March 21 issue: How Sweet It is!

VOLUME XVI • NUMBER 31MARCH 22, 2012

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LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT FEBRUARY 3, 2011

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MARCH 22, 2012 LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT PAGE 3

E D I T O R I A L S T A F F

GENERAL MANAGER - Jack Coffee

SENIOR WRITER AND EDITOR - Russ Brown

OPERATIONS MANAGER - Howie Lindsey

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES - Mickey Clark, Betty Olsen and Blanche Kitchen

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS - Gail Kamenish, Howie Lindsey and Chuck Feist

CONTRIBUTING COLUMNISTS - Matt Willinger, Jeff Wafford,

Jason Puckett and Rick Cushing

GRAPHIC DESIGNER - Scott Stortz

COPY EDITOR - Rick Cushing

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VOLUME XVI, NUMBER 31 • MARCH 22, 2012

CSPACOLLEGESPORTS

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WHAT ’S INSIDE :

4 2012 NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKET 6 16 THINGS ABOUT THE SWEET SIXTEEN By Howie Lindsey8 SWEET SIXTEEN A FAMILIAR PLACE FOR THE CARDINALS By Jack Coffee10 THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY By Howie Lindsey12 OPPONENT PREVIEW: MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS By Rick Cushing13 MEN’S BASKETBALL PHOTO GALLERY15 OPPONENT PREVIEW: MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES By Rick Cushing

15 OPPONENT PREVIEW: FLORIDA GATORS By Rick Cushing 18 2012 NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKET19 SOFTBALL PHOTO GALLERY20 SPRING SPORTS SCHEDULES22 CARDINAL STARS OF THE WEEK By Howie Lindsey24 CARDINAL KIDS PHOTO GALLERY

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BUNNY EARS: Playful sophomore Russ Smith danced, wiggled and gave Rick Pitino bunny ears while he waited to be interviewed by ESPN sideline reporter Jenn Hildreth after Louisville’s win over New Mexico sent the Cardinals to the Sweet 16. - ESPN screen capture

7 ADVANCED RELIEFAfter frustrating fi rst-game exits from the 2010 and 2011 tournaments, Louisville basketball broke through the fi rst weekend with wins over Davidson and New Mexico.

21 BEST START EVERLouisville softball is off to an amazing start. The Cardinals won their fi rst 22 games of the season, and are ranked in the top 15 nationally.

11 SURVIVED GORDONNew Mexico star Drew Gordon had 21 points and 14 rebounds, but Louisville prevailed with strong team effort and great defense Saturday.

9 LIMITED GORGUISophomore center Gorgui Dieng was tagged with three fi rst-half fouls against Davidson. Even without Dieng, the Cardinals beat the Wildcats to advance.

5 SPARTAN SHOWDOWNKyle Kuric and the Cardinals will take on No. 1 seed Michigan State Thursday night at 7:37 p.m. EDT on TBS for a spot in the Elite Eight. Full preview inside.

17 BRIGHT FUTURESophomore star Shoni Schimmel and the Cardinals fell to Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Monday night, but the future still looks bright for Louisville.

LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT MARCH 22, 2012

2012 NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKET


RECRUITING NOTEBOOK10 AMAZING AND MEMORABLE MOMENTS OF THE 2009-2010 SEASONLOUISVILLE BASKETBALL

By Russ BrownPHOENIX -- It doesn’t rise to the level

of Kentucky’s obsessiveness about getting revenge against Indiana, but aside from the major goal of a trip to the Elite Eight, Louisville nonetheless does have some ex-tra motivation for its West Regional semi-fi nal battle against Michigan State Thurs-day night in the U.S Airways Center (7:47,

TBS).You don’t have to be

a history major to recall that it was the Spartans who knocked UofL out of a Final Four berth with a 64-52 upset of the top-seeded Cardinals in the 2009 Midwest Regional

championship game in Indianapolis.So the fourth-seeded Cards (28-9)

would obviously like to return the favor against top-seeded Michigan State (29-7), which is trying to advance to its seventh Final Four under coach Tom Izzo.

There are only two players remaining from that 2009 UofL team -- senior for-wards Kyle Kuric and Jared Swopshire -- but their teammates are well aware of what happened in Indy, and that’s enough to spur talk of revenge.

At the time, Chris Smith had completed his sophomore season at Manhattan be-fore transferring to UofL.

“I feel like we owe them something be-cause they beat our older guys,” he said. “Everybody’s a family once you play for the Cards, so we want to give them what they gave our older guys.”

Said freshman forward Chane Behanan: “Coach Pitino lost to them when T-Will (Terrance Williams) was here, so we’re go-ing to try to make it a different result. I told the seniors I wouldn’t let them leave without a big bang, so we’re just got to keep rolling. We’re going to enjoy it and play hard.”

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Behanan and 6-11 center Gorgui Dieng fi gure to have the toughest assignment in the game -- trying to contain versatile All-American forward Draymond Green (6-7, 230) and the Spartans’ other bruising rebounders.

Green, the Big Ten Player of the Year, is averaging a double-double (16.3 ppg, 10.4 rpg), plus 4.0 assists. In Michigan State’s 89-67 win over No. 16 Long Island Brooklyn Green posted his second triple-double in a row in the NCAA Tournament (he had one in a fi rst-round loss to UCLA last season) with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Green can play every posi-tion.

“I’ve never had anyone who does as much,” Izzo said.

In the Spartans’ 65-61 win over No. 9 Saint Louis in a second-round game in Co-lumbus, Ohio, Green collected 16 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and two steals, prompting Billikens coach Rick Majerus to call him “the best player in the country.”

If he had to choose a player to go No. 1 in the NBA draft, Majerus said he would take Kentucky’s Anthony Davis. “But if I had to take a kid right now to win the na-tional championship, I’d take Draymond Green.”

That’s because Majerus, Izzo and every-one else who sees him play marvel at the Saginaw, Mich. native’s competitive fi re, which he says he has always had.

“Even when I was a young kid, I was a sore loser,” Green said. “I was the type of kid where if I lost I wasn’t getting off the court. If it was my basketball, nobody was playing unless I was standing on the court. So I’ve always had that will to win. And sometimes it got me in trouble. My mom used to make me stop playing video games because I’d get so mad if I lost. I know I can’t win; I suck at them. So I don’t play them any more.”

Green isn’t a one-man gang, of course, just the most important cog.

“I’ve seen them play, and if we can stop Green, that would be the game for us,” Chris Smith said.

Both teams emphasize smash-mouth defense, so the game fi gures to be a grind-er like some of Louisville’s Big East contests and similar to Michigan State’s hard-fought win over Saint Louis, which one Spartan referred to as “a football game.”

“We don’t pretend to be God’s gift to basketball,” Izzo said. “We know we’re a working man’s group. As dumb as this sounds, we had one of the best learning days you can have in college basketball. Now, whether that will do anything for us against Louisville, time will tell. But it was tough, and I think it was good for us.”

MSU and UofL both rank in the top 15 in fi eld-goal-percentage defense, but the Spartans have been very profi cient inside, with 6-9, 270-pound Derrick Nix and 6-10, 240-pound Adrien Payne teaming up with Green.

Defensive rebounding is a huge concern for the Cards, who rank below No. 250 in that department, while the Spartans are among the top 25 in offensive rebound-ing. Foul trouble with Dieng or Behanan could also be a major factor, given UofL’s shallow front-line depth.

One individual matchup to watch is Siva vs. MSU sophomore point guard Keith Ap-pling (6-1, 190), who is the Spartans’ best perimeter defender.

Michigan State tied for the regular-sea-son Big Ten championship, then won the tournament title.

Under Izzo, Michigan State has been a No. 1 seed four times and has advancedto the Final Four on each of the previ-ous three occasions -- in 1999, 2000 and2001. He has the Spartans in the Sweet 16for the 10th time in the last 15 seasons.Pitino, on the other hand, has never lost inthe Sweet 16 round, going 9-0. So gameon, guys.

“We look forward to it,” UofL junior point guard Peyton Siva said. “They’re agreat team and Izzo a great coach; I wouldlove to meet him. It will be a great game.They’re tough, physical, it’s going to belike another Big East battle. They’re ag-gressive, and they’re hot also. We’ve gotto come to play.”

The four regional teams compose a tantalizing fi eld from Louisville’s and Pi-tino’s standpoint. If the Cards survive therematch with Michigan State, they’ll faceeither Big East rival and No. 3 seed Mar-quette (27-7) for the third time this seasonor No. 7 Florida (25-10), which is coachedby former Pitino player and assistant BillyDonovan.

UofL split two games with Marquette, losing 74-63 in Milwaukee on Jan. 16, thenblitzing the Golden Warriors 84-71 in thequarterfi nals of the Big East Tournament.

RUSS BROWNRUSS BROWN

Senior Kyle Kuric is one of just two players who were on the roster when then-No. 1 seed Louisville lost to Michigan State in the Elite Eight (the other is Jared Swopshire in 2009). - photo by Howie Lindsey

S W E E T 1 6 F E A T U R E S R E M A T C H O F ’ 0 9 U P S E T

CARDS HOPE TO EMPLOY BIG BANG THEORY VS. SPARTANS

PITINO IN SWEET 16 (9-0)AT PROVIDENCE (1-0)Yr. Opponent Score1987 UAB 90-68

AT KENTUCKY (5-0)Yr. Opponent Score1992 UMass 87-771993 Wake Forest 103-691995 Arizona St. 97-731996 Utah 101-701997 St. Joseph’s 83-68

AT LOUISVILLE (3-0)Yr. Opponent Score2005 Washington 93-792008 Tennessee 79-602009 Arizona 103-64

PITINO IN ELITE EIGHT (5-4)AT PROVIDENCE (1-0)Yr. Opponent Score1987 Georgetown 88-73

AT KENTUCKY (3-2) Yr. Opponent Score1992 Duke 103-1041993 Florida St. 106-811995 North Carolina 61-741996 Wake Forest 83-631997 Utah 72-59

AT LOUISVILLE (1-2)Yr. Opponent Score2005 W. Virginia 93-85(OT)2008 N. Carolina 73-832009 Michigan St. 52-64


LOUISVILLE BASKETBALL

0 Rick Pitino is 9-0 as a head coach in the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament. After all these years of coaching, he has never lost in that round. That stat will be put to the ultimate test against No. 1 seed Michigan State on Thursday.

14 Louisville has won 14 of its last 18 games heading into Thursday night’s matchup with Michi-gan State. The Cardinals have won six games in a row.

1 After beating No. 3 seed Florida State Sunday night, No. 6 seed Cincinnati now has one win over a higher-seeded team in the history of the program. For a program with Cincinnati’s history, that is a remarkable stat. In 1992, the fourth-seeded Bearcats beat teams seeded 13, 5, 9 and 6 to get to the

Final Four. During Cincinnati’s runs to national titles in 1961 and ‘62 and a runner-up fi nish in ‘63, teams weren’t seeded.

17 Sophomore guard Russ Smith scored 17 points during Louisville’s 59-56 victory over New Mexico, including a pair of huge three-pointers.

1 The New Mexico game marked the fi rst time this season that Louisville won when the opponent had more rebounds. The Cardinals were outrebounded 36-25.

46 How did Louisville win despite getting outrebounded by 11? Shooting. Louisville hit nearly 46 percent of its shots against the Lobos (22 of 48), including 7 of 15 three-point shots.

39 Center Gorgui Dieng played 39 of 40 minutes against New Mexico, coming out only for a brief period before a media timeout in the fi rst half. He had six points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, two steals, two assists and just one foul.

2 Louisville currently has two players averaging in double fi gures: Kyle Kuric at 13 points per game and Russ Smith at 11.4. UofL’s balanced attack has four players averaging between nine and 10 points: Chris Smith (9.8), Dieng (9.3), Peyton Siva (9.2) and Chane Behanan (9.1).

31 Even after several recent shooting performances in the 40-50 percent range, Louisville is still hitting just 31 percent of its three-point shots this season (214 of 683).

4 There are four Big East teams in the Sweet 16: No. 1 seed Syracuse, No. 3 Marquette, No. 4 Louis-ville and No. 6 Cincinnati. Third-seeded Georgetown was upset by No. 11 seed NC State Sunday, and No. 12 USF lost a hard-fought battle with 13 seed Ohio Sunday night.

4 The Big East and Big Ten are tied with four teams apiece in the Sweet 16. The ACC, SEC and Big 12 each has two teams, and the remaining two are from the Atlantic-10 and MAC.

