Welcome back to the Elite 8, and another shot at a Final Four and beyond.

Not assuming anything, wouldn’t dare, but teams that win national championships always seem to have at least one exceptional player. Russ Smith may have emerged as that man, heating up under the bright lights, thriving on the pressure, transforming himself from the “Russdiculous” to the “Russtacular.”

One can see it happening, becoming predictable, Russ sizing up the defense as he bounds down the court. One defender, no problem. Two? Not really. He’s going to make something good happen, finding a basket, a couple of free throws or a wide open teammate.Screen Shot 2013-03-30 at 8.30.42 PM

Russ has the game figured out now, knowing what he can or can’t do, having transformed himself from an unpredictable and sometimes loose canon to one of the college game’s most consistent threats. A real force to contend with for opposing defenses.

Smith’s 31 points in the 77-69 win over Oregon matched a career-game high for him, coming on nine of 16 field goal attempts and 10 of 12 free throws. Three assists, two steals and a block as well on a night, overshadowing his four turnovers.

“Russ Smith is a talented young man. They’ve got a lot of talented players,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said. “When he got going, we didn’t have an answer.”

Kevin Ware could turn out to be that player next season if he continues to improve as his present pace, showing more evidence of surprising dexterity in every game. Managing the situation adeptly with Peyton Siva getting into foul trouble so early. Gotta watch all that dribbling, however, and get better at finding the shooters along the way, with zero assists in 25 minutes.

“We’ve been a great defensive team – not a good one, a great one – all season,” said Rick Pitino. “Tonight, their quickness was so good, all it did was wear us out defensively. But we had Russ Smith and Kevin really bail us out of some situations that could have gone either way.”

Gorgui Dieng was a force on both ends, blocking four shots, making two assists and two steals in addition to his nine rebounds and 10 points. Those free throws still need a little work, as he is well aware, adding them to his to-do list before Sunday.

Siva was the victim of some quick whistles, as were Smith and Hancock. Possibly less tolerance of the physical aspects of UofL’s defense as the tournament advances.

Turns out Russ and several teammates were fighting through cold symptoms or something they picked up while in Lexington last week.”Coach has been telling me to fight through it, fight through it, dig in. My teammates as well,” said Smith. “We’re fighting through it and just doing whatever we can to get a win.”

He did and they did, and the dream is very much alive.

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By Charlie Springer

Charlie Springer is a former Louisville editor and sportswriter, a public affairs consultant, a UofL grad and longtime fan.

One thought on “Russ russells Louisville back to Elite Eight”
  1. Russ is incredible, but for all the good things he did there were moments when I wondered if he knew that a wide open Wayne Blackshear was also on his team. Those times when Wayne was calling for the ball and Russ was doing his thing reminded me of the Russdiculous days when Russ would attempt to carry us instead of seeing the wider options. It is a fine line with him, and we know that he is self-critical now, so, maybe he will reflect and correct once again.

    It may seem a petty complaint in light of where we are, but, getting better is a factor in advancing.

    Go Cards!

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