Moments like these don’t come along often enough.
My, but it feels so good, the incredible high University of Louisville fans are luxuriating in right now. The players, too. Especially the players.
A huge win in the final game at Freedom Hall, Kyle Kuric being born a star against No. 1-ranked Syracuse. That’s what U of L basketball is all about, winning the big ones over the decades.
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But if competition in the Big East teaches us anything, it is that your last win has no bearing on the next game. The biggest challenge facing Rick Pitino is getting his basketball team back to Planet Earth. As soon as possible.
Win a big game against a good team, get all giddy, overconfident, and look downright impotent losing against a mediocre one in the next game. That’s how this season has gone for U of L, lacking true leadership, struggling for consistency, working like a dog to assure itself of a place in the NCAA tournament.
Wednesday, at 9 p.m., Louisville will face the winner of the Rutgers-Cincinnati game, two teams that don’t exactly get the heart pumping. At Madison Square Garden, where U of L has had more than its share of highs and lows.
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Speaking of struggles, the U of L women’s basketball team finally reached bottom in a season-ending 37-point loss to Notre Dame in the Big East women’s tournament. The Lady Cards finished with a 14-17 record one season after playing in the national championship game.
A nightmarish season included many injuries to key players, making each game a significant challenge. If Jeff Walz had not found walk-on Shelby Harper and enticed Gwen Rucker and Brandie Radde to return, he would have had only five players at the end of the season.
With a top five recruiting class coming in, the outlook is improved for next season. But those incoming freshmen will need some seasoning and the veterans have some things to work on themselves. Sonja Sykes discusses the outlook for next season.
Good stuff, Paul. Anything can happen.
In a season where we’ve come to expect the unexpected and where perception and reality are two vastly different things when the subject of Louisville basketball comes up…I fully expect the Cards to:
A) Win the Big East tournament.
B) Bow out in their first game against Cincy, who will beat Rutgers.
C) Bench Kyle Kuric for most of the time because of Rick’s legendary “player personnel matchups”
D) Try to trade Jennings and Samuels for Lance Stephenson and Cincinnati Reds season tickets.
E) All of the above.
GO CARDS! String a few wins together and keep the basketball world guessing.
My concern is for Kyle Kuric. He just added a lot of pressure on his shoulders. Hopefully he thrives on it.
Get those heads out of the clouds quickly, Cards. You know how quickly disappointment follows pride based on a one game outing. We need to arrive at Madison Square Garden at the last possible moment to avoid all the New York distractions that hamper this team, especially Mr. Edgar.