10 Michigan State has made the Sweet Sixteen 10 times in the last 15 seasons under coach Tom Izzo. He has six Final Fours and one national title.

2009 Louisville’s rallying cry for the next few days might be “Remember 2009.” That’s the year No. 1 seed Louisville was upset in the Elite Eight by Michigan State, missing a chance at a Final Four and possible national title.

85 If Thursday’s game comes down to free throws, Louisville wants the ball in Kuric’s hands. He’s hitting 85 percent of his free throws since Big East play started and 80 percent overall, best on the team.

10 Michigan State’s Draymond Green, a formidable big man, had 10 assists against Long Island in the Spartans’ fi rst game of the tournament. He had 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, becoming the fi rst player to record more than one triple double in the NCAA Tournament since

Magic Johnson, who did it twice. The only other player to do it was Oscar Robertson (four times). Green’s other triple-double came last year against UCLA. He had 16 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in Sunday’s win over Saint Louis.

4 Louisville has made at least the Sweet 16 in four of the last eight seasons dating to a Final Four run in 2005. The Cardinals had back-to-back Elite Eights in 2008 and 2009.

16 NUMBERS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE SWEET 16

Freshman Chane Behanan will have a tough test against Michigan State’s Draymond Green Thursday.

- photo by Howie Lindsey

BONUS NUMBER:

5 The Louisville women, seeded No. 7 in the NCAA Tournament despite being ranked No. 18 in the nation, eliminated 10th-seeded Michigan State in the fi rst round Saturday. It was Louisville’s fi fth straight NCAA fi rst-round win.



By Russ BrownPORTLAND – As a courtesy, the NCAA

distributed copies of the 2012 Tournament Championship Guide to players partici-pating in the West Regional, so when the Louisville Cardinals walked into their Rose Garden locker room prior to their pre-tour-ney practice session last Wednesday, they found a copy in each of their lockers.

If they had fl ipped through the glossy magazine, they would have immediately seen the lead article titled “Sweet Dreams” detail-ing Morehead State’s stunning 62-61 upset of UofL in the fi rst round of

last year’s West Regional in Denver.They wouldn’t have found it very enter-

taining reading, though. Sweet Dreams? More like Sour Nightmare. Not that the Cards needed to be reminded of their back-to-back fi rst-round fl ops in the NCAA Tournament. Fans, the media and yes, their own coach, Rick Pitino, had covered those fl ameouts quite extensively.

“Coach P talked about it all the time; he didn’t let us forget it,” senior guard Chris Smith said. “He’d bring it up in a sarcastic way, like, ‘You guys got knocked out in the

fi rst round, you’re not a good team.’ For us, that’s motivation because we want to capitalize every time we get a chance to do something.”

When was the last time Pitino men-tioned the fi rst-round failures?

“Oh, probably (Wednesday) night,” Smith said, laughing, after the fourth-seeded Cards (27-9) took care of that gap-ing hole in their recent postseason resume’ and silenced the coach and other critics -- temporarily at least -- by defeating No. 13 Davidson 69-62 in the opening game of the West Regional last Thursday to snap a three-game losing skid in the NCAA tour-ney.

Afterward, they were talking like they’re not fi nished yet and have no intention of heading home anytime soon. Sure enough, UofL cleared its next hurdle, edging fi fth-seeded New Mexico 59-56 Saturday to earn its second trip to the Sweet 16 in four years. The Cards will meet top-seeded Michigan State ( 29-7 ) in the West Region-al semifi nals in Phoenix Thursday night.

“It’s just starting, the work’s just start-ing,” senior forward Kyle Kuric said. “We’ve got a good one under our belt; now we’ve got to keep winning. The fi rst-round monkey is off our backs, but there’s still more pressure moving forward. There’s

still a lot of basketball to be played, hope-fully.”

The players admitted to a sense of relief in being able to fi nally advance and win a tournament game for the fi rst time since routing Arizona 103-64 in the 2009 Mid-west Regional semifi nals as the No. 1 over-all seed before losing to Michigan State 64-52 in the fi nal.

“But we’re not going to slack off,” Smith said. “We’re going to play our game and play hard.”

Junior point guard Peyton Siva, who had a team-high 17 points, six assists, two steals and two rebounds against Davidson, said much of the pressure stemmed not from the early losses in the past two tour-naments but simply from the fact that it was UofL’s 2012 debut.

“We weren’t really worried about all the fi rst-round stuff,” he said. “I think the fi rst game is always the hardest. You want to get those jitters out, you want to play, you want to win. But I think everybody came in with a professional attitude and not wor-ried about what’s going to happen with this or that. We just focused on Davidson and defense.”

WEATHER, LOSING TURN PITINO OFFPitino was at his sarcastic best when

a local reporter asked him if he had any

interest in the vacant head coaching jobwith the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers. Pi-tino laughed and referred to the constantrain, along with the hapless Blazers, whoare being called the “Fail Blazers” (for-merly called the Jail Blazers) in The Or-egonian newspaper.

“Yeah, I really want the job,” he joked. “I’d really like to get out here. The weath-er has just knocked me over, and I reallywould like to start losing again.”

‘NO RESPECT’ TEAMS RISE UPBoth freshman Chane Behanan and

senior Kyle Kuric took a turn trying toexplain the rash of upsets in the secondround of the tournament, specifically No.15 Lehigh over No. 2 Duke and No. 15Norfolk State over No. 2 Missouri.

“For the lower teams, they don’t get much respect,” Behanan said. “In theregular season, they don’t get the nation-al look they should. So when they get inthe tournament, this is their opportunityto shine.”

Kuric referred to No. 12 VCU’s win over No. 5 Wichita State here. Said Kuric:“There are players everywhere. I didn’tthink they were a 12 seed at all. Theylooked much better than that. The tal-ent level they have is on the same par asus.”

CARDS RELIEVED DROUGHT IS OVER, CARDS RELIEVED DROUGHT IS OVER, SWEET SIXTEEN NEXTSWEET SIXTEEN NEXT

Players (L. to R.) Wayne Blackshear, Gorgui Dieng, Angel Nunez, Zach Price, Kevin Ware and Jared Swopshire

celebrated Louisville’s win over New Mexico Saturday in Portland. - photo by Howie Lindsey



WOMEN’S BASKETBALLCOFFEE BREAK

It’s good to see the University of Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team back where it belongs -- with the fi nal 16 teams in the NCAA Tournament. As improbable as it seemed two weeks ago, this team has earned its position among the nation’s elite basketball teams. There are 344 schools that play Division I basketball, so to be one of only 16 still standing is a commendable achievement.

Over the past six games in the Big East Tournament in New York and the NCAA West Regional in Portland, Ore., the Cards have combined tenacious defense and just enough offense behind Peyton Siva to defeat every opponent. The combined won-loss record of those six teams was 144-50 (74.2 percent), and all six won at least 20 games this season. New Mexico won 27 games during the regular season and in the Moun-tain West Conference Tournament, which they won by defeating UNLV and San Diego State, both top-25 teams. The Lobos also defeated Long Beach State, a top-35 team, in the NCAA opening-round game. New Mexico was ranked No. 22 in both the Associated Press and Coach’s poll.

None of the six UofL victories in the Big East or West Region was against a weak team. This is the 21st time the Cards have made it to the fi nal 16 teams in the tournament.

That includes their fi rst trip to the tourney in 1951 when only 16 teams were invited. The NCAA Tournament began in 1939 and for the fi rst 11 years only eight teams were invited. That number was increased to 16 in 1951 and 1952. From 1953-1974 between 22 and 25 schools were invited, and from 1975-1978 32 schools played in the tournament. In 1979 40 teams were invited, and from 1980-1982 48 teams were. Louisville won its fi rst national championship in 1980, the fi rst time 48 teams were invited. In 1983 52 schools got bids, with four play-in games. In 1984 53 were invited, with fi ve play-in games, and from 1985-2000 64 teams received bids. That was increased to 65 from 2001-2010, with one play-in game, and in 2011 and this season 68 teams were invited, with four play-in games. There is talk now of increasing the fi eld even more, but nothing defi nite has been decided. With 68 teams the fi eld includes 20 percent of all Division I schools.

All Cards fans know of Louisville’s past when it comes to NCAA tourney participation, but here it is updated with last week’s games: eight Final Fours, three Elite Eights, 10 Sweet Sixteens and, of course, two national championships (1980 and ‘86). Only 14 schools have more than one national championship. UofL is 62-39 all-time in 38 tourney appearances, with eight regional championships. Part of Louisville’s NCAA record was achieved in seven consolation games, with the Cards going 3-4. The Final Four had a consolation game through 1981, and the regionals had one until 1975. Louisville’s last consolation game was in 1975. After losing to UCLA in the semifi nal, the Cards beat Syracuse 96-88 in overtime.

So how did this team averaging barely more than 70 points a game advance to the Sweet 16? That’s easy -- defense! And more defense. Louisville held almost every team it defeated below that team’s average for the season. New Mexico averaged 72.7 in 32 games but scored only 56 against the tenacious Cardinals. Davidson, playing in a weaker league, averaged 77.9 ppg but managed only 62 against the Cards.

Louisville is second in the country in fi eld-goal defense at 38 percent. Interestingly, UofL’s next opponent, Michigan State is third. The Cards are seventh in steals per game at 9.0 led by Russ Smith with 2.33 per game, which is 15th and 20th in three-point defense at 30.2 percent. Georgui Dieng is eighth in blocked shots at 3.14 per game. Let’s keep our fi ngers crossed that the shots will fall, the whistle will be fair and that the Cards will con-tinue on this remarkable turnaround.

–––––––––––––––Congratulations to the women’s team that beat Michigan State in the fi rst round of

the NCAA Tournament. Was this the same team that I watched commit more than 25 turnovers in several games early in the season? Against Michigan State the Cards had just two turnovers at halftime. Like the men, this team has overcome a lot to come together at tournament time.

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SWEET SIXTEEN A FAMILIAR PLACE FOR THE UOFL CARDINALS TO BE

NCAA TRIVIA:• LOUISVILLE IS THE ONLY SCHOOL TO PLAY A FINAL-FOUR GAME ON ITS HOME

FLOOR. IN 1959 THE CARDS LOST TO JERRY WEST AND WEST VIRGINIA AT FREE-DOM HALL IN THE SEMIFINAL GAME, THEN LOST TO OSCAR ROBERTSON AND CINCINNATI IN THE CONSOLATION GAME.

• WEST VIRGINIA HAS BEEN TO THE FINAL FOUR TWO TIMES, IN 1959 AND 2010. THEY HAVE NEVER WON A CHAMPIONSHIP

• LOUISVILLE WAS ALSO A NO. 4 SEED IN ITS LAST TRIP TO THE FINAL FOUR - IN 2005.

• LOUISVILLE IS THE ONLY SCHOOL TO WIN TWO CHAMPIONSHIPS AS A NO. 2 SEED.

• UOFL’S 68 POINTS PER GAME IS THE LOWEST OFFENSIVE OUTPUT OF THE 21 CARDINALS TEAMS THAT HAVE MADE IT TO THE FINAL 16. THE 1959 AND 1961 TEAMS AVERAGED 72 PER GAME. THE 1972 TEAM HAD THE HIGHEST SCORING AVERAGE AT 84 PPG.

LOUISVILLE’S CHARLIE STRONG HAS OPENED THREE SPRING PRACTICES FOR FANS.

2012 LOUISVILLE FOOTBALL SPRING GAME • SATURDAY, APRIL 14 AT 1 P.M.

Wednesday at 4 p.m.Friday at 4 p.m.

Saturday at 10 a.m.

A L L F A N S A R E W E L C O M E

By Russ BrownPORTLAND -- All season long defense

has been the Louisville Cardinals’ calling card, and their opening game in the NCAA Tournament was no exception, with David-son getting a painful lesson on why UofL is one of the nation’s stingiest teams.

The 13th-seeded Wildcats (25-9) of the Southern Conference came into last Thursday’s West Regional opener in the

Rose Garden as one of the country’s highest-scoring clubs, but the fourth-seeded Cards’ defense proved too thorny as UofL (27-9) claimed a 69-62 victory after leading by as many

as 15 points late.Davidson, averaging 78.4 points per

game, was limited to its second-lowest to-tal of the season, the previous low coming in an 84-61 loss at Charlotte in December. And a team that was shooting 34 percent from three-point range was a mere 4 of 19 from beyond the arc, along with a season-low 35 percent overall.

