 percent overall and has taken 173 more shots than the second-leading shooter on the team, and he’s shooting 36.1 percent on treys and has taken more than twice as many (92 of 255) as any other 49er. Larry Anderson, a 6-5 senior, is averaging 14.0 ppg, second on the team, 5.0 rpg, third on the team, and leads in steals at 1.9 a game, 61st in the country. He’s the team’s top three-point shooter at 41.9 percent (44 of 105). He led the 49ers with 17 points against UofL. He missed the Big West Tournament with a sprained ankle and his availability for this week is unknown. The top backcourt sub is 6-0 freshman Mike Caffey (5.8 ppg). BIG MEN T.J. Robinson, a 6-8 senior, is averaging 12.0 ppg, third on the team, and a team-leading 10.1 rpg, which is 19th in the country. He’s shooting 57.0 percent and has not taken a trey. Ennis, a 6-7 junior, is averaging 9.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg and 2.5 apg and leads the team with 25 blocks. He’s shooting 49.3 percent overall and 35.2 percent on treys (43 of 122). The starting center is 6-6 senior Eugene Phelps (9.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg). He’s shooting 49.6 percent and has not tried a trey. The top frontcourt sub is 6-8 senior Enis Dervisivec (4.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg). STAR I have to go with Robinson because Ware is such a gun. TEAM STRENGTHS

Coach: Dan Monson Record at Long Beach State: 85-76, 5th season Overall record: 255-199, 15th season Previously Coached: Gonzaga (1997-99) and Minnesota (1999-2006) LONG BEACH STATE FINISHED 25-8 & WON THE BIG WEST REGULAR-SEASON & TOURNAMENT TITLE

2011-2012 MEN’S BASKETBALL SEASON STATS MINUTES

TOTAL

3-PTS

F-THROWS

REBOUNDS

Player

Tot

Avg

FGA

Pct

3FG

FGA

Pct

FTA

Pct

Off

Def

Tot

Avg

Blk

Stl

Pts

Avg

Kuric, Kyle

1199

36.3

149

346

.431

208

.337

.813

105

145

4.4

433

13.1

Smith, Russ

729

21.4

130

362

.359

123

.276

122

.762

2.4

387

11.4

Smith, Chris

969

27.7

110

271

.406

152

.395

.750

128

3.7

349

10.0

Dieng, Gorgui

1137

32.5

131

240

.546

.000

100

.670

126

193

319

9.1

119 5

111

329

9.4

Siva, Peyton

1055

32.0

103

256

.402

.238

109

.725

110

3.3

180 116 5

300

9.1

Behanan, Chane

877

25.1

119

241

.494

.156

120

.592

101

157

258

7.4

314

9.0

Marra, Mike

12.5

.625

.250

.500

2.5

6.0

Buckles, Rakeem

149

13.5

.432

.400

.556

3.8

4.0

Swopshire, Jared

454

13.4

104

.394

.150

.674

101

3.0

116

3.4

Blackshear, Wayne

6.9

.258

.294

.571

1.1

2.5

Nunez, Angel

4.6

.381

.375

.500

0.7

2.0

JACKSON, Mark

4.0

.500

1.000

.000

1.0

1.7

Van Treese, Stephan

6.7

.333

.000

.500

2.0

1.3

Henderson, Tim

5.2

.364

.429

.500

0.8

1.3

Ware, Kevin

101

5.3

.308

.000

.333

0.7

1.1

Justice, Elisha

112

5.3

.375

.091

1.000

0.4

1.0

Price, Zach

4.7

.333

.000

.267

0.9

0.7

Team

Total

7100

848

1997

.425

206

663

.311

507

739

.686

460

878

1338

38.2

625 14

482 513 170

319

2409 68.8

Opponents

7100

747

1969

.379

194

630

.308

453

685

.661

459

812

1271

36.3

666 -

390 555 119

256

2141 61.2

PAGE 16

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

RECRUITING NOTEBOOK

DDDD The Kentucky Derby Festival announced the rosters for the Derby Festival Basketball Classic to be played Friday, April 6, at Freedom Hall. The roster includes five McDonald’s All-Americans, as well as University of Louisville signee Terry Rozier and three Indiana University recruits. Nearly all of the players scheduled to participate are ranked among the top 40 nationally by recruiting services Rivals.com and Scout.com. The players also will participate in the Horseshoe Foundation Night of Future Stars on Thursday, April 5, at New Albany (Ind.) High School. “This is one of the strongest lineups in the recent history of the Derby Festival Basketball Classic,” said Mike Gandolfo, the event’s co-recruiting chair along with Keith Conrad. “We expect it will be a highly entertaining and competitive game. Many of the top programs in the country are represented on the roster, and we know the players will have great success at the next level.”

