Louisville Under Exceeds Expectations

What … ?

You expected more from this Louisville basketball team in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Expected players to emerge from a season-long mediocrity, represent the name on the uniform, make a surprising run.

Nice dream. The wishful thinking clashed with reality quickly, California getting off to a 22-4 start. Rick Pitino’s team making some runs, getting within four a few times, but losing more impetus every trip down the court.

Everybody that is except Rakeem Buckles, with unbridled bundles of energy, never seeming to tire. Just when he seems unstoppable and U of L is within reach, Buckles is pulled to the bench. All signs of offense going with him.

• All the effort aimed at getting the ball in the middle to Samardo Samuels is wasted if he’s having still another off night. He ends the season where he began, having trouble catching the ball, posting up on anyone near his size, unable to make a decent pass, getting pushed around.

• Edgar Sosa getting three fouls early, the look creeping back on his face, too easily letting doubt control his game, something he will have to live with for a long time.

• Jerry Smith not really back from the hand injury, his shooting obviously still affected, even the clunker that rolled in off the back of the rim. He will largely be remembered for scoring 23 points in his first game as a freshman, hitting a three-point winner at Marquette, and scoring the first eight points in the second win over Syracuse.

• Reginald Delk didn’t receive enough exposure to really create much of an impression. A few three-pointers here and there, a few memorable defensive stops. Gone already.

• Terrence Jennings is going to bite his tongue off some game chewing that gum. Maybe it affects his thinking.

• Jared Swopshire should fatten up over the summer, eat mashed potatoes and gravy five meals a day, become the significant factor the analysts keep telling us he will become. But he should always be hungry, playing with a sense of urgency once in a while.

Rick PItino talked a lot about youthfulness on a team that started three seniors in the final game. Sometimes he outsmarts himself. He will have a few months to get back to a few basics.

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Jared Swopshire and Jerry Smith in the starting lineup.

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Another Madison Square Nightmare For Louisville

One More Homecoming Wreck For Edgar Sosa

One could see it coming early.

Edgar Sosa pumping his chest, waving his arms, winking at the camera, the kind of stuff players usually do when a game is in the bag.

Doing it in the first half, acting as if a 10-point lead was 25, and it was only a matter of time before Rick Pitino would clear the bench.

The Louisville basketball team was playing well in the first half, probably one of the better halves this season, sticky quick on defense, challenging every pass, every shot, every defensive rebound.

Feeling good about themselves. Real good. Especially Edgar Sosa.

Danger time. That’s when bad things begin happening for this team.

Second half, different Sosa, over-confident, making circus passes, NBA-distance three-point attempts. Throwing the ball to wrong people — Terrence Jennings and Jared Swopshire — at the worst possible times, neither of them known for hitting shots at clutch time.

Sorry, Sosa, no Kyle Kuric around for much of the second half to bail anybody out this time around. His hot shooting hands relegated to the bench. Pitino’s most predictable decision this day.

Sosa with 20 points in the first half, lucky to get eight in the second.

Still, just another bad night for Sosa in Madison Square Garden. This is the one that will hurt the most.

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Like Louisville Can Still Get Ticket Punched

Here goes an exercise in futility.

For the University of Louisville basketball team to get to the NCAA tournament, some unlikely things will  have to occur, including some unbelievable breaks over the next three weeks or so. Meanwhile, here’s a few suggestions:

• Samardo Samuels — Quit being nice. Shock teammates, get in their faces, demand intensity and toughness. Transform that permanent look of disappointment into a scowl. That seems to be what gets attention these days.

• Terrence Jennings — Wise up, get serious in practice, learn the offense, know what a rebound is, guard someone, admit it’s not cool looking lost. Otherwise, quit wasting the scholarship

• Edgar Sosa — Pick up where he left off before the St. John’s loss, remembering why he wasn’t in the last five minutes of that embarrassment — not finding his teammates, not making clean passes, not protecting the ball.

• Jerry Smith — Return to being a long-range shooter, convince himself he’s not in a permanent slump. Time is short, playing days almost over.

• Jared Swopshire — Show some kind of emotion — happy, sad, even bored will do, proving he’s not a robot. Looks mechanical whether he’s shooting a free throw, rolling around in a scuffle or diving for a loose ball.

• Preston Knowles — Take care of the ball, go back to being fearless.

• Peyton Siva — Take more of those NBA-range three-point shots, being careful with the passes.

• Rick Pitino — Figure out which of the seven or eight players are most effective. Get past the experimentation and mind-playing games. Constantly changing the formula not good science or good for team chemistry.

