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View From The Valley
U of L looked like a team to be reckoned with in the Marquette win. Persistence on defense. Patience on offense. Brimming with confidence, surely headed back to the top 25.
The Cards didn’t play that badly in the loss to Seton Hall, at least not until the final four minutes. From that point on, they suddenly couldn’t pass, shoot or play defense. Ran out of gas, lost their poise, rolled over and died.
Seton Hall, meanwhile, was playing the game of its life, buoyed by the prospect of beating what their coach described as a “legendary program.” The Pirate fans were pumped, on the verge of hysteria, at the prospect of pulling off the big upset. The players and fans were feeding off on each other. Hazell who? Just throw the ball up from anywhere, that’s who. Crazy stuff.
It’s a game U of L players and fans won’t soon forget. A letdown was inevitable after Marquette, even though it didn’t become obvious until the fatal four minute mark. May be fortunate that such a loss comes early in conference competition. Need to get a chip on the shoulder, and keep it there. Can’t take anything for granted when every game against the Cards means so much to every opponent.
Wanna Get Away?
A limited number of tickets for U of L basketball games against Big East opponents on the road are available for sale through the ticket office.
Available games with ticket prices are as follows: Jan. 28 at UConn, $30; Feb. 4 at Marquette, $15; Feb. 16 at Providence, $17; and Feb. 24 at Pittsburgh, $27.50
Tickets may be purchased at the ticket office at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium or on the third floor of the Swain Student Activities Center. Ticket orders will also be accepted by telephone with a credit card by calling 852-5151.
Warning: Games are played in hostile environments.
Hazell’s Magic Treys
– Can’t feel too bad about that one, not with the freaky shooting of Jeremy Hazell. Taking shots he shouldn’t have been taking, shots going in that should have been clanking. More carnival than basketball.
– U of L played well enough to win, and should have won going away. Hazell apparently could have closed his eyes and still made those bombs.
– Hazell’s heretic heroics overshadowed great performances by U of L’s Jerry Smith and Seton Hall’s Brian Laing, applying skill over absurdity to collect 25 points apiece.
– All those club member bounces for Hazell’s teammates, balls bouncing wildly around the rim, then falling though the net, were frustrating as well.
– Outcome gives new meaning to better lucky than good.
– Starting to hate these trips to the New York area, with all of U of L’s New Yorkers rarely performing well for families and friends.
Get Feet On Ground
That sinking feeling is the adrenalin still draining after perfection against Marquette, a game in which almost everything went right right. Fans could be forgiven if they reveled in this one for at least a couple of days. Just like the good old days.
Forget that. Fans wouldn’t allow players to do it nor should fans do it. Road trip ahead.
Seton Hall University awaits. Players have to get on an airplane, head for Newark, NJ, hoping for none of the typical delays at airports en route to the Prudential Center.
Seton Hall is fresh off its first Big East success in four starts, a 74-64 win over South Florida at home Thursday. The Pirates lost at Marquette by only five points just over a week ago and at Pittsburgh by 14. They’re happy to be home, hoping to burst the bubble of a team they hope is still celebrating its best win of the season.
A test of maturity. Seton Hall will be pumped.
Making It Look Easy Not Easy
If you looked only at the final score, one might be tempted to think the win came almost too easily. That would be a mistake. The 20-point margin of victory was only possible because the Cards committed themselves to play 40 minutes of hellish defense.
Rotating, switching, anticipating, unrelenting, sliding those feet.
Small wonder the alma mater of Steve Novak and Travis Diener could not hit a three-point shot in a game for the first time since the 2000-01 season. Making two of their first 16 shots, managing only six points in the first 11 minutes of the first half. Averaging more than 80 points a game but held to only 51 points.
Marquette knew the visiting team often wins in this rivalry. The few times the Cards did relax, they saw how quickly the Golden Eagles could get back into a game, cutting U of L’s lead down to six points early in the second half. Marquette had 10 fast break points, U of L had four. The Cards had 16 turnovers, the Golden Eagles had only 13.
Jerry Smith missed all seven of his field goal attempts but was indispensible. Played 37 minutes of in-your-face defense, rarely allowing a shot, much less a three-point attempt. The U of L big men and, yes, that includes Derrick Caracter, are making it difficult for their counterparts around the basket. Started early in the UK game and continues.
You never notice Terrence Williams on defense but he must be doing his job or he wouldn’t be in — scoring 20 points to lead all scorers. David Padgett may have said it best. “If we keep playing good defense, and continue to work on our offense, we can be a pretty good team.”