The Derby Festival Basketball Classic is presented by papajohns.com. Contributing sponsors are the Horseshoe Foundation of Floyd County, Norton Sports Health, Reebok, 99.7 WDJX and B96.5 FM. Supporting partners are the Kentucky National Guard, The Rock and SLAM Magazine. Admission to the Horseshoe Foundation Night of Future Stars is free with a ticket to the Classic. Some of the event’s most exciting moments have occurred during the Slam Dunk, 2-on-2 and Three-Point Shooting competitions. There also will be a one-hour autograph-signing session following the event, with a two-item limit for signing. Basketball Classic tickets are $11 and $16 (includes $1 facility fee) and are available at TicketMaster locations (www.ticketmaster. com), by phone (800, 745-3000) or at the Freedom Hall box office (502, 367-5144). First held in 1973, the Derby Festival Basketball Classic is the oldest continuously held high school all-star game in the nation.

2012 KENTUCKY DERBY FESTIVAL BASKETBALL CLASSIC ROSTERS AS OF 3/1/2012

MARCH 15, 2012

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

PAGE 17

RECRUITING NOTEBOOK

C O M M E N T A R Y

GOOD

Say what you will about UofL basketball coach Rick Pitino (and many media members and fans certainly did that over the past two months), he was absolutely right about his team when it started the postseason. Pitino had taken slings and arrows from all sides since late December as Louisville’s offense struggled to find its groove and as the Cards pushed their way through a brutal Big East schedule. Then he was mocked last week when he told reporters that this Louisville team was going to New York to bring home a title. But he was right! And now UofL is one of the hottest teams in the country going into the NCAA Tournament. Give the coach credit, he brought home Louisville’s third Big East title in four seasons (one regular-season crown in 2009 and tournament titles in 2009 and 2012). The just-concluded Big East Tournament was a clear reminder that there’s a reason Pitino is a finalist for the Naismith Hall of Fame.

GOOD

Prior to the Big East Tournament, we liked that Pitino was still working toward answers with this team instead of sitting back with a “They-are-what-they-are” attitude that some coaches take at such a late point in the season. Pitino told Paul Rogers on WHAS-840 several days before the final regular-season game at Syracuse that he planned to “shake things up in a dramatic way. Our fans will probably be surprised with who’s going to be on the court, but we’re going to lay it all on the line and see what happens. Before we go to the (NCAA) Tournament we’re going to get this thing straightened out.” And he did. Pitino found the right mix during the Big East Tournament, and the Cards reeled off four wins in four days to bring home the crown.

BAD

UofL did not have any players on the All-Big East first, second or third teams. Senior Kyle Kuric made honorable mention, and Chane Behanan made the All-Rookie team. Louisville’s lack of first, second or third teamers speaks to a couple of things: 1. League coaches did not respect UofL’s players enough and, 2. This team is certainly more about the whole than the parts. Louisville certainly used the All-Big East snub as motivation. And if they need more motivation for the NCAA Tournament? The tourney committee put the Cardinals all the way out West as a No. 4 seed. “We love proving haters wrong,” junior guard Peyton Siva said. “We just stay together, keep focused and keep proving them wrong.”

GOOD

How good was Siva in the Big East Tournament? Wow. He was fast, aggressive, and his shot was falling all week. He was deservedly named Big East Tournament MVP after averaging 13.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists during UofL’s four-game run. After crediting his teammates for their performance, Siva was asked about his performance. “It is unreal. I just give all credit to Jesus Christ,” Siva said after the final. “By the grace of God we were able to pull that off. Cincinnati came back and fought hard, but everybody stepped up big for us.” His coach loved his performance. “He was exhausted tonight,” Pitino said. “But I told him, ‘Hang in there, son.’ We needed him because he was the best player on the court.” Pitino’s love was reciprocated. As he was being interviewed by Rogers for his postgame coach’s radio segment, Siva walked by and said, “I love you Coach.”

BAD

We really don’t like Louisville’s draw. 1. The Cardinals are shipped all the way to Portland, Ore., a cross-country plane trip for nearly all of Louisville’s massive fan base. 2. The Cardinals are a No. 4 seed and not a No. 3 as some were projecting just before the pairings were released. 3. The Cards are in the toughest region, with eight of the top-20 teams in Ken Pomeroy’s computer rating all in the same bracket. And, 4. The committee paired the champions of two of the five toughest conferences this year in the second round. Should Louisville beat Davidson in the first round, the Cardinals may have to face Mountain West champ New Mexico for a chance to make the Sweet 16. The Mountain West garnered four bids this year, same as the SEC and two more than the Pac-12.

B Y

H O W I E

L I N D S E Y

UGLY

Our prayers go out to those affected by the violent storms in the Kentuckiana area a week ago Friday, particularly those Hoosiers in Henryville, Marysville and Pekin. Indiana State Police thankfully lowered the death toll in that area from 14 to 12, but the heartbreak is still painfully playing out on local news. We urge that UofL fans help through the Red Cross, Salvation Army or any of the local fire departments in Southern Indiana. Donations of food, canned goods, clothing and plain old finances are certainly welcomed. An easy way to help is to text HOOSIER to 80888 to donate $10 to the Salvation Army or REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross. In all, 37 people were killed by tornados in four states — Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.