UofL dulled the Wildcats’ execution so thorougly that they got only two fast breaks, neither of which produced a bas-ket, as the Cards snapped a three-game losing streak in the NCAA Tournament.

UofL point guard Peyton Siva, who led the winners with 17 points, six assists and two steals despite being limited to 25 minutes by foul trouble, and forward Kyle Kuric said the Cards were determined to make defense the name of the game, as always.

“Everybody focused on defense and getting stops,” Siva said. “Coach P told us one of the big things with them was their transition, and I think we did a pretty good job of that.”

Said Kuric: “We kept them out of tran-sition, that was a big thing. I don’t know how man threes they had, but obviously it was below their season average. We ex-tended, and when they passed the ball in-side everybody covered for each other. It’s a whole team effort.”

Through fi ve postseason games, includ-ing four in the Big East Tournament, UofL’s victims have shot just 37.7 percent overall and 17.1 on treys.

De’Mon Brooks, voted the Southern Conference Player of the Year by the league’s coaches, made just 1 of 7 shots, while guard JP Kuhlman missed 6 of 7 shots and all three free throws. Brooks and

Kuhlman, who were averaging a combined 27 points, fi nished with fi ve and three re-spectively.

“They pressure you from end line to end line,” said Davidson forward Jake Cohen, who led all scorers with 24 points, most of them in the paint. “It’s something that’s always in the back of your head. When you get the ball out, you’ve got to be worrying about their pressure and how you’re going to break it.”

Davidson committed only 10 turnovers, but coach Bob McKillop said having to battle UofL’s relentless full-court pressure fatigued his players.

“We just got worn down,” he said. “Louisville’s pressure may not show its ugly head in terms of turnovers, but I think it wears you down, and that takes away your legs and affects your shooting.”

Also taking its toll was the Cards’ offen-sive movement, running Siva off staggered screens until the Cards found the shot they wanted.

“They’re not a fi ve-second, 10-second and shoot the ball kind of team,” McKil-lop said. “They’re a possession after pos-session where they took the shot clock into the 15, 14, 10 range, but it wasn’t just holding the ball. Our guys defended ball screens three, four or fi ve times during a possession. I don’t think people realize what it’s like to do that not just for one possession but for 25.

“Their consistent use of ball screens in each possession, with a guy as good as Siva, who is so quick, is tough. And it re-quires not just one guy to make the effort, but fi ve guys to make the effort to stop him or try to stop him, and then the com-bination of their pressure.... The wear and tear on your legs.”

UofL coach Rick Pitino said UofL’s goal was to wear down Davidson, and the Cards said afterward that they could tell they were being successful as the game wore on.

“They slowed it up and were running a

lot of pick and rolls, which they weren’tdoing earlier,” Jared Swopshire said. “So Ithink we got them tired, and that workedout for us. All those suicides, long prac-tices and stuff are paying off.”

Said Chris Smith: “We tire out a lot of teams because we’re probably in bettershape than everybody. We practice hard,and that’s our thing, to wear everybodyout.”

UofL never trailed after the midway point of the fi rst half and enjoyed its big-gest margin at 59-44 with 3:22 left. David-son mounted a comeback, but the Cardshit 10 of 13 free throws in the fi nal 1:36 tosurvive the rally.

CARDS’ TRIO ‘FEROCIOUS’Before the game, McKillop described

UofL’s front line of Gorgui Dieng, ChaneBehanan and Kuric as “ferocious.”

“They’re ferocious defensively, they’re ferocious on the glass and when they havethe ball in their hands,” the veteran coachsaid. “They fi nd a way to get to the rim, theyfi nd a crack. And they’re highly skilled.”

The trio proved him right. Behanan notched the seventh double-double of hiscareer with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Di-eng was limited to just 19 minutes by foultrouble but still got nine points, seven re-bounds and two blocks, while Kuric had 13points, four boards, a block and a steal.

Dieng said Pitino warned the Cards that offi ciating in the NCAA Tournament mightbe tighter than in the Big East Conference,and the 6-11 sophomore was whistled fora foul less than a minute into the gameand picked up two more in the fi rst half.

“When we come here in the NCAA Tournament, every call is going to betight,” Dieng said. “We’re not used to itlike we were in the Big East -- you can hitsomebody and they don’t say anything. Sothings change. It doesn’t look like the BigEast at all.”

HOMECOMING FOR SIVAThe game marked a homecoming of

sorts for Siva, who is from Seattle, threehours north and an easy drive on I-5. So alarge contingent of friends and family -- in-cluding his mother, father, brother and sis-ter -- made the trip to watch him play, andmade a lot of noise in the UofL section ofthe stands.

“Nobody else on the team really wanted to come to Portland except me,” Siva said.“I was happy to see them in the crowd.They can get loud. It’s great to come backto the Northwest. It’s pretty exciting and alot of fun.”




Center Gorgui Dieng explained to coach Rick Pitino what he believed happened on his third personal foul in the fi rst half of Louisville’s win over Davidson. Dieng was on the bench for most of the game with foul trouble. - photo by Howie Lindsey

U O F L S T Y M I E S D A V I D S O N I N N C A A D E B U T

NOTHING NEW FOR CARDS, JUST MORE OF THE SAME – DEFENSE


GAMEDAY PREVIEW - DAVIDSON

It is GOOD to be making tournament runs again! The Cardi-nals are back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since back-to-back Elite Eight runs in 2008 and 2009, and it’s GOOD to see

the Cardinals being talked about again in late March. It is even more special with this team, a team many had counted out after it ended the regular season with losses to USF and Syracuse and finished seventh in the Big East. As it turns out, Syracuse is a Sweet 16 team and USF just missed being one.

How much fun is this team having? You should have seen the scene in the locker room after the New Mexico game. The Cardinals laughed and joked, hooped and hollered throughout

the interview session. As one player was being interviewed, several others tried to pelt him with ankle tape and towels, and turnabout was fair play. We asked freshman Chane Behanan how much fun this NCAA Tournament has been. “Sweet.... Sweet Sixteen,” he replied. Well said.

New Mexico was no mid-major. After seeing the Lobos up close, we believe they could beat a lot of teams in this tourna-ment. Tall and lean at every starting spot, they play aggressive

defense, and Drew Gordon is among the best in college basketball this season. Louisvile’s players were impressed with the Lobos, too. “They are very good,” senior Kyle Kuric said. “They reminded me of a Big East team. They are tall and they can rebound.”

After Gordon’s reverse alley-oop dunk on top of Kuric, the Car-dinals star was greeted with a message from his coach when he came back to the other end of the court. “That’s on you!” Rick

Pitino said, adding that Kuric should have interrupted the pass and stopped the dunk. We asked Kuric about it after the game, and he just smiled. “I just jumped up to tip it, and didn’t get all of it. He grabbed it, and I thought he was going to come down with it and then go back up, but he dunked it like that on the way down.” Kuric then shrugged. “I mean, what are you going to do when he can do that? He’s pretty good.”

It was a different dunk that really made the biggest impact on the game. With Louisville up by two with under a minute left, Gorgui Dieng and Peyton Siva ran a pick-and-roll to per-

fection, and it ended with a monster dunk by Dieng. After the game, the 6-foot-10 native of Senegal said he wanted to let New Mexico know that the game was officially over. Kuric joked, ”I don’t know about all that because they scored after that, but it definitely was a big dunk.” Siva also gave Dieng a hard time. “Coach doesn’t think Gorgui can really jump because he doesn’t do it very often, so it was good to see Gorgui actually show Coach P that he can jump.”

Turns out, Gorgui is the Rodney Dangerfield of the team. He gets picked on at every turn and “gets no respect.” During the Davidson game, he was whistled for three fouls in the first half,

two of which weren’t actual fouls, and he had to sit for most of the game. “I don’t know why (the referee) called that, because I definitely did not foul,” Dieng said of the first foul call. “I don’t think he knows basketball, because I’ve never seen him ref the Big East.” Freshman power forward Chane Behanan said: “I was mad at (Gorgui) for a minute. But I knew I had to take it upon myself and just play like a vet and just go in and rebound. We have been through this situation before through the Big East Tournament. So we didn’t expect him to be in foul trouble, we just got to hold it down when he’s not there.” And the Cards did.

We’re glad the team’s focus wasn’t like that of the media, who were hung up on the fi rst-game exits from the tournament in 2010 and 2011. It seemed everywhere the Cardinals turned another reporter - including

us, unfortunately - was asking them about trying to snap the streak and bust through to the second and third games. To the players’ credit, they stayed focused on what they could control: this year. “We were not really worried about the fi rst round in the sense of trying to get that fi rst win in and worry about losing,” junior guard Peyton Siva said. “Everybody was focused on Davidson, everybody focused on defense. We watched a lot of fi lm, tried to learn what they do inside and out. I think everybody did a really good job on defense, and that was really our main focus.”

While the SportsReport staff and the team were out in Portland, we kept receiving these UGLY pictures of the KFC Yum! Center stuffed with blue. Kentucky fans, in town for the NCAA Tournament games at the

Yum! Center, invaded Louisville’s arena en masse. Truth be told, we should see all that blue as green money and gold coin, but we have to admit it was more than a little sickening. Oh well, they could ‘t have liked it when Louisville fans invaded Rupp Arena a few years back and turned that into a Louisville home game, either.

Oh, and by the way. We know that KFC Yum! Center offi cials said that the water rushing into a common area at the Yum! Center was not an act of vandalism, but we are certain that somewhere, somehow, a

Kentucky fan was involved. Were they doing chin-ups on the water pipe? See, Kentucky fans, this is why you can’t have nice things. Perhaps we should have torn out all the nice cushiony seats and replaced them with metal bleachers so they’d feel more at home.

Charlie Strong and the Louisville football team will take the fi eld for the start of spring practice Wednesday at the practice fi elds at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. There will be three practices open to the pub-

lic this week, Wednesday and Friday at 4 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m. Be sure to check out CardinalSports.com for full reports on the action from practice.

Our offi cial web site, CardinalSports.com, is the Louisville site on the Rivals.com national network. While Rivals.com is the clear leader nationally in recruiting rankings for football prospects, we believe they

are underrating local players. It has always been a struggle to get kids from Kentucky rated among the best in the nation, and while things are improving - Trinity juniors James Quick and Jason Hatcher are both rated four-stars and among the top 250 players in the nation currently - we believe Lexington Catholic quarterback Kyle Bolin and Trinity defensive back Ryan White should also be four-star prospects. In the initial national rankings, Bolin is the No. 19 pro-style quarterback in the nation and White is rated No. 23 in the nation among cornerbacks. That is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but we believe both are likely a little better than that current ranking. The good news is that the rankings will be updated fi ve times between now and National Signing Day next February. Both White and Bolin will have the opportunity to move up in future rankings.

We feel there might not have been a single coach in the country who did a better coaching job this season than Louisville’s Jeff Walz. Name another school that lost its All-Conference leading scorer for the

season, lost its best defender and starting two guard for the season and lost a starting center (Cierra Warren quit the team in January) and still fi nished the season ranked in the top 20. Walz’s Cardinals certainly still had talent, including McDonald’s All-American freshmen Bria Smith and Sara Hammond, but overcoming the loss of three starters is incredibly tough. Walz deserves a ton of credit for keeping his kids together and fi elding a tough, fi esty team the rest of the season.

C O M M E N T A R Y B Y H O W I E L I N D S E Y

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GET DAILY UPDATES ON THE CARDS AT CARDINALSPORTS.COM - WANT MORE OPINIONS? FOLLOW @HOWIELINDSEY ON TWITTER

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By Russ BrownPORTLAND – OK, let’s be honest. If some-

body had dared suggest that Louisville’s basket-ball team would turn its late-season slide into a postseason surge, what would have been your reaction? Peyton Siva thinks he knows the an-swer.

“They probably would have laughed in your face,” said UofL’s junior point guard.

But it’s the upstart Cards (28-9) who are get-ting the last laugh. And it’s sweet. As in Sweet 16. That’s where UofL is headed after edging New Mexico 59-56 in the second round of the West Regional Saturday night in the Rose Gar-den.

Now the Cards will try to continue their un-expected run when they take on top-seeded Michigan State (29-7) in the West semifi nals at 7:47 p.m. Thursday in the U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix. The survivor will advance to the Elite Eight against the winner of the other semifi nal between No. 3 seed Marquette (29-7) and No. 7 Florida (25-10).

Louisville started the season ranked in the top 10 and rose as high as fourth on the strength of a 12-0 start, but the next two months were a roller-coaster ride and the Cards dropped out of the top 25 the fi nal week of the regular season before re-enterting at No. 17/18 going into the NCAA Tournament.