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Heady Stuff, A Win Over UConn

Just when one has filed a University of Louisville basketball player in the marginal to wasted category, Rick Pitino does his thing, getting inside the player’s head, pointing out the obvious, showing him ways to get better, making him a contributor.

Yes, sometimes Pitino must go back to the well many times, taking a while for a player to grasp the obvious. He knows the players better than they do, so he often has to introduce and educate them about themselves.

• Who would have believed three weeks ago that Samardo Samuels would ever get the post-up move down so well, consistently connecting on hook shots or becoming a reliable rebounder. And how about the recent emotion, the smiles, even laughter from the shy one, and the swagger. Samuels is all in, believing in himself.
  

• Too soon to know whether Jerry Smith of the UConn game is the new one. He’s the last player one expects to be dribble driving, being an offensive force, with few vestiges of his three-point prowess remaining. Pitino says the three-point drought has made him a better player.
  

• Edgar Sosa’s tears after the Pittsburgh game may have had something to do with the decisions against UConn, finding his teammates with eight assists while hitting six of nine shots himself. More than enough points to go around, and he’s much happier.

• Terrence Jennings is still way behind on the learning curve but those blocked shots always seem to come at the right time. Pitino says he will be a very good basketball player. Trust him.
  

• Reginald Delk is enjoying the game, now that he’s more than a spot shooter, four rebounds, two blocks and a steal to go with his 10 points.

• Credit one Stephen Van Treese with some valuable relief work during his six minutes in the first half, getting schooled by the UConn big men, collecting three fouls destined for Samuels or Jennings.

• You can bet that Pitino is focused on Jared Swopshire, the player who hit the three-point shot from the corner but thinks too much and leaves other shooters open too often. Pitino is on the case.

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A Long Hot Shower May Help

If visiting fans and players feel a little soiled after the trip to Morgantown, West Virginia, consider how it affects the guys blowing the whistles.

• Bob Huggins taunting an official, practically demanding a second technical foul.

• The official feeling the heat, but not having the courage to follow through.

• Student section yelling “Karen Sypher” as if that has anything to do with anything.

• Jared Swopshire clearly getting knocked out of bounds but having a fifth foul called on him.

• Official ducking his head, missing the most crucial play of the game as the ball goes out of bounds.

• Three officials making the wrong decision after seeing a television replay showing the ball going off West Virginia fingertips. Should have been called a jump ball.

• Rick Pitino making the right decision not appearing on his post-game radio show. Difficult to avoid saying anything not fine-worthy about the stripes. Despite his intentions, Pitino may still have succeeded in getting the message across.
  

Louisville-West Virginia Box Score

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Louisville Misses Finish Line

The pre-game motivational stuff from Rick Pitino, Terrence Williams, Andre McGee and company was enough to get their Louisville team sufficiently pumped for the first 15 minutes or so. Somewhere around that point, however, Jay Wright would do a little motivating of his own, collecting a technical foul, shaking up his players and the guys wearing stripes.

Before Wright stormed the floor, this was a Louisville team reminiscent of some of the great ones in headliner games, the kind Cards would usually win, turning fans into fanatics. Whether it was adrenaline-inspired, simply an apparition or a preview of things to come, U of L’s performance before Jay Wright’s theatrics provide encouragement for what lies ahead.

• Samardo Samuels, with a different look in his eyes, playing like coaches and fans had hoped he was capable, aggressive, going after the ball, not getting pushed around. Hitting an oh-my-God hook shot, hitting all four shots he takes, including 13 of 13 free throws. Samuels gained considerable respect in this game. Now if his teammates can get him the ball often, he’s ready and willing.

• Peyton Siva, now that his wrist is better and he’s gotten over the newby syndrome, displayed why he was so highly touted coming out of high school. Two great steals, questionably classified as fouls, could have turned the game at the end. He knows his way down the lane, twisting and turning, somehow getting the ball to Samuels. He’s only just begun.

• Jerry Smith, as the person next to me observed, will either do something spectacular and incredibly stupid, just often enough that fans have come to expect it. One nice three-point shot but he remains in a shooting slump, hitting one of six shot attempts.  Six rebounds but five turnovers? Something’s not right.

• Preston Knowles looking like a player who actually has a few flaws, making surprising turnovers, missing those surprising shots he has hit so often fans have come to count on them. No doubt those qualities will return.

• Jared Swopshire, getting in foul trouble too early, just not enough of him to go around.

• Kyle Kuric is fearless around the boards. Find your shot, Kyle, soon.

Rick Pitino, fearless wearing the white suit. He had this team ready to play. Some just couldn’t finish.

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