GOOD

It was inspiring to see two busloads of UofL football players arrive at the Metro United Way Volunteer office in Indiana last week. The faces on the aid workers lit up as UofL’s entire coaching staff walked into the building to receive their marching orders to help the tornado victims. Coach Charlie Strong split his team and had the offense head to Maryville and the defense to Henryville, two small towns that were hit hardest by the storms. And the players weren’t there for a photo shoot. Dressed in sweats, they put on donated work gloves and went to work removing heavy debris from people’s property. For more on Louisville’s clean-up efforts, see pages 13 and 14.

BAD

We were saddened to hear that James Edward “Jimmie” Wallace passed away in late February. He was a good friend of SportsReport owner Jack Coffee and the first videographer for UofL football. He also was one of the first in the country. He started filming games for Bear Bryant at Kentucky in the late 1940s and the next year moved to UofL with Frank Camp. He also was one of the best aerial photographers in town. Wallace was born in Louisville, where he owned and operated Jimmie Wallace Commercial Photography. He was a World War II Army veteran and a member of Southeast Christian Church. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Louise Wallace, sister, Ruth Dillard of Fayetteville, N.C.; and brother, Theodore Wallace. He is survived by his daughters, Barbara Wallace Jones and Susan Wallace Aebi; grandchild, Chapin “Chip” Jones (Bethany); and great-grandchildren Evan and Natalie Jones. He was 92.

GOOD

Yes, it is basketball season, but football season is just around the corner. Strong and the Cardinals soon will begin preparations for the 2012 season, with their first spring practice on March 21. The Cardinals also will hold practice on March 23 and March 24. The Cardinals return 47 letterwinners from last season’s team that went 7-6 and won a share of the Big East title, with 10 starters back on a defense that finished ranked 23rd in the country. The offense returns eight starters, including four on the offensive line and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, the Big East’s Newcomer of the Year. Only the first three practices and the Red-White Scrimmage on April 14 at 1 p.m. and will be open to the public. Practice times are yet to be determined.

BAD

We think it’s ludicrous that the NCAA insists on calling the four play-in games on Tuesday and Wednesday the first round of the NCAA Tournament. That means that 60 teams are receiving byes into the second round. Please. That means that UofL lost in the second round last year, when everyone around here knows that the Cards lost their first game, not in the second round. We are going to disregard the NCAA’s nonsensible delineation of the four play-in games as the first round and urge all of you to do the same. Common sense requires it. Common sense is lacking in the NCAA, as we well know.

GET DAILY UPDATES ON THE CARDS AT CARDINALSPORTS.COM - WANT MORE OPINIONS? FOLLOW @HOWIELINDSEY ON TWITTER

PAGE 18

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

2012 NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKET

MARCH 15, 2012

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

PAGE 19

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

CARDS WILL BATTLE MICHIGAN STATE IN ROUND ONE

LOUISVILLE’S DRAW A CASE OF DOUBLE DÉJÀ VU By Howie Lindsey Last season the Louisville women’s basketball team was awarded a No. 7 seed and had to play on No. 2 seed and 5th-ranked Xavier’s home court in the second round. This season? More of the same. The 20th-ranked Cardinals (21-8) again received a No. 7 seed and, if they beat No. 10 seed Michigan State (20-11) in the first round, they will likely face No. 2 seed and 5th-ranked Maryland on the Terrapins’ home court for a spot in the Sweet 16. “You know, I have learned that you just can’t complain a whole lot about seeding,” UofL coach Jeff Walz said. “I mean, I thought we could be a 5 seed, best-case scenario, and I thought we were a solHOWIE LINDSEY id 6 seed, but once the brackets are out, you just have to go play. I’ve gone through the mock draft deal in Indianapolis, and I know how hard it is - especially when you have eight teams in from the same league and none of them can play each other until the third round.” The Cards certainly put their seeding aside last season, knocking off traditional power Vanderbilt, the No. 10 seed, 81-62 in the first round, then beating the Musketeers 85-75 to advance to the Sweet 16. Can the Cardinals take the same path to the Sweet 16 this season? “We don’t know a whole lot about Michigan State yet, but we know they are a very good team,” Walz said. “We’ll have our hands full with them and, if we get past them, we’ll most likely have a very talented Maryland team on their home court. We did well with the 7 seed last year, and now we are trying to make good things happen as we move forward in the NCAA Tournament.” The Cardinals will start their tournament run against Michigan State Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in College Park, Md. The game will be televised on ESPN2. Maryland (284) will take on 15 seed Navy (18-11) in the game prior. Seeding aside, Walz likely will catch a case of deja vu as he walks back into Maryland’s gym for this weekend’s games. He came to Louisville in 2007 after helping the Terrapins and coach Brenda Frese win the 2006 NCAA championship. “We are really excited to get the chance to be playing,” Walz said. “We are heading to Maryland, where I worked for five years as an assistant coach. I am familiar with the area and familiar with the gym.” Walz was an assistant coach and recruiter at Maryland. He said there likely are some fans who will remember him. “I would think we should have a crowd of folks cheering for us in (the first-round) game, but I assure you, if we win, there won’t be anybody cheering for me and my team,” he said.