“We always stay positive,” UofL coach Rick Pitino said. “We wound up winning 22 games (in the regular season), and with all our inju-ries that was a heck of a season with a top-10 schedule. When we were 12-0, I

never really thought we were that great. When we started losing, I never thought we were really that bad. We stayed even keel, and we went into the Big East Tournament ready to play.”

The Cards wobbled into postseason play, having dropped four of their last six games, including the fi nale at Syracuse, 58-49, and looked anything like a serious threat to make a deep run in either the Big East or NCAA tourna-ments.

But they quickly regrouped to win their sec-ond Big East Tournament in four years, earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAAs, then defeated No. 13 seed Davidson (69-62) and the No. 5 Lobos to set up a showdown with the Spartans, who knocked them out in the Elite Eight as the over-all top seed in 2009.

“I’m really delighted, because I thought this team had a lot of limitations,” Pitino said. “I wanted to win the Big East Tournament in the worst way because I knew their confi -dence would grow. Our guys deserve so much credit for hanging in there. They went through

a month and a half where they couldn’t even have normal practices because of all our injuries. We all made up our minds that the post-season was going to be different.”

It certainly has been, and now UofL is on the cusp of its fi rst Final Four appearance since 2005 -- with a couple of very big hurdles standing in the way, of course.

“The way we’ve been playing, everybody is confi dent, we’re still playing with the same intensity and mentality and we’re playing as a team, and that’s why we’re winning,” senior forward Kyle Kuric said. “I don’t want to say we expected it, but things are clicking at the right time and guys are stepping up.”

Said Siva: “I always knew we were going to battle with whoever. We know a lot of people were counting us out and nobody had us go-ing this far. But everybody stuck together and showed a lot of heart. I just thank God for this opportunity.”

Freshman forward Chane Behanan pro-nounced himself “not surprised” at the Cards’ postseason success and said they’re peaking at the right time and playing their best basketball of the year.

“We had some ups and downs, but we have a good basketball team,” he said. “We’re play-ing for a Hall of Fame coach, and it doesn’t sur-prise me at all, I promise you that. If we had played like this all year, we would have stayed in the top fi ve the whole season.”

Although he was outplayed by New Mexico’s 6-9 Drew Gordon, a UCLA transfer who got

21 points and 14 rebounds, Behanan -- who referred to Gordon as “Superman” -- was a defi nite force in UofL’s victory with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting, four rebounds, a steal and an assist.

But it was the backcourt combination of Siva and Russ Smith who sparked the win.

Overcoming an air-ball dunk that inspired Pi-tino’s wrath, Russ scored a team-high 17 points, hit the back-to-back three-pointers that put UofL on top for good and hit two clutch free throws in the fi nal 92 seconds after New Mexico had sliced a 15-point defi cit to just two.

Siva scored only six points but came through with two huge plays at the end and also fi nished with fi ve assists.

“Any time there’s a big spark, Russ or Peyton is usually involved,” Kuric said. “Russ can play defense and get into people and make tough shots; he was big for us.”

Said Russ: “I just stay on the bench and look and see what we need. If we need defensive energy, I’ll try and do that. If we need points, I’ll try and do that. I just try and do what I feel the team needs at the time, and hopefully it’ll work out.”

It did against New Mexico, but not before some anxious moments after UofL had seen a 44-29 lead at the 13:02 mark melt to 53-51 with 1:38 remaining. The Lobos’ rally took near-ly every ounce of energy to defl ect.

“I wish I was a little more excited instead of just kind of worn out from the comeback they had,” said a weary-looking Kuric afterwards. “It

was ridiculous. Thank God we pulled it out. Ithink maybe we backed off a little bit, we hadsome miscommunication, they got some goodbounces and they wanted the comeback morethan we wanted to fi nish the game. But at theend we made enough plays to come out withthe victory.”

Said senior guard Chris Smith, “I think we kind of got a little too happy, a little ahead ofourselves and thought the game was over, butit wasn’t over.”

Here’s when it was over. With UofL cling-ing to a 55-53 lead following a Gordon dunkat 1:12, Siva drove down the lane, skidded toan almost-stop under the basket, passed to cen-ter Gorgui Dieng, who was charging down thelane, and got out of the way as Dieng rammedthrough a monstrous dunk to make it 57-53with 31 seconds remaining.

“I wanted that last dunk to be big because I wanted them to know the game was over,”Dieng said. “Game over. And I was tired.”

Said Siva: “A few minutes earlier I had driven right down the lane and got a layup, so the nexttime I knew they were going to help out. I knewI wasn’t going to get the layup, so I just triedto plant, turned around, found Gorgui cuttingto the basket and Gorgui showed the bouncetoday, showed he can jump a little bit. That wasa big play for us.”

Dieng’s hops surprised his teammates, who said their 6-11 teammate usually stays prettymuch earthbound.

“Man, that was a nice play,” Chris Smith said. “That’s about as high as I’ve seen him jumpsince I’ve been here.”

Said Behanan: “That was tremendous. I think that sealed it right there, took us to the nextlevel to play defense the fi nal seconds. He gota running start; that’s the highest I’ve ever seenhim jump.”

After a New Mexico missed shot and a turn-over, Siva wrapped it up with two free throwsat 0:11.2.

“We battled like crazy,” said New Mexico coach Steve Alford, the former Indiana UniversityAll-American. “Early in the second half we wereout of rhythm, out of sync offensively, and theyreally came at us and got some easy baskets.Then we settled down and started guarding andmade a run ourselves. We never stopped fi ght-ing. We just couldn’t make enough shots.”

That’s been the story for Louisville’s victims most of the season. New Mexico, which wasshooting 38 percent from three-point range,hit just 5 of 23 for 21.7 percent and shot 39.7overall, the fi fth of UofL’s sixth postseason op-ponents it has held below 40 percent, the ex-ception being Marquette’s 44 percent.

Louisville’s Gorgui Dieng matched up with New Mexico star Drew Gordon on this play. Gordon had 21 points and 14 rebounds, but Louisville won 59-56. - photo by Howie Lindsey

C A R D S P L A Y I N G W I T H C O N F I D E N C E , A G G R E S S I V E N E S S

UOFL’S LATE TURNAROUND MAKES IT A SWEET (16) SEASON


GAMEDAY PREVIEW - MICHIGAN STATE

BREAKING DOWN THE SPARTANSBy Rick CushingWhen UofL takes on Michigan State, the

top seed in the West Regional, Thursday night in Phoenix, it will be a rematch three years in the making. The teams last met on March 29, 2009, and on that day in Indianapolis the eighth-ranked Spartans

knocked off the top-ranked and top-seeded Cardinals 64-52 in the Elite Eight. That snapped a 13-game UofL winning streak and prevented the Cards from going to the Final Four for the second time under Rick Pitino.

The Spartans (29-7) earned their No. 1 seed by beating Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament title game, then beat 16th-seeded LIU Brooklyn 89-67 and ninth-seeded Saint Louis 65-61 in the NCAA tourney. The Billikens gave them a battle, closing within two points late before succumbing.

The Spartans were coming off a disappointing season (19-15), although they did make the NCAA Tournament for the 14th straight time. Having lost leading scorer Kalin Lucas, this season’s outlook was iffy, with coach Tom Izzo optimistic but admitting that the Spartans “have a few unknowns…. You never know.”

The unknowns came through, and senior forward Draymond Green developed into a fi rst-team All-American, Big Ten Player of the Year and one of the top candidates for National Player of the Year.

MSU opened the season with consecutive losses to North Carolina and Duke, won 24 of its next 27 games, then closed the regular season with two straight losses before winning three straight in the Big Ten tourney. The latter two victories came against Wisconsin (65-52) and Ohio State (68-64), both of whom also are in the Sweet Sixteen.

The Spartans have fashioned their success behind an extremely stingy man-to-man defense. They allow only 59.3 ppg, 17th in the country, and allow their foes to shoot just 38.0 percent, third in the country, including 29.7 percent on treys, 14th in the country. They also average 7.3 steals per game, 89th in the country.

Offensively they are not fl ashy but prefer to work for high-percentage shots. They make 48 percent of their shots, 20th in the country, and have a rebound margin of plus-8.5, fourth in the country.

UofL and MSU have played no common opponents this season, but the Cards know from experience that a game with the Spartans will be physical.

GUARDSKeith Appling, a 6-1 sophomore, runs the show. He’s averaging

11.3 ppg, second on the team, leads in assists at 3.86 a game, and is second in steals at 1.17 a game. He’s shooting 42.9 percent overall but just 24.2 percent on treys.

The other starter in the two-man backcourt is 6-2 senior Brandon Wood, a transfer from Valparaiso who is averaging 8.6 ppg, third on the team, and shooting 46.4 percent overall, 37.2

percent on treys.The top backcourt sub is 6-5 senior Austin Thornton, who

is averaging 5.3 ppg and 3.4 rpg. He is shooting 47.3 percent overall, 46.0 on treys and is an outstanding free-throw shooter at 87.9 percent.

Another backcourt sub is 6-0 freshman Travis Trice (4.8 ppg), who’s shooting 38.7 percent overall but 41.7 percent on treys. Curiously, he’s making only 57.6 of his free throws.

BIG MENGreen, a 6-6 senior, is averaging a double-double (16.3 ppg,

10.4 rpg), leads the team in steals at 1.46 a game, is second in assists at 3.8 a game and in blocks at 1.0 a game. He’s shooting 45.2 percent overall, 39.8 percent on treys. He has 20 double-doubles and one triple-double this season, and he’s joined Oscar Robertson (four) and Magic Johnson (two), a Michigan State alum, as the only players with multiple triple-doubles in NCAA Tournament history. Against LIU Brooklyn Green had 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

Branden Dawson, a 6-6 freshman who mans the other starting forward spot, is averaging 8.4 ppg, fourth on the team, and 4.5 rpg, second on the team. He’s shooting 57.7 percent and is 0 for 3 on treys.

Alternating at center are 6-9 junior Derrick Nix (8.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and 6-10 senior Adreian Payne (7.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, team-leading 1.03 blocks per game). The duo combines for 15.4 ppg and 8.0 rpg.

Frontline subs are 6-9 sophomore Alex Gauna (1.9 ppg, 0.8 rpg) and 6-7 sophomore Russell Byrd (1.6 ppg, 0.6 rpg).

STARGreen is a bona-fi de star.TEAM STRENGTHSDefense, rebounding.TEAM WEAKNESSESThe Spartans average just 5.5 three-pointers a game, which

is 225th in the country. That is due more to the team’s offensive philosophy (pound it inside) than its shooting prowess, because MSU averages 36.5 percent on treys, which is 71st in the country.

HEAD COACHIzzo, 57, is 431-183 (69.8 percent) in 17 seasons, all at

Michigan State. He has won one NCAA title (in 2000), has been to the Final Four six times and was named National Coach of the Year four times. Before taking over at MSU in 1995 Izzo was an assistant at Northern Michigan for four years (1979-83) and an assistant to Jud Heathcote at MSU for 12 years.

MSU’s 15-year NCAA Tournament streak is the third-longest current one. Kansas has been to the last 23 tourneys, Duke to the last 17.

ALL-TIME SERIESUofL and MSU have met seven times in a series that dates to

1959, with the Cards holding a 4-3 advantage.

