Either something died on the way to South Bend, or this was the long overdue letdown after all the close ones. The good news is that Notre Dame missed a lot of shots that it usually makes against Louisville.
This third trimester abortion of a team’s effort may have cost U of L any possibility of:
— Landing a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament
— Terrence Williams being named conference player of the year.
— The switch turning on for Earl Clark.
— Remaining in the top 15 in the national polls.
— Any intimidation factor for the rest of the schedule.
Was it a case of a team embracing what it had accomplished during the 10-game winning streak, thinking it had arrived when the coach was telling them otherwise, brushing the advice aside as just more Pitino talk, the coach and part-time comedian who keeps the local media in stitiches during pre-game press conferences.
Or it could have just been an aberration, one of those things that sometimes happens to good teams. Veteran fans can remember a team getting pummeled 99-59 by Xavier during the 1955-56 season but winning the rest of the its games, including what was then college basketball’s biggest prize in the post season.
But that was a long time ago, and it’s difficult to imagine anything so grand happening this season.
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A clunker, no doubt about it. One can only hope we can win the next two at home to restore a little confidence and momentum before heading to play a Cincy team that is also capable of drilling us.
We’re still tied for second place in the loss column in the Big East race. With Dyson getting injured for UConn, they might be beatable now.
Good time to start a seven game, end of the season win streak.
I think we can all agree that this is the Kragthorpe’s fault. No other logical explanation.
Much like ghouls, goblins, gremlins or other creatures that delight in havok, disorder and chaos, the Kragthorpe is a being to be feared. It is capable of infecting all sports programs that it comes in contact with lacadasical players and poor on-the-field or on-the-court performances.
He can only be repelled with a silver cross, by swinging a dead cat by tail 5 times in a graveyard under full moon, or by passion and enthusiasm for football which the Kragthorpe fears above all other things.
Enough silliness though.
Bad showing by the Cards. Really bad to see them just give up. Offensively, they’re settling for passing the ball around the perimeter and not even really attempting to penetrate and get into the lane.
Hopefully depaul will allow us to break out of this 3 game funk, as they are currently the crappiest team in the Big East and should allow us to put on a strong offensive showing. another St. John’s effort will do nothing to quiet the creeping feelings that this squad is getting ready to go down the tubes…
Wow that was a miserable output for this UofL team. The leadership of this team is invisible at times. I know T-Will is hurting, but he is a leader and needs to step up and be vocal when he can’t perform as usual. I love coach Pitino, but it looks as if his Offensive system has been figured out as of late. It would be great to see more screens, hard screens that is, or how about a pick n roll. Something that gives the appearance of a set play. I am with many others saying this game was a trap game, but not a bear trap. Hopefully UofL can figure out its identity before its to late. But maturity and this team have never been used much in the same sentence.
He has been named a “person of interest.”
Has anyone ever said when and how Williams got hurt?
Did Kragthorpe do it?
When we stink up the court…we really stink up the court At least we gave 100% effort to stinking up the court. Did I say we stunk up the court…on National TV…!
Poof! Just like that we have returned to exhibition game form.
You just had this feeling back when they on the big win streak going that it was too good to last. Some of our fans will try to blame this on Kragthorpe.
I don’t think Knowles was in for more than three minutes if that long. Really odd.
Speaking of defense, where the hell was Preston Knowles when we needed him? Strange substitution patterns.