More than 400 season-ticket holders helped the Louisville women celebrate Selection Monday at a party at the PNC Club in Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium Monday night. - photo by Howie Lindsey

Louisville comes into the tournament off a loss to 14th-ranked St. John’s in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. “We had a few days of rest after the Big East Tournament,” Walz said. “They started back (Monday), and then we’ll start preparing (Tuesday). It’ll be a fun week of preparation.” The Cardinals will take on a Michigan State team that won eight of its final 10 games and has been in the NCAA Tournament the last four seasons and nine of the last 10. The Spartans finished tied for second in the Big Ten at 11-5. “I’ll get back to the office in a bit to start breaking down film and getting a game plan together,” Walz said at the team’s Selection Show party Monday night. “The Big Ten is a great league with some solid teams in it like Ohio State and Penn State, so they have seen good competition.” The Spartans played two Big East teams earlier this season, losing 75-64 to Villanova on Nov. 11 in New Rochelle, N.Y., and falling 64-54 to Pitt on Dec. 21 in Cancun, Mexico. Louisville beat Villanova 62-58 on Jan. 28 at the KFC Yum! Center and won at Pitt 71-66 in overtime on Feb. 14. UofL beat Villanova again 63-47 in the second round of the Big East Tournament. Louisville’s 1-1 record in the Big East Tournament is misleading. The Cardinals clobbered Villanova and took St. John’s, one of the hottest teams in the nation, to overtime before falling 68-61 when UofL’s shots just wouldn’t fall. Walz said his team is playing good basketball. “I have been really pleased with the way we have played recently,” he said. “This is a team that is really starting to mature and starting to do some good things. I am ex-

cited about it for them, and I am looking forward to a good week of practice now that we know who we are playing and we can start focusing just on them.” Walz, who has led Louisville to three Sweet 16 appearances and a national runner-up finish in 2007, said the postseason is all about one thing - winning. “I told our team that it doesn’t matter if we win ugly or if we win pretty, but we’d better win,” he said. SELECTION SHOW CROWD More than 400 season-ticket holders attended the Selection Show party in the PNC Club at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on Monday. The players signed autographs, helped paint kid’s faces and posed for pictures. “We definitely didn’t expect this big of a turnout for this event, so it is very humbling,” senior Becky Burke said to the gathering. “Our fans are always great, and to see so many of you here tonight for us is great.... We have the best fans in the country, and it gives us such an advantage over other teams.” REID WILL RETURN Senior leading scorer and pre-season AllBig East pick Monique Reid has been sidelined since the eighth game of the season with a knee injury. At the Selection Show party, Walz told the crowd Reid will be back next season along with junior Tia Gibbs, who was sidelined with a shoulder injury. “We still have to file a waiver with the NCAA, but there shouldn’t be any glitches with that,” Walz said. “We fully expect to have both of them back here next season. Mo would have another season to play,

and Tia will have two.” So why the delay on the paperwork? Walz said it isn’t a delay at all. “You have to wait until the completion of the season,” he said. “Once the season is completed, you can submit the paperwork. You can’t send in the paperwork early because it could be approved and I could try to play her in the NCAA Tournament. They won’t let teams do that, so you have to wait until after the season to apply.” Walz also told the crowd he planned to open the 2012-13 home schedule with Texas A&M. Louisville loses only senior Becky Burke to graduation.

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LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

MARCH 15, 2012

SPRING SPORTS SCHEDULES

SWIMMING AND DIVING

LACROSSE

DATE 01/14/12 01/28/12

OPPONENT / EVENT at Cincinnati # at Indiana

LOCATION Cincinnati, Ohio Bloomington, Ind.

02/03/12 02/10-12/12 02/15-18/12 02/24-25/12 03/08-10/12 03/09-11/12 03/15-17/12 03/22-24/12 03/29-31/12 05/03-06/12 06/07-09/12 06/25/12

vs. KENTUCKY Ralph Wright Natatorium BIG EAST Diving Championship # Pittsburgh, Pa. BIG EAST Swimming Championship # Pittsburgh, Pa. Championship Qualifying Meet Knoxville, Tenn. NCAA Diving Zones Auburn, Ala. Grand Prix - Columbus (LC) Columbus, Ohio NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship, Auburn, Ala. NCAA Men’s National Championship Federal Way, Wash. Grand Prix - Indianapolis Indianapolis, Ind. Grand Prix - Charlotte Charlotte, N.C. Mutual of Omaha Swimvitational Omaha, Neb. US Olympic Trials

TIME / RESULT M 2-0, W 2-0 M 165.5-134.5, W 128-165 M 188-107, W 183-107 M 4th, W 1st M 2nd, W 1st Not scored --Not scored All Day All Day All Day All Day All Day