HEAD COACHHEAD COACHTOM IZZOTOM IZZO

NO NAME POS YR EXP HT/WT HOMETOWN (SCHOOL) 0 RUSSELL BYRD G FR. RS 6-7/205 FORT WAYNE, IN (BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN SCHOOL)

2 ALEX GAUNA C FR. RS 6-9/240 EATON RAPIDS, MI (EATON RAPIDS HS)

3 BRANDAN KEARNEY SF FR. HS 6-5/185 DETROIT, (SOUTHEASTERN)

5 ADREIAN PAYNE F SO. 1V 6-10/230 DAYTON, OH (JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP HS)

11 KEITH APPLING G SO. 1V 6-1/180 DETROIT, MI (PERSHING HS)

13 AUSTIN THORNTON G SR. 3V 6-5/210 SAND LAKE, MI (CEDAR SPRINGS)

14 DAN CHAPMAN G SO. SQ 6-3/185 OKEMOS, MI (OKEMOS)

15 KEENAN WETZEL G FR. RS 6-4/190 MONROE, MI (ST MARY’S CATHOLIC CENTRAL)

20 TRAVIS TRICE PG FR. HS 6-0/170 HUBER HEIGHTS, OH (WAYNE)

22 BRANDEN DAWSON G FR. HS 6-6/220 GARY, IN (LEW WALLACE)

23 DRAYMOND GREEN F SR. 3V 6-7/230 SAGINAW, MI (SAGINAW)

32 BRANDON WOOD G SR. TR 6-2/190 KOKOMO, IN (VALPARAISO)

44 ANTHONY IANNI C SR. 1V 6-9/260 EAST LANSING, MI (OKEMOS)

50 DERRICK NIX C SO. 1V 6-9/278 DETROIT, MI (PERSHING)

2011-12 MICHIGAN STATE BASKETBALL ROSTER

2011-12 SCHEDULEDATE OPPONENT TIME NOVEMBER Nov. 11, 2011 at N. Carolina L, 67-55 Nov. 15, 2011 at Duke L, 74-69 Nov. 18, 2011 Texas Southern W, 76-41 Nov. 20, 2011 Arkansas-LR W, 69-47 Nov. 23, 2011 Wisconsin-Milw. W, 68-55 Nov. 27, 2011 at Eastern Michigan W, 72-40 Nov. 30, 2011 Florida State W, 65-49 DECEMBER Dec. 4, 2011 NEBRASKA OMAHA W, 110-68 Dec. 7, 2011 Central Conn St. W, 89-69 Dec. 10, 2011 at Gonzaga W, 74-67 Dec. 17, 2011 Bowling Green W, 74-60 Dec. 19, 2011 Missouri-KC W, 89-54 Dec. 22, 2011 Lehigh W, 90-81 Dec. 28, 2011 Indiana W, 80-65 Dec. 31, 2011 at Nebraska W, 68-55 JANUARY Jan. 3, 2012 at Wisconsin W, 63-60 Jan. 10, 2012 Iowa W, 95-61 Jan. 14, 2012 at Northwestern L, 81-74 Jan. 17, 2012 at Michigan L, 60-59Jan. 21, 2012 Purdue W, 83-58 Jan. 25, 2012 Minnesota W, 68-52 Jan. 31, 2012 at Illinois L, 42-41 FEBRUARY Feb. 5, 2012 Michigan W, 64-54 Feb. 8, 2012 Penn State W, 77-57 Feb. 11, 2012 at Ohio State W, 58-48 Feb. 16, 2012 Wisconsin W, 69-55 Feb. 19, 2012 at Purdue W, 76-62 Feb. 22, 2012 at Minnesota W, 66-61 Feb. 25, 2012 Nebraska W, 62-34 Feb. 28, 2012 at Indiana L, 70-55 MARCH Mar. 4, 2012 Ohio State L, 72-70 Big Ten TournamentMar. 9, 2012 Iowa W, 92-75 Mar. 10, 2012 Wisconsin W, 65-52 Mar. 11, 2012 Ohio State W, 68-64 NCAA TournamentMar. 16, 2012 Long Island W, 89-67 Mar. 18, 2012 Saint Louis W, 65-61

Coach: Tom IzzoOverall Record: 431-183 (17th season)

Michigan State Record: 431-183 (17th season)

IZZO HAS TAKEN THE SPARTANS TO THE FINAL FOUR SIX TIMES

DRAYMOND GREENDRAYMOND GREEN

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ATE S

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LOUISVILLE BASKETBALL PHOTO GALLERY

Louisville senior forward Kyle Kuric concentrated intently as he shot a free throw during the Louisville-Davidson game. - photo by Howie Lindsey

The Louisville Ladybirds stood in formation and saluted the fans as

the Cardinal Pride Pep Band played a school song. - photo by Howie Lindsey

President James Ramsey and his wife Jane and provost Shirley Willinhganz

were among the elated Louisville crowd in Portland after the Cardinals won both

games. - photo by Howie Lindsey

Peyton Siva waved to his family and friends in the crowd after the Cardinals beat Davidson in

the fi rst round of the NCAA Tournament. - photo by Howie Lindsey

Members of Louisville’a Cardinal Pride Pep Band cheered as the team walked off the court

after advancing to the Sweet 16 with a 59-56 win over New Mexico. - photo by Howie Lindsey

Former Cardinal great LaBradford Smith was in the crowd in Portland for the games. He is

Louisville’s single-season assist leader. Peyton Siva is No. 2 on that list for his performance

this season. - photo by Howie Lindsey


CARDS IN THE COMMUNITY

By Russ BrownPORTLAND -- One of the most interesting

and entertaining sidelights to the University of Louisville basketball team’s success in the post-season is the soap opera surrounding sophomore guard Russ Smith, who continues to delight fans and teammates while alter-nately driving his coach up the wall and earn-ing his praise.

The New York Knicks have “Linsanity.” The Cards have “Russdiculous.”

You just never know what the loquacious and personable New York City product is go-ing to do next, which is what makes him so much fun. And that unpredictability and out-going personality was on full display in UofL’s two West Regional wins over Davidson and New Mexico last week.

One can only guess what’s in store next in Russ’s repertoire for the Cardinals’ semifi nal battle against Michigan State Thursday night in Phoenix.

After UofL had defeated New Mexico 59-56 Saturday night, in large part due to Russ’s 17 points and three assists -- both team highs -- UofL coach Rick Pitino said he has come to expect, if not embrace, his Super Sub’s an-tics.

Saturday they included air-balling a break-away dunk late in the fi rst half, talking back during a timeout after one of his miscues, then giving Pitino bunny ears and dancing behind him while he was being interviewed by a CBS reporter after the game.

Pitino described his relationship with Russ as something right out of the movie “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” In this case, we don’t have to guess about which one is cuckoo.

“Coaching this young man is going to make me be a star in a remake of that mov-ie,” Pitino joked. “When you coach Russ Smith you have a nervous breakdown on ev-ery possession.”

Russ had been in a shooting slump but made all three of his shots from behind the arc against New Mexico, including back-to-back treys from the right wing and left corner late in the fi rst half to give UofL the lead for good at 24-21.

“He hadn’t been shooting the three well,” Pitino said. “To show you how dumb I am, I’m yelling, ‘Take it Russ.’ You really don’t know what’s going to happen on the next play. But he always comes up big for us. When we struggle for points, he’s always there. I’m real proud of him.”

Well, not so much when Russ blew a wide-open dunk as the ball went fl ying out of his hands.

“To show you how funny Russ is, I told him, ‘Russ, any 5-10 guy from New York City can dunk a ball, just lay it up and put it in.’ So after the game, I asked him, ‘Why would you do that?’ He said, ‘Yeah, you’re right coach, I should never have put Vaseline on my hands before the game. It slipped out.’ So this is what I’m coaching every day.’”

The two sat side-by-side during their post-game press conference, laughing at each other’s comments like a couple of high school kids.

“Me and coach have a lot in common,” Russ said. “We’re both from New York, I just like to learn from him. He’s always telling me to make the right play. I try my best, but it sometimes doesn’t work.”

In the fi rst half, Russ and Pitino got into a heated exchange during a team huddle and Pitino yanked Smith from the game. Russ then rose to say something to someone, and Pitino yelled at him to return to his seat. When play

resumed, Pitino reminded Russ that when the coach is talking, he should be quiet.

Russ, who later laughed at the situation, said Pitino’s yelling is all part of the deal play-ing at Louisville.

“I just asked one of the assistants what I did wrong, go over it,” Smith said. “And then I just cheered for my teammates and got right back to the game. It’s just a message he was giving me. I listen to the message. That’s pretty much it.”

Well, not quite. Great offensive drives and shots, slick defensive steals, boneheaded plays, funny lines. Russ is the whole pack-age.

“We have a blast together away from the court,” Pitino said. “Between the lines I’m trying to drive them to limits they didn’t think they could get to. Russ Smith -- nobody want-ed him (out of high school), I don’t care what Russ tells you. No Big East schools recruited him. And here he is. And he bails us out time and again.”

DIENG LIKES ‘CRAZY’ COACHPitino took issue with sophomore center

Gorgui Dieng having been snubbed on the Big East all-conference teams by the league’s coaches. The Senegal native led the Big East and was eighth nationally in blocked shots at 3.2 per game, was fourth in the conference in rebounding (9.1 rpg), fi fth in fi eld-goal per-centage (54.6) and averaged 9.4 points.

He had six points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals against New Mexico after geting nine points, seven boards and two blocks in the 69-62 win over Davidson.

“He really gave us a big lift when we need-ed it,” Pitino said. “He didn’t make the fi rst-, second- or third-team All-Big East, and he not only should have, but he’s one of the best centers in the conference because he affects every shot, whether he gets the block or not, against everybody. And I’m real proud of his development.”

Dieng said he has a good relationship with Pitino despite the coach’s frequent temper outbursts.

“Coach, sometimes he’s -- I don’t know how to explain it -- sometimes he goes crazy on us,” Dieng said. “But off the court he’s a really nice person. I really like him a lot. I don’t think he’s a coach for me, I treat him as a friend. He shows us to do the right things, teaches us how to be a gentleman in real life. He teaches a lot of things, not just about bas-ketball, but in real life.”

Dieng got the dunk that gave UofL a 57-53 lead with 31 seconds left to thwart a New Mexico rally that looked as if it might over-take the Cards. It came on a perfectly timed pass from Peyton Siva.

“Coach wanted me to set a pick and roll,” Dieng recounted. “He said, ‘When you roll, roll hard. When you catch it, just grab it and dunk it.’ I did the right things.”

Pitino praised Siva for his vital role in the play.

“Siva made a great move, and then he did something that he hasn’t done with us in two

years,” Pitino said. “He came to a jump stopand made the play. That was a great pass. Hemade big plays down the stretch. He’s havinga tremendous post-season.”

PITINO RELIEVED FOR PLAYERSPitino is a well-traveled coach/author/

speaker who has led three schools to the FinalFour -- Providence, Kentucky and Louisville -–and has also been the coach of the New YorkKnicks and Boston Celtics. After the win overNew Mexico, as he was answering a ques-tion about whether his and UofL’s advance tothe Sweet 16 was a big pressure relief afterlosing fi rst-round NCAA games the past twoseasons, Pitino had this reply: “Yes, we didlose the last two years, we had a tough injury.But that’s going to happen. I think you sawwhat happened with (fi rst-round losers) Dukeand Missouri. I’m relieved because I wantedthis so much for the players.

“For me, I say this with all humility.... Af-ter I left the Celtics, I’ve had a large dose ofthat. I’ve had more fulfi llment in the gameof basketball than 10 coaches combined. ButI’ve never had a group like this in my life. Iwanted it for them because they’ve workedso hard and had so much adversity, and Iwanted them to get the experience that I’vebeen through.”

In 3½ seasons as the Celtics coach, Pitino’s teams never had a winning record or madethe playoffs, so he says criticism doesn’t getto him these days.

“I coached the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks,” he said. “Just Philadelphia ismissing in my life for the triple crown. I cantake an awful lot in my life.”

Sophomore Russ Smith spoke with TBS sideline reporter Jenn Hildreth after the Cardinals beat New Mexico to advance to the Sweet 16. - photo by Howie Lindsey

‘RUSSDICULOUS’ KEEPS THINGS LIGHT IN CUCKOO’S NEST


GAMEDAY PREVIEW - MARQUETTE

BREAKING DOWN THE GOLDEN EAGLESBy Rick CushingShould UofL get by Michigan State, the

top seed in the West Regional, and third-seeded Marquette beat No. 7 seed Florida, the fourth-seeded Cardinals and Golden Eagles would meet in the Elite Eight. It would be the third meeting this season of

the Cardinals and Golden Eagles, with Marquette having won the fi rst, 74-63 on Jan. 16 in Milwaukee, and the Cards taking the second, 84-71 in the quarterfi nals of the Big East Tournament on March 8 in Madison Square Garden.

Marquette reached the Sweet Sixteen for the second straight year by thumping BYU 88-68 and then using a late 21-7 run to knock off Murray State 62-53 last Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center.

Marquette went into the NCAA Tournament at 25-7, having fi nished second in the Big East Conference at 14-4. They were ranked No. 9.

The Golden Eagles have fashioned their success behind a talented and athletic group of players headed by Big East Player of the Year Jae Crowder and All-Big East fi rst-teamer Darius Johnson-Odom. They employ a free-wheeling offense that averages 76.3 ppg, 26th in the country, and an aggressive man-to-man defense that limits opponents to 66.3 ppg, 153rd in the country.