BASEBALL DATE OPPONENT / EVENT Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge 02/17/12 vs. Minnesota 02/18/12 vs. Illinois 02/19/12 vs. Michigan State 02/22/12 vs. EASTERN KENTUCKY 02/24/12 vs. OAKLAND UNIVERSITY 02/25/12 vs. OAKLAND UNIVERSITY 02/26/12 vs. OAKLAND UNIVERSITY 02/28/12 vs. EASTERN ILLINOIS 03/02/12 vs. PEPPERDINE 03/03/12 vs. PEPPERDINE 03/04/12 vs. PEPPERDINE 03/06/12 vs. INDIANA Alabama Tournament 03/09/12 vs. Oral Roberts 03/10/12 at Alabama 03/11/12 vs. East Carolina 03/13/12 vs. OLE MISS 03/14/12 vs. OLE MISS 03/16/12 vs. BALL STATE 03/17/12 vs. BALL STATE 03/18/12 vs. BALL STATE 03/20/12 vs. OHIO STATE 03/23/12 vs. CINCINNATI # 03/24/12 vs. CINCINNATI # 03/25/12 vs. CINCINNATI # 03/27/12 at Purdue 03/30/12 vs. VILLANOVA # 03/31/12 vs. VILLANOVA # 04/01/12 vs. VILLANOVA # 04/03/12 vs. WESTERN KENTUCKY 04/05/12 at Georgetown # 04/06/12 at Georgetown # 04/07/12 at Georgetown # 04/10/12 at Kentucky 04/13/12 vs. SETON HALL # 04/14/12 vs. SETON HALL # 04/15/12 vs. SETON HALL # 04/17/12 at Indiana 04/20/12 at USF # 04/21/12 at USF # 04/22/12 at USF # 04/24/12 vs. KENTUCKY 04/27/12 vs. CONNECTICUT # 04/28/12 vs. CONNECTICUT # 04/29/12 vs. CONNECTICUT # 05/01/12 at Western Kentucky 05/05/12 at West Virginia # at West Virginia # 05/06/12 at West Virginia # 05/08/12 at Vanderbilt 05/11/12 vs. ST. JOHN’S # 05/12/12 vs. ST. JOHN’S # 05/13/12 vs. ST. JOHN’S # 05/15/12 vs. MOREHEAD STATE 05/17/12 at Pittsburgh # 05/18/12 at Pittsburgh # 05/19/12 at Pittsburgh # 05/23-27/12 BIG EAST Championship

DATE 02/19/12 02/24/12 02/26/12 03/02/12 03/07/12 03/10/12 03/14/12 03/17/12 03/24/12 03/27/12 04/05/12 04/07/12 04/13/12 04/15/12 04/20/12 04/22/12 05/03/12

OPPONENT / EVENT at Ohio State at Longwood at Old Dominion vs. DENVER vs. NORTHWESTERN vs. Presbyterian at Vanderbilt at Jacksonville at Notre Dame # at Cincinnati # vs. LOYOLA (Md.) # vs. GEORGETOWN # at Rutgers # at Villanova # vs. SYRACUSE # vs. CONNECTICUT # BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP

LOCATION Columbus, Ohio Farmville, Va. Norfolk, Va. UofL LACROSSE STADIUM UofL LACROSSE STADIUM Cumming, Ga. Nashville, Tenn. Jacksonville, Fla. South Bend, Ind. Cincinnati, Ohio UofL LACROSSE STADIUM UofL LACROSSE STADIUM New Brunswick, N.J. Philadelphia, Pa. UofL LACROSSE STADIUM UofL LACROSSE STADIUM Syracuse, N.Y.

TIME / RESULT L, 21-7 W, 19-8 L, 14-12 Cancelled L, 16-7 W, 20-3 4:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 1:00 p.m. ET 5:00 p.m. ET 5:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 5:00 p.m. ET 1:00 p.m. ET 5:00 p.m. ET 1:00 p.m. ET TBD

LOCATION

TIME / RESULT

Miami, Fla. Miami, Fla. Miami, Fla. Miami, Fla. Miami, Fla.

W, 4-1 W, 8-3 W, 5-4 W, 4-2 W, 2-0

Greenville, N.C. Greenville, N.C. Greenville, N.C. Greenville, N.C. ULMER STADIUM ULMER STADIUM

W, 2-1 W, 5-0 W, 5-4 W, 7-6 W, 8-0 W, 7-0, W, 4-0

Knoxville, Tenn. Knoxville, Tenn. Knoxville, Tenn.

W, 10-1 W, 11-0 W, 2-0

ULMER STADIUM ULMER STADIUM ULMER STADIUM ULMER STADIUM ULMER STADIUM Bowling Green, Ky.

W, 9-0 W, 2-1 W, 9-0 W, 8-2 W, 8-0 5:00 p.m. ET

Sacramento, Calif. Sacramento, Calif. Sacramento, Calif. Sacramento, Calif. ULMER STADIUM ULMER STADIUM ULMER STADIUM Lexington, Ky. Chicago, Ill. Chicago, Ill. Chicago, Ill. ULMER STADIUM ULMER STADIUM ULMER STADIUM ULMER STADIUM Villanova, Pa. Villanova, Pa. ULMER STADIUM ULMER STADIUM ULMER STADIUM ULMER STADIUM ULMER STADIUM South Orange, N.J. South Orange, N.J. South Orange, N.J. Bloomington, Ind. ULMER STADIUM ULMER STADIUM ULMER STADIUM Jamaica, N.Y. Jamaica, N.Y. Jamaica, N.Y.

1:00 p.m. ET 5:00 p.m. ET 2:00 p.m. ET 6:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 2:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 5:30 p.m. ET 1:00 p.m. ET 3:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 6:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 2:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 11:00 a.m. ET 1:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 2:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 2:00 p.m. ET 4:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 2:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET TBA 12:00 p.m. ET 2:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 2:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET

South Bend, Ind.

TBA

SOFTBALL LOCATION

TIME / RESULT

Clearwater, Fla. St. Petersburg, Fla. St. Petersburg, Fla. JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM

L, 7-1 W, 4-3 W, 7-6 W, 7-2 W, 7-4 W, 10-7 W, 6-3 L, 3-2 postponed L, 3-2, W, 3-1 W, 7-3 W, 13-4

Tuscaloosa, Ala. Tuscaloosa, Ala. Tuscaloosa, Ala. JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM West Lafayette, Ind. JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM Bethesda, Md. Bethesda, Md. Bethesda, Md. Lexington, Ky. JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM Bloomington, Ind. Tampa, Fla. Tampa, Fla. Tampa, Fla. JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM Bowling Green, Ky. Morgantown, W.Va. Morgantown, W.Va. Morgantown, W.Va. Nashville, Tenn. JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM JIM PATTERSON STADIUM Pittsburgh, Pa. Pittsburgh, Pa. Pittsburgh, Pa. Clearwater, Fla.

W, 7-3 L, 7-6 L, 9-4 6:00 PM ET 12:00 PM ET 6:00 PM ET 1:00 PM ET 1:00 PM ET 6:00 PM ET 6:00 PM ET 1:00 PM ET 1:00 PM ET 4:00 PM ET 6:00 PM ET 1:00 PM ET 1:00 PM ET 6:00 PM ET 3:00 PM ET 4:00 PM ET 12:00 PM ET 6:30 PM ET 6:00 PM ET 1:00 PM ET 1:00 PM ET 3:00 PM ET 7:00 PM ET 6:00 PM ET 1:00 PM ET 6:00 PM ET 6:00 PM ET 1:00 PM ET 1:00 PM ET 7:00 PM ET 2:00 PM ET 5:30 PM ET 1:00 PM ET 7:00 PM ET 6:00 PM ET 1:00 PM ET 1:00 PM ET 6:00 PM ET 6:00 PM ET 6:00 PM ET 1:00 PM ET TBA

DATE OPPONENT / EVENT Florida International University Tournament 02/10/12 vs. Michigan State vs. Illinois 02/11/12 vs. UAB at Florida International 02/12/12 vs. Massachusetts East Carolina University Tournament 02/17/12 vs. Virginia 02/17/12 at East Carolina 02/18/12 vs. UNC Greensboro 02/18/12 vs. Hofstra 02/24/12 vs. Creighton 02/25/12 vs. Creighton (DH) Tennessee Classic 03/02/12 vs. Middle Tennessee State 03/03/12 vs. Memphis 03/04/12 vs. Boston University Red and Black Tournament 03/10/12 vs. Saint Louis vs. Michigan 03/11/12 vs. Saint Louis 03/12/12 vs. Illinois State vs. Illinois State 03/14/12 vs. Western Kentucky Sacramento State Capital Classic 03/16/12 vs. Colorado State vs. Princeton 03/17/12 vs. Akron at Sacramento State 03/24/12 vs. Pittsburgh # vs. Pittsburgh # 03/25/12 vs. Pittsburgh # 03/28/12 vs. Kentucky 03/31/12 vs. DePaul # vs. DePaul # 04/01/12 vs. DePaul # 04/04/12 vs. Kentucky 04/06/12 vs. Rutgers # vs. Rutgers # 04/07/12 vs. Rutgers # 04/11/12 vs. Villanova # vs. Villanova # 04/14/12 vs. Longwood vs. Longwood 04/15/12 vs. Longwood 04/18/12 vs. USF # vs. USF # 04/21/12 vs. Seton Hall # vs. Seton Hall # 04/22/12 vs. Seton Hall # 04/25/12 vs. Indiana 04/28/12 at Georgetown # at Georgetown # 04/29/12 at Georgetown # 05/05/12 vs. St. John’s # vs. St. John’s # 05/06/12 vs. St. John’s # BIG EAST Championship 05/10-12/12 BIG EAST Championship