They are shooting 45.9 percent, 71st in the country, and are averaging 16.9 assists per game, seventh in the country. Despite their free-wheeling style, they take good care of the basketball. Their assist-to-turnover ratio is 1.27-1, which is 18th in the country, and their turnover margin is 3.3 a game, also 18th in the country.

Defensively, they average 8.8 steals a game, 11th in the country, and they are holding foes to 40.5 percent shooting, 41st in the country, including 32.3 percent on treys, 82nd in the country.

They held Murray to a season-low 31.3 percent shooting, including a season-low 19 percent on treys (4 of 21). They also forced 16 turnovers, including seven steals, and blocked four shots. Marquette forced the Racers out of their offense, especially during its game-closing 21-7 run.

UofL is very familiar with Marquette and well knows it will be a battle should they meet again.

GUARDSJohnson-Odom, a 6-2 senior, is averaging 18.5 ppg, 30th in the

country, and shooting 45.1 percent overall, 38.9 percent on treys. He leads the team in free-throw shooting at 76.5 percent and is second in assists at 2.7 a game He had 19 and 23 points in the two games against UofL, but he had six turnovers in the second meeting as the Cards forced 26 in all, including 14 steals.

The Golden Eagles employ a three-guard offense, with a fourth guard seeing considerable playing time. Vander Blue, a 6-4 sophomore, and Junior Cadougan, a 6-1 junior, start, while Todd Mayo, a 6-3 freshman, plays a lot.

Blue averages 8.5 ppg and 2.69 apg, both third on the team.

He shoots 42.3 percent overall, just 25.8 on treys, and he had six turnovers in the second meeting with UofL.

Cadougan averages 6.5 ppg, sixth on the team, and leads in assists at 5.4 a game, 35th in the country. His assist-to-turnover ratio is 2.02-1, 75th in the country. He had seven points and six assists in the fi rst game against UofL, and nine points and fi ve assists in the second meeting, but he also had eight turnovers.

Mayo, the younger brother of NBA standout Todd Mayo, is averaging 7.8 ppg, fi fth on the team, and is shooting 41.5 percent overall, 32.6 on treys. He had 11 points in the fi rst game with UofL, when he hit 3 of 4 treys, but the Cards limited him to four points in the second meeting. He also had to be removed late in the Murray game after making back-to-back freshman mistakes.

BIG MENCrowder, a 6-6 senior, averages 17.6 ppg and 8.4 rpg, second

and fi rst on the team respectively. He also leads with 85 steals. He shoots 42.1 percent overall, 35.3 on treys. He had 14 points and 11 rebounds in the fi rst meeting, 10 points and 12 rebounds in the second, when he was a non-factor offensively. He had 17 points, 14 rebounds, three steals and two blocks against Murray.

Jamil Wilson, a 6-7 sophomore, is the other starter up front after being a reserve earlier in the season. He is averaging 7.1 ppg and 4.1 rpg and shooting 44.9 percent overall, 32.1 percent on treys. He leads the team at 1.3 blocks per game. He came off the bench in the fi rst meeting with UofL and had just four points, but he had 13 points and eight rebounds in the second meeting.

Davante Gardner, a 6-8, 290-pound sophomore who was a starter until an injury caused him to become a reserve, is averaging 9.6 ppg, third on the team, and 5.4 rpg, second. He’s shooting 57.3 percent and is 0 for 2 on treys. He had 17 points and six rebounds as a starter in the fi rst meeting, four points and fi ve rebounds as a reserve in the second.

STARSCrowder and Johnson-Odom both fi gure to be in the NBA next

season.TEAM STRENGTHSOverall athletic ability, as refl ected in the above stats, and the

senior leadership of Crowder and Johnson-Odom.TEAM WEAKNESSRebounding. The team’s rebounding margin is plus-0.1, which

is 187th in the country. The Golden Eagles were outrebounded by Murray 43-36, and by UofL in the second meeting 50-44.

HEAD COACHBuzz Williams, a colorful character, is in his fourth season at

Marquette and fi fth season overall. At Marquette he’s 96-44, and overall he’s 110-61. He was 14-17 in one season at New Orleans, resigned to become an assistant at Marquette, then took over there one year later when Tom Crean left to take over at IU.

ALL-TIME SERIESUofL and Marquette have met 67 times in a series that dates

to 1951, with the Cards holding a 41-26 advantage. They have been foes in the C-USA and Big East conferences.

HEAD COACHHEAD COACHBUZZ WILLIAMSBUZZ WILLIAMS

NO NAME POS YR EXP HT/WT HOMETOWN 0 JAMIL WILSON F SO. 1V 6-7/220 RACINE, WI

1 DARIUS JOHNSON-ODOM G JR. 3V 6-2/215 RALEIGH, NC

2 VANDER BLUE G FR. 6-4/200 MADISON, WI

4 REGGIE SMITH G FR. 6-0/175 CHICAGO, IL

5 JUNIOR CADOUGAN G SO. 1V 6-1/205 TORONTO, ON

12 ERIK WILLIAMS F SO. 1V 6-7/210 HOUSTON, TX

21 JOSEPH FULCE F SR. 2V 6-7/205 PHILADEPHIA, TX

22 JAMAIL JONES F FR. 6-6/210 ATLANTA, GA

23 DWIGHT BUYCKS G SR. 2V 6-3/190 MILWAUKEE, WI

25 DAVID SINGLETON G JR. 1V 6-4/190 COATESVILLE, PA

32 JAE CROWDER F JR. 3V 6-6/225 VILLA RICA, GA

33 JIMMY BUTLER F SR. 2V 6-7/220 TOMBALL, TX

42 CHRIS OTULE C SO. 1V 6-11/265 RICHMOND, TX

45 ROBERT FROZENA G SR. 2V 6-1/190 SHERWOOD, WI

54 DAVANTE GARDNER G FR. 6-8/290 SUFFOLK, VA

2011-12 MARQUETTE BASKETBALL ROSTER

2011-12 SCHEDULEDATE OPPONENT TIME NOVEMBER Nov. 11, 2011 Mount St. Mary’s W, 91-37 Nov. 14, 2011 Norfolk St. W, 99-68 Nov. 18, 2011 Winthrop1 W, 95-73 Nov. 20, 2011 Ole Miss2 W, 96-66 Nov. 21, 2011 Norfolk St.3 W, 59-57 Nov. 28, 2011 Jacksonville W, 88-56 DECEMBER Dec. 3, 2011 at Wisconsin W, 61-54 Dec. 6, 2011 Washington W, 79-77 Dec. 10, 2011 Wisconsin-GB W, 79-61 Dec. 17, 2011 N. Colo W,93-72 Dec. 19, 2011 at LSU L, 67-59 Dec. 22, 2011 Wisconsin-Milw. W, 64-50 Dec. 29, 2011 Vanderbilt L, 74-57 JANUARY Jan. 1, 2012 Villanova W, 81-77 Jan. 4, 2012 at Georgetown L, 73-70 Jan. 7, 2012 at Syracuse L, 73-66 Jan. 11, 2012 St. John’s W, 83-64 Jan. 14, 2012 Pittsburgh W, 62-57 Jan. 16, 2012 Louisville W, 74-63 Jan. 21, 2012 at Providence W, 79-72 Jan. 24, 2012 South Florida W, 67-47 Jan. 28, 2012 at Villanova W, 82-78 Jan. 31, 2012 Seton Hall W, 66-59 FEBRUARY Feb. 4, 2012 at Notre Dame L, 76-59Feb. 6, 2012 at DePaul W, 89-76 Feb. 11, 2012 Cincinnati W, 95-78 Feb. 18, 2012 at Connecticut W, 79-64 Feb. 22, 2012 Rutgers W, 82-65 Feb. 24, 2012 at West Virginia W, 61-60 Feb. 29, 2012 at Cincinnati L, 72-61 MARCH Mar. 3, 2012 Georgetown W, 83-69 Big East TournamentMar. 8, 2012 Louisville L, 84-71NCAA TournamentMar. 15, 2012 BYU5 W, 88-68 Mar. 17, 2012 Murray St. W, 62-53

Coach: Buzz WilliamsOverall Record: 110-61 (5th season)

Marquette Record: 96-44 (4th season)

MARQUETTE HAS BEEN TO THE SWEET 16THE PAST TWO SEASONS

DARIUS JOHNSON-ODOMDARIUS JOHNSON-ODOM

MAR

QUET

TE G

OLDE

N EA

GLES


GAMEDAY PREVIEW - FLORIDA

BREAKING DOWN THE GATORSBy Rick CushingFlorida, a team that made it to the

Elite Eight last season, losing to Butler

in overtime, expected to be good this

season.

In that regard, a 22-9 regular-season

record was somewhat disappointing. But the Gators easily

got into the NCAA Tournament for the third straight time and

received a No. 7 seed. They have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen

with dominating victories over 10th-seeded Virginia (71-45) and

15th-seeded Norfolk State (84-50). In the latter game they ran

off 25 straight points to take a 29-6 lead, then cruised.

The Gators (25-10) will take on third-seeded Marquette (27-7)

Thursday in Phoenix, with the winner to face the UofL-Michigan

State winner in Saturday’s Elite Eight.

Florida leads the country in three-pointers per game at 9.8

and is shooting 38.4 percent on treys, 28th in the country. They

are shooting 46.2 percent overall, 57th in the country.

The defensive stats aren’t so impressive. Opponents are

shooting 43.2 percent, 177th in the country, including 35.0

percent on treys, 209th in the country. They also rank just 190th

in blocks (3.2 per game) and 169th in steals (6.5 per game).

Most basketball fans around here know all about the Gators,

an SEC team coached by Billy Donovan that has won two

national titles (2006 and ’07). Donovan has a 27-9 record in

NCAA Tournament games, his .750 winning percentage ranking

third among active coaches.

The Cardinals and Gators have played four common

opponents. UofL beat Vanderbilt 62-60, while Florida split with

the Commodores, winning 73-65 at home and losing 77-67 at

Vandy. UofL beat Rutgers 78-66, while Florida lost to the host

Knights 85-83 in overtime. UofL lost twice to Syracuse, 52-51

at home and 58-49 at Syracuse, while Florida lost 72-68 at

Syracuse. UofL lost at Kentucky 69-62, while the Wildcats beat

Florida three times -- 78-58 at UK, 74-59 at Florida and 74-71 in

the SEC Tournament semifi nals in New Orleans.

GUARDSThe Gators start three guards, all three-point threats, plus a

frontline starter is an adroit bomber.

Kenny Boynton, a 6-2 junior, leads the team in scoring at 16.1

ppg and is second in assists at 2.54 a game. He also leads with

107 treys (3.09 a game, 10th in the country) and is shooting 41.5

percent from beyond the arc, 40.4 percent overall,

Bradley Beal, a 6-3 freshman, is averaging 14.6 ppg and a

team-leading 6.7 rpg. He also leads with 48 steals. He’s shooting

43.4 percent overall, 33.0 on treys with 58, and 81.6 percent on

free throws.

Erving Walker, a 5-8 senior, is averaging 12.1 ppg and is

shooting 39.9 percent overall, 36.7 percent on treys, with 66.

He also leads in assists at 4.57 a game and has an assist-to-

turnover ratio of 2.31-1, 35th in the country.

The top backcourt subs are 6-3 junior Mike Rosario (6.8 ppg,

34.4 percent on treys with 33), a transfer from Rutgers, and 6-2

sophomore Scottie Wilbekin (2.6 ppg, 44.0 percent on treys with

20).

The Gators can hurt you from outside.

BIG MENErik Murphy, a 6-10 junior, is averaging 10.3 ppg and 4.3 rpg

and shooting 49.2 percent overall, 43.1 percent on treys, with

56.

Patric Young, a 6-9 sophomore, is averaging 10.3 ppg and

6.4 rpg and is shooting 61.8 percent. He’s not attempted a trey.

The top frontcourt sub is 6-7 sophomore Will Yeguete (4.4

ppg, 6.3 rpg, 56.1 percent shooting, no treys), who has started

10 games. Another frontcourt sub is 6-6 sophomore Casey

Prather (2.0 ppg).

STARWith the fi ve starters all averaging in double fi gures, ranging

from 10.3 ppg to 16.1, any of them can star on a given night.

TEAM STRENGTHThree-point shooting.

TEAM WEAKNESSDefense.

HEAD COACHDonovan, who’s known as “Billy the Kid,” has been coaching

for 18 years, 16 of them at Florida. He has an overall record

of 420-177, 385-157 at Florida. He was an assistant to Rick

Pitino for fi ve years at Kentucky, was 35-20 in two seasons at

Marshall, then took over at Florida in 1996. He played for Pitino

at Providence, leading the Friars to the Final Four in 1987 as a

senior, then played one season in the NBA (Knicks).

ALL-TIME SERIESUofL and Florida have met eight times in a series that dates

to 1969, with the Cards holding a 7-1 advantage.

HEAD COACHHEAD COACHBILLY DONOVANBILLY DONOVAN

NO NAME POS YR EXP HT/WT HOMETOWN (SCHOOL)

3 MIKE ROSARIO G JR. TR 6-3/191 JERSEY CITY, NJ ()

4 PATRIC YOUNG C SO. 1V 6-9/247 JACKSONVILLE, FL (PROVIDENCE HS)

5 SCOTTIE WILBEKIN G SO. 1V 6-2/178 GAINESVILLE, FL (THE ROCK HS)

11 ERVING WALKER G SR. 3V 5-8/177 BROOKLYN, NY (CHRIST THE KING)

15 WILL YEGUETE F SO. 1V 6-7/222 MELBOURNE, FL (FLORIDA AIR ACADEMY)

23 BRAD BEAL G FR. HS 6-3/207 ST. LOUIS, MO (CHAMINADE PREP)

24 CASEY PRATHER SO. 1V 6-6/212 JACKSON, TN (NORTH SIDE HS)

33 ERIK MURPHY F JR. 2V 6-10/230 SOUTH KINGSTOWN, RI (ST. MARK’S)

34 CODY LARSON F FR. SQ 6-9/231 SIOUX FALLS, SD (ROOSEVELT HS)

35 WALTER PITCHFORD V F FR. HS 6-10/221 GRAND RAPIDS, MI (SUMMIT CHRISTIAN ACADEMY)

2011-12 FLORIDA BASKETBALL ROSTER

2011-12 SCHEDULEDATE OPPONENT TIME NOVEMBER Nov. 11, 2011 Jackson St. W, 99-59 Nov. 15, 2011 at Ohio State L, 81-74Nov. 17, 2011 NORTH FLORIDA W, 91-55 Nov. 21, 2011 Wright State W, 78-65 Nov. 25, 2011 Jacksonville W, 107-62 Nov. 28, 2011 Stetson W, 96-70 DECEMBER Dec. 2, 2011 at Syracuse L, 72-68 Dec. 7, 2011 Arizona W, 78-72 Dec. 9, 2011 Rider W, 90-69 Dec. 17, 2011 Texas A&M W, 84-64 Dec. 19, 2011 Mississippi Valley W, 82-54 Dec. 22, 2011 Florida State W, 82-64 Dec. 29, 2011 at Rutgers L, 85-83Dec. 31, 2011 Yale W, 90-70 JANUARY Jan. 3, 2012 UAB W, 79-61 Jan. 7, 2012 at Tennessee L, 67-56 Jan. 10, 2012 Georgia W, 70-48 Jan. 14, 2012 at South Carolina W, 79-65 Jan. 21, 2012 LSU W, 76-64 Jan. 26, 2012 at Ole Miss W, 64-60 Jan. 28, 2012 Miss. State W, 69-57 FEBRUARY Feb. 2, 2012 South Carolina W, 74-66 Feb. 4, 2012 Vanderbilt W, 73-65Feb. 7, 2012 at Kentucky L, 78-58Feb. 11, 2012 Tennessee L, 75-70 Feb. 14, 2012 at Alabama W, 61-52 Feb. 18, 2012 at Arkansas W, 98-68 Feb. 21, 2012 Auburn W, 63-47 Feb. 25, 2012 at Georgia L, 76-62Feb. 28, 2012 at Vanderbilt L, 77-67 MARCH Mar. 4, 2012 Kentucky L, 74-59SEC TournamentMar. 9, 2012 Alabama W, 66-63 Mar. 10, 2012 Kentucky L, 74-71NCAA TournamentMar. 16, 2012 Virginia W, 71-45 Mar. 18, 2012 Norfolk St. W, 84-50

Coach: Billy DonovanOverall Record: 420-177 (18th season)Florida Record: 385-157 (16th season)

DONOVAN HAS WON TWO NATIONAL TITLES

KENNY BOYNTONKENNY BOYNTON

FLOR

IDA

GATO

RS

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL


By Howie LindseyA dramatic late rally that included a 9-0

run by No. 2 seed Maryland (30-4) prevent-ed what would have been Louisville’s sec-ond upset of a top-fi ve team in the NCAA Tournament in consecutive years Monday night.

The No. 17 Cardinals (23-10) had a 64-59 lead with just over six minutes left, but the No. 5 Terrapins came roaring back, clos-ing the game with a 13-4 run for a 72-68 victory in a game that included more than its fair share of controversy.

“It was just a tremen-dous game,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. “It’s a shame that either team had to lose that game. Both teams really competed for 40 min-utes. There was a lot of adversity for us with foul trouble and a slow start. I thought our team did a

tremendous job hanging in there.”Said UofL coach Jeff Walz: “They came

up with some loose ball plays at the end of the game that were big, things that we knew we had to come up with if we were going to have a chance to be in this game. And they made those plays.”

A heated battle from the opening tip, the game included a fl agrant elbow by a Maryland player in the fi rst half, several knockdowns by both teams and a suspi-ciously awful call with 15 seconds left that could have changed the outcome of the game.

Maryland went on a 9-0 run to take a 68-64 lead with just over three minutes left. That run would keep the Terrapins in the lead for good, but not without Louis-ville making the home team sweat.

A pair of free throws by UofL senior guard Becky Burke cut the margin to two, but a Louisville turnover and a jumper by Maryland’s Tianna Hawkins made it 70-66.

A jumper in the lane by Asia Taylor cut the margin to two again with 1:36 left, and a shot-clock violation gave Louisville the ball back with 1:05 left. Shoni Schimmel was fouled on the perimeter, giving Louis-ville a chance to tie the score with under a minute left, but she bricked the front end of a one-and-one and Maryland grabbed the rebound.

A foul by Louisville freshman Bria Smith, her fi fth, put Maryland’s Laurin Mincy at the line with 34.1 seconds left. Mincy missed the fi rst but hit the second to put the Terrapins up by three.

Again Louisville had a chance to tie the score, but a three-point shot by Burke hit the back of the rim with 22 seconds left, and Maryland got the rebound and passed the ball ahead to Hawkins. She drove for a layup but seemed to fumble the ball on her way up, and Burke grabbed it and was fouled by Hawkins with 15.2 seconds left.

Here’s where the mystery comes in. At the end of a 30-second Maryland timeout, instead of putting Burke at the line for free throws, the referees signaled for Louisville to inbound the ball under Maryland’s goal. Offi cials said Hawkins’ foul was of the of-

fensive variety and merited only a change of possession. Louisville scrambled for an open look for a three-point shot on its last possession, but a trey by Burke was blocked with just over four seconds left. Hawkins nabbed the rebound and was fouled with 0.5 seconds left. She hit 1 of 2 for the fi nal 72-68 margin.

Schimmel fi nished with 22 points on 8-of-25 shooting (3 of 12 from three-point range). Shwanta Dyer added 17 points and Bria Smith had 12. Mincy led all scorers with 24.

CARDS GO 5-0 IN FIRST ROUNDWith a 67-55 win over No. 10 seed

Michigan State last Saturday in the fi rst round of the 2012 NCAA Women’s Bas-ketball Tournament, Louisville improved to 5-0 in their last fi ve fi rst-round games, 4-0 under Walz.

The Cardinals jumped on the Spartans early, getting their star, Lykendra Johnson, in early foul trouble. Johnson, a 6-foot-1 senior forward who was Michigan State’s second-leading scorer (10.8 ppg) and best rebounder (8.6 rpg), was whistled for her second foul with 15:37 to go in the fi rst half. With Johnson out, Louisville pushed the lead from 9-5 to 33-16 by the 5:00 mark of the fi rst haf.

“I thought they played a very hard game,” Walz said of the Spartans. “(Michi-gan State coach) Suzy (Merchant) had her kids ready to play. We’re fortunate enough

to get (Johnson) in some early foul trouble, which really took away a lot of what I think they wanted to do.”

Louisville led 39-23 at the half behind eight points apiece by Burke and Schimmel and seven by Dyer.

“Obviously, we are disappointed with the outcome,” Merchant said. “Certainly, I think we need to give Louisville a lot of credit. I thought they really rattled us in the fi rst half. We couldn’t get into an offensive play, and that put us into a little hole going into halftime.”

Louisville out-rebounded the bigger Michigan State squad 40-34, and the Car-dinals made just 12 turnovers, many of which were in the fi nal minutes with the game in hand.

“It was a hard-fought game,” Walz said. “I was really excited for our players. I thought we executed extremely well for 35 minutes of the game. I think with fi ve min-utes to go we had three or four turnovers at that point in time, which was a season low for us. It’s always nice to get a win in the fi rst round.”

Schimmel fi nished with just eight points, but she had six rebounds and six assists. She was a key to the win, according to Walz.

“I think (Shoni) was really important,” he said. “I thought Shoni played a very good game today. I thought she did a very good job on the defensive end of the fl oor. I thought she made some great passes out

there. She’s got a lot of responsibility. Theball is in her hands a lot, and there’s a lotof wear and tear on her. She came up withsome big shots for us. She hit a shot outof the timeout and had two or three greatpasses out of inbound plays. It takes a highbasketball IQ to be able to put the ball inthe right spots. She threw an unbelievablepass to Shawnta’ (Dyer) on the break.... Herscoring is the least of my worries, because Iknow what she can do.”

Said Schimmel: “It felt great for us to get out there and take advantage of whatwe could and continue to score, and that’swhat we did for the most part. We keptgoing at them, and it turned out good forus.”

Burke led all scorers with 14 points, fol-lowed Dyer with 13 and Taylor and Smithwith 10 apiece. Louisville outshot MichiganState 45.2 percent to 35.7 and held theSpartans to just 3 of 16 from beyond thearc.

DYER COMING UP BIGPrior to the 2010-11 season, the buzz

surrounding Dyer was that she - not Schim-mel, Sheronne Vails or Antonita Slaughter- was the freshman to watch for. Then shefractured her heel and missed all of thatseason.

This season, particularly in the past month, Dyer is beginning to show fl ashesof the player many believe she can become.She had 13 points and four rebounds in 20minutes against Michigan State and scored17 points with three rebounds againstMaryland.

AT HOME NEXT SEASONWhen the brackets were revealed earlier

this month, many in Louisville bemoanedthe fact that the Cardinals would have toplay a No. 2 seed on its home court for thesecond NCAA Tournament in a row.

Sure, last year’s draw worked out with Louisville upsetting No. 2 seed Xavier in thesecond round before falling to Gonzaga inthe Sweet 16, but still -- back-to-back yearson a top-5 team’s home court is tough.

CARDS HAD NO. 5 MARYLAND ON THE ROPES Sophomore star Shoni Schimmel helped

Louisville make the NCAA Tournament after losing Monique Reid and Tia Gibbs to injury and Cierra Warren, who quit. - photo by Chuck Feist

HOWIE LINDSEYHOWIE LINDSEY


2012 NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKET


LOUISVILLE SOFTBALL PHOTO GALLERY

Louisville softball has set a record for consecutive wins and best-ever start this season. - photo by Howie Lindsey

Catcher Taner Fowler is hitting .406 with fi ve doubles, a triple and fi ve home runs through Louisville’s fi rst 22 games. - photo by Howie Lindsey

Jordan Trimble is hitting .343 with 11 RBIs this season. - photo by Howie Lindsey

First baseman Alicja Wolny congratulated Katelyn Mann after she scored a run against Michigan. - photo by Howie Lindsey

Sophomore pitcher Chelsea Leonard is 5-0 this season with a 0.54 ERA. She is able to make the ball move on several of her

pitches. - photo by Howie Lindsey


SPRING SPORTS SCHEDULES

LACROSSEDATE OPPONENT / EVENT LOCATION TIME / RESULT 02/19/12 at Ohio State Columbus, Ohio L, 21-702/24/12 at Longwood Farmville, Va. W, 19-802/26/12 at Old Dominion Norfolk, Va. L, 14-1203/02/12 vs. DENVER UofL LACROSSE STADIUM Cancelled03/07/12 vs. NORTHWESTERN UofL LACROSSE STADIUM L, 16-703/10/12 vs. Presbyterian Cumming, Ga. W, 20-303/14/12 at Vanderbilt Nashville, Tenn. L, 14-1203/17/12 at Jacksonville Jacksonville, Fla. L, 20-1003/24/12 at Notre Dame # South Bend, Ind. 1:00 p.m. ET03/27/12 at Cincinnati # Cincinnati, Ohio 5:00 p.m. ET04/05/12 vs. LOYOLA (Md.) # UofL LACROSSE STADIUM 5:00 p.m. ET04/07/12 vs. GEORGETOWN # UofL LACROSSE STADIUM 12:00 p.m. ET04/13/12 at Rutgers # New Brunswick, N.J. 5:00 p.m. ET04/15/12 at Villanova # Philadelphia, Pa. 1:00 p.m. ET04/20/12 vs. SYRACUSE # UofL LACROSSE STADIUM 5:00 p.m. ET04/22/12 vs. CONNECTICUT # UofL LACROSSE STADIUM 1:00 p.m. ET05/03/12 BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP Syracuse, N.Y. TBD

SWIMMING AND DIVINGDATE OPPONENT / EVENT LOCATION TIME / RESULT 01/14/12 at Cincinnati # Cincinnati, Ohio M 2-0, W 2-001/28/12 at Indiana Bloomington, Ind. M 165.5-134.5, W 128-16502/03/12 vs. KENTUCKY Ralph Wright Natatorium M 188-107, W 183-10702/10-12/12 BIG EAST Diving Championship # Pittsburgh, Pa. M 4th, W 1st02/15-18/12 BIG EAST Swimming Championship # Pittsburgh, Pa. M 2nd, W 1st02/24-25/12 Championship Qualifying Meet Knoxville, Tenn. Not scored03/08-10/12 NCAA Diving Zones Auburn, Ala. ---03/09-11/12 Grand Prix - Columbus (LC) Columbus, Ohio Not scored03/15-17/12 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship, Auburn, Ala. Not scored03/22-24/12 NCAA Men’s National Championship Federal Way, Wash. All Day03/29-31/12 Grand Prix - Indianapolis Indianapolis, Ind. All Day05/03-06/12 Grand Prix - Charlotte Charlotte, N.C. All Day06/07-09/12 Mutual of Omaha Swimvitational Omaha, Neb. All Day06/25/12 US Olympic Trials

BASEBALLDATE OPPONENT / EVENT LOCATION TIME / RESULT Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge02/17/12 vs. Minnesota Clearwater, Fla. L, 7-102/18/12 vs. Illinois St. Petersburg, Fla. W, 4-302/19/12 vs. Michigan State St. Petersburg, Fla. W, 7-602/22/12 vs. EASTERN KENTUCKY JIM PATTERSON STADIUM W, 7-202/24/12 vs. OAKLAND UNIVERSITY JIM PATTERSON STADIUM W, 7-402/25/12 vs. OAKLAND UNIVERSITY JIM PATTERSON STADIUM W, 10-702/26/12 vs. OAKLAND UNIVERSITY JIM PATTERSON STADIUM W, 6-302/28/12 vs. EASTERN ILLINOIS JIM PATTERSON STADIUM L, 3-203/02/12 vs. PEPPERDINE JIM PATTERSON STADIUM postponed03/03/12 vs. PEPPERDINE JIM PATTERSON STADIUM L, 3-2, W, 3-103/04/12 vs. PEPPERDINE JIM PATTERSON STADIUM W, 7-303/06/12 vs. INDIANA JIM PATTERSON STADIUM W, 13-4Alabama Tournament03/09/12 vs. Oral Roberts Tuscaloosa, Ala. W, 7-303/10/12 at Alabama Tuscaloosa, Ala. L, 7-603/11/12 vs. East Carolina Tuscaloosa, Ala. L, 9-403/13/12 vs. OLE MISS JIM PATTERSON STADIUM W, 4-303/14/12 vs. OLE MISS JIM PATTERSON STADIUM L, 18-803/16/12 vs. BALL STATE JIM PATTERSON STADIUM W, 9-403/17/12 vs. BALL STATE JIM PATTERSON STADIUM W, 14-503/18/12 vs. BALL STATE JIM PATTERSON STADIUM W, 13-503/20/12 vs. OHIO STATE JIM PATTERSON STADIUM 6:00 PM ET03/23/12 vs. CINCINNATI # JIM PATTERSON STADIUM 6:00 PM ET03/24/12 vs. CINCINNATI # JIM PATTERSON STADIUM 1:00 PM ET03/25/12 vs. CINCINNATI # JIM PATTERSON STADIUM 1:00 PM ET03/27/12 at Purdue West Lafayette, Ind. 4:00 PM ET03/30/12 vs. VILLANOVA # JIM PATTERSON STADIUM 6:00 PM ET03/31/12 vs. VILLANOVA # JIM PATTERSON STADIUM 1:00 PM ET04/01/12 vs. VILLANOVA # JIM PATTERSON STADIUM 1:00 PM ET04/03/12 vs. WESTERN KENTUCKY JIM PATTERSON STADIUM 6:00 PM ET04/05/12 at Georgetown # Bethesda, Md. 3:00 PM ET04/06/12 at Georgetown # Bethesda, Md. 4:00 PM ET04/07/12 at Georgetown # Bethesda, Md. 12:00 PM ET04/10/12 at Kentucky Lexington, Ky. 6:30 PM ET04/13/12 vs. SETON HALL # JIM PATTERSON STADIUM 6:00 PM ET04/14/12 vs. SETON HALL # JIM PATTERSON STADIUM 1:00 PM ET04/15/12 vs. SETON HALL # JIM PATTERSON STADIUM 1:00 PM ET04/17/12 at Indiana Bloomington, Ind. 3:00 PM ET04/20/12 at USF # Tampa, Fla. 7:00 PM ET04/21/12 at USF # Tampa, Fla. 6:00 PM ET04/22/12 at USF # Tampa, Fla. 1:00 PM ET04/24/12 vs. KENTUCKY JIM PATTERSON STADIUM 6:00 PM ET04/27/12 vs. CONNECTICUT # JIM PATTERSON STADIUM 6:00 PM ET04/28/12 vs. CONNECTICUT # JIM PATTERSON STADIUM 1:00 PM ET04/29/12 vs. CONNECTICUT # JIM PATTERSON STADIUM 1:00 PM ET05/01/12 at Western Kentucky Bowling Green, Ky. 7:00 PM ET05/05/12 at West Virginia # Morgantown, W.Va. 2:00 PM ET at West Virginia # Morgantown, W.Va. 5:30 PM ET05/06/12 at West Virginia # Morgantown, W.Va. 1:00 PM ET05/08/12 at Vanderbilt Nashville, Tenn. 7:00 PM ET05/11/12 vs. ST. JOHN’S # JIM PATTERSON STADIUM 6:00 PM ET05/12/12 vs. ST. JOHN’S # JIM PATTERSON STADIUM 1:00 PM ET05/13/12 vs. ST. JOHN’S # JIM PATTERSON STADIUM 1:00 PM ET05/15/12 vs. MOREHEAD STATE JIM PATTERSON STADIUM 6:00 PM ET05/17/12 at Pittsburgh # Pittsburgh, Pa. 6:00 PM ET05/18/12 at Pittsburgh # Pittsburgh, Pa. 6:00 PM ET05/19/12 at Pittsburgh # Pittsburgh, Pa. 1:00 PM ET05/23-27/12 BIG EAST Championship Clearwater, Fla. TBA

SOFTBALLDATE OPPONENT / EVENT LOCATION TIME / RESULT Florida International University Tournament02/10/12 vs. Michigan State Miami, Fla. W, 4-1 vs. Illinois Miami, Fla. W, 8-302/11/12 vs. UAB Miami, Fla. W, 5-4 at Florida International Miami, Fla. W, 4-202/12/12 vs. Massachusetts Miami, Fla. W, 2-0East Carolina University Tournament02/17/12 vs. Virginia Greenville, N.C. W, 2-102/17/12 at East Carolina Greenville, N.C. W, 5-002/18/12 vs. UNC Greensboro Greenville, N.C. W, 5-402/18/12 vs. Hofstra Greenville, N.C. W, 7-6 02/24/12 vs. Creighton ULMER STADIUM W, 8-002/25/12 vs. Creighton (DH) ULMER STADIUM W, 7-0, W, 4-0Tennessee Classic03/02/12 vs. Middle Tennessee State Knoxville, Tenn. W, 10-103/03/12 vs. Memphis Knoxville, Tenn. W, 11-0 03/04/12 vs. Boston University Knoxville, Tenn. W, 2-0

Red and Black Tournament03/10/12 vs. Saint Louis ULMER STADIUM W, 9-0 vs. Michigan ULMER STADIUM W, 2-103/11/12 vs. Saint Louis ULMER STADIUM W, 9-003/12/12 vs. Illinois State ULMER STADIUM W, 8-2 vs. Illinois State ULMER STADIUM W, 8-003/14/12 vs. Western Kentucky Bowling Green, Ky. W, 6-0Sacramento State Capital Classic03/16/12 vs. Colorado State Sacramento, Calif. Cancelled vs. Princeton Sacramento, Calif. Cancelled03/17/12 vs. Akron Sacramento, Calif. W, 6-1 at Sacramento State Sacramento, Calif. Cancelled03/20/12 Ohio State ULMER STADIUM 5:00 p.m ET03/24/12 vs. Pittsburgh # ULMER STADIUM 12:00 p.m. ET vs. Pittsburgh # ULMER STADIUM 2:00 p.m. ET03/25/12 vs. Pittsburgh # ULMER STADIUM 12:00 p.m. ET03/28/12 vs. Kentucky Lexington, Ky. 5:30 p.m. ET03/31/12 vs. DePaul # Chicago, Ill. 1:00 p.m. ET vs. DePaul # Chicago, Ill. 3:00 p.m. ET04/01/12 vs. DePaul # Chicago, Ill. 12:00 p.m. ET04/04/12 vs. Kentucky ULMER STADIUM 6:00 p.m. ET04/06/12 vs. Rutgers # ULMER STADIUM 12:00 p.m. ET vs. Rutgers # ULMER STADIUM 2:00 p.m. ET04/07/12 vs. Rutgers # ULMER STADIUM 12:00 p.m. ET04/11/12 vs. Villanova # Villanova, Pa. 11:00 a.m. ET vs. Villanova # Villanova, Pa. 1:00 p.m. ET04/14/12 vs. Longwood ULMER STADIUM 12:00 p.m. ET vs. Longwood ULMER STADIUM 2:00 p.m. ET04/15/12 vs. Longwood ULMER STADIUM 12:00 p.m. ET04/18/12 vs. USF # ULMER STADIUM 2:00 p.m. ET vs. USF # ULMER STADIUM 4:00 p.m. ET04/21/12 vs. Seton Hall # South Orange, N.J. 12:00 p.m. ET vs. Seton Hall # South Orange, N.J. 2:00 p.m. ET04/22/12 vs. Seton Hall # South Orange, N.J. 12:00 p.m. ET04/25/12 vs. Indiana Bloomington, Ind. TBA04/28/12 at Georgetown # ULMER STADIUM 12:00 p.m. ET at Georgetown # ULMER STADIUM 2:00 p.m. ET04/29/12 at Georgetown # ULMER STADIUM 12:00 p.m. ET05/05/12 vs. St. John’s # Jamaica, N.Y. 12:00 p.m. ET vs. St. John’s # Jamaica, N.Y. 2:00 p.m. ET05/06/12 vs. St. John’s # Jamaica, N.Y. 12:00 p.m. ETBIG EAST Championship05/10-12/12 BIG EAST Championship South Bend, Ind. TBA


LOUISVILLE SOFTBALL

By Rick CushingThe University of Louisville softball team,

which rose two spots in the polls to No. 14/15 after a school-record 20-0 start to the season, faced a daunting challenge last week, with fi ve road games. That didn’t trip the Cards up, however, as they won 6-0 at Western Kentucky on Wednesday, then went 1-0 in a weekend tournament in Cali-fornia when rain washed out the other three scheduled games. They are now 22-0 and fi gure to rise in the polls again this week.

The Cards were scheduled to play Colo-rado State and Princeton on Friday and Ak-ron and host Sacramento State on Saturday in the Sacramento State Capital Classic. A steady rain washed out Friday’s action, and it returned to cancel Saturday’s second game with the Cards leading 4-3 in the middle of the fourth inning. Because the teams did not complete four innings, the game does not count.

COLLINS, LEONARD BAFFLE