MARCH 15, 2012

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT

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LOUISVILLE SOFTBALL

UNDEFEATED CARDS GET A BIG BOOST WITH WIN OVER NO. 14 MICHIGAN By Howie Lindsey The University of Louisville softball team was 15-0 and steadily rising in the national polls heading into last weekend’s Red and Black Tournament at Ulmer Stadium. But the Cardinals clearly had something to prove in the eyes of the poll voters. One of only five undefeated teams in the poll, Louisville was rated 17th overall and fourth out of the five unbeatens. The Cardinals were rated a spot behind 14-5 Baylor and three spots behind 15-5 Michigan. “I think even in our own minds we wanted to see how we stacked up against some of the other top teams in the nation,” senior pitcher Tori Collins said. “We thought we were going to get to play (9thranked) Tennessee last weekend, but the game was canceled.” HOWIE LINDSEY Inclement weather and scheduling difficulties forced an early March game vs. Tennessee (14-3) to be moved to May, so the Cardinals entered Saturday’s showdown with Michigan without a game against a top-25 team among their 15 victories. The Cardinals also were anxious to test themselves against a Michigan team that had beaten Louisville 15 out of their 16 previous meetings. The Cardinals scored a run in the second and a run in the fourth before Michigan cut the margin to 2-1 in the fifth. Chelsea Leonard then relieved Collins (8-0) to start the sixth inning and worked two scoreless innings to secure the 2-1 victory. Collins gave up four hits and Leonard none, and they combined for 10 strikeouts. “She did a great job today,” coach Sandy Pearsall said of Collins. “She pitched really well, we just noticed they were starting to catch on to her a little bit, so we went with Lenny (Leonard), who is an off-speed pitcher. She did a great job.” It certainly was the biggest victory of the season for the Cardinals. “This team has been playing really well all season long, but we really needed a win to hang our hat on,” Pearsall said. “The win over Michigan is that kind of a win, a win we can hang our hat on. I think we got it done in all phases, pitching, hitting and defense. That’s a good team.” In addition to being Louisville’s first win

Senior Tori Collins is 9-0 this season after wins over No. 14 Michigan and Illinois State Saturday and Monday respectively. - photo by Howie Lindsey

over a top-25 team this season, it also was special because of Michigan’s national prominence. The Wolverines have been to the Women’s College World Series nine times and have won the Big Ten title the last four seasons. “We have had some really good games with Michigan, and we had our chances but we never could seem to get the win,” Pearsall said. “We would boot a ball in the seventh or they’d get a big hit when they needed it. We seemed to shoot ourselves in the foot each time. We just couldn’t quite get them, so it is great to get a win over them. They have a great program.” Everything seems to be going right for Pearsall’s team. The Cardinals have three solid pitchers in Collins, Leonard and Caralisa Connell, and they have seven every-day players hitting .300 or better, with three hitting .420 or better, led by Kristin Austin’s .492 average. Alicja Wolny is hitting .441 and Taner Fowler is hitting .422. “I think we have a lot of confidence right now,” Pearsall said. “We just continue to get things done. Everybody on this team believes they can do something to help us win, and they are. That is our key.” The Cardinals’ powerhouse batting order was challenged by Michigan freshman Haylie Wagner (11-2), who limited Louisville to

five hits and one earned run. “Our hitters had to really battle,” Pearsall said. “Michigan has a great freshman pitcher, and I am not sure I want to be facing her for the next three years. She jammed us a lot, and that is because she can throw the curveball and screwball.” Louisville beat Saint Louis (11-13) on Saturday 9-0 and again on Sunday 9-0. The Cards also beat Illinois State 8-2 and 8-0 in a Monday doubleheader, dropping the Redbirds to 13-12. Pearsall didn’t speculate as to what the 20-0 Cardinals will be ranked this week. The new softball Coaches’ Poll came out Tuesday morning after this week’s Louisville SportsReport went to press. “I never want to think too far ahead,” Pearsall said. “I just want to go game by game. As much as I want to sit back and say we are pretty good, I just can’t. I am always thinking about someone out there better and how to get that next win.” SOFTBALL FLAT ON SUNDAY Austin was 3 for 3 with a run and freshman Kayla Soles was 2 for 3 with four RBIs as Louisville beat Saint Louis 9-0 in five innings Sunday. But Pearsall said the team seemed sluggish. “I felt like we came out a little flat today,” she said. “We’ve got to be focused and aggressive and come ready to play ev-

ery game and respect everybody we play, because there are a lot of great teams out there.” Perhaps it was a hangover from the big win over Michigan or perhaps a case of the Sunday blues, but the Cardinals jumped on the BIllikens for four runs in the bottom of the first, then didn’t score again until the fourth inning when five hits and wild pitch helped them tally five more runs. Leonard (5-0) went the distance, scattering two hits and striking out five in five innings. The game was called because of the mercy rule. CARDS SWEEP ILLINOIS STATE Because of a scheduling snafu on the part of Illinois State, the Redbirds couldn’t play Louisville on Friday as scheduled, so the teams played a doubleheader on Monday. Louisville recorded a sweep, snapping Illinois State’s six-game winning streak. “The first game wasn’t one of our best in terms of our defense, but we created enough offense to overcome some mental errors and misplays,” Pearsall said. “The second game we came out with a more complete effort. I was pleased with the way we hit the ball and continue to find ways to win.” In the opener Louisville scored two runs in the bottom of the first and used two doubles and a three-run homer by Hannah Kiyohara to score four runs in the third. Up 6-0, Louisville allowed a run in the fourth and another in the fifth before scoring a run in the fifth and a run in the sixth for the 8-2 final margin. Collins (9-0) got the complete-game victory, surrendering two runs and eight hits and striking out eight in seven innings. Kiyohara was 2 for 2 with a home run and three RBIs, Fowler 2 for 2 with two doubles and two runs, and Austin 2 for 4 with two runs. In the nightcap Wolny went 3 for 3 with three RBIs while Leonard and Connell combined for Louisville’s 10th shutout as the Cards cruised to a 9-0 victory. Louisville scored a run in the first, five runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth, when the mercy rule ended play. Connell (6-0) got the win, giving up just one hit with a strikeout in 2 1/3 innings of relief. Leonard surrendered two hits and struck out six in 2 2/3 innings. Everybody in the lineup got a hit as the Cards cranked out a season-high 14.

PAGE 22

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PEYTON SIVA - MEN’S BASKETBALL The junior point guard from Seattle was stellar during Louisville’s four-game run to the Big East Tournament title last week. Siva averaged 13.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game for the tourney and was named the Most Outstanding Player. “He is breaking through to become the elite player we thought he would be,” coach Rick Pitino said. Siva leads the team with 180 assists and is second with 60 steals. He is averaging 9.1 points per game.

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❑ SHONI SCHIMMEL - WOMEN’S BASKETBALL The women also have an excellent point guard. Schimmel, a 5-10 slasher from Mission, Ore., leads UofL in scoring, assists, minutes and steals. She is averaging 14.3 points and 4.51 assists per game. She hasn’t shot the ball as well as she’d like (30.2 percent) but is second on the team in three-pointers with 71. Schimmel and the 7th-seeded Cardinals will take on 10th-seeded Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in College Park, Md., on Saturday.

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KRISTIN AUSTIN - SOFTBALL The senior outfielder from Hartsburg, Mo., has been outstanding this season. She has started all 20 games and leads the Cards in hits (31), triples (six) and batting average (.492). She has taken five walks and has a remarkable .529 on-base percentage. She has yet to hit a home run this season but has eight RBIs and three doubles. Last season she started 53 of 57 games in center or right field and was second on the team in stolen bases with 15. She is 4 for 5 on stolen bases so far this season. CHELSEA LEONARD - SOFTBALL The sophomore from Lexington, N.C., is 5-0 so far this season with 12 appearances in Louisville’s 20 games. Her 0.57 ERA is one of the best in the nation, and she has seven saves. Through 37 innings, Leonard has given up just 16 hits and only two extra base hits, both doubles. She has limited opponents to a .129 batting average and has allowed just three earned runs. The Cardinals’ pitching staff has a combined 1.12 ERA, while their foes have a 5.38 ERA. KAYLA SOLES - SOFTBALL The freshman from New Egypt, N.J., was 2 for 3 with four RBIs as No. 16/17 Louisville beat Saint Louis 9-0 Sunday to improve to 18-0 on the season. Soles sat out both games against Illinois State on Monday. She has played in 13 of Louisville’s 20 games this season, starting 12. Her performance Sunday hopefully will break her out of a tough hitting slump. She came into the game hitting just .178 (5 of 28). Soles has a homer and five RBIs on the season and is now hitting .226. She has two cousins playing college softball, Abbey Houston for Rutgers and Shannon Houston for No. 1 Cal. STEWART IJAMES - BASEBALL The senior slugger from Owensboro, Ky., is hitting .352 through Louisville’s first 15 games. Ijames leads the team with five home runs and 13 RBIs, and his 38 total bases are 14 ahead of his nearest teammate. His .704 slugging percentage is impressive, and his .453 on-base percentage is, too. He counts four doubles among his 19 hits, and he has scored 14 of Louisville’s 88 runs this season. JUSTIN DORWARD - MEN’S GOLF The senior from Port St. Lucie, Fla., won his first collegiate tournament March 6, sharing medalist honors with Arkansas State’s Chris Pledger at the USF Invitational in Tampa. Dorward’s breakthrough victory didn’t come easily, however, as the 7,060-yard, par-72 Lake Jovita golf course was plagued by windy conditions for most of the final round. “Toughest part of the day was just finishing,” said Dorward just after concluding his round. “As the day went on the wind got stronger and stronger.” His 2-over-par 74 in the final round tied him for first with a three-round score of 5-under 211. Dorward and the Cardinals will play next Monday at the UCF Invitational in Orlando.

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LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT’S CARDINAL KIDS

Seva Dumstorf, age 4, enjoyed a football game, pictured with Andre Mcgee.

Keenan and Jackie Dean of Fishers, Ind., submitted this photo of their son, Kyler, age 5.

Leo and Joyce Wright, submitted this picture of their 4-month-old great granddaughter, Mya Bell. She loves her Cards!

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Daniel from Louisville cheered on the Cards at the Pittsburgh game!

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Jeff and Melanie Sweet’s daughter, Heather (age 9), wants to be a Ladybird, just like her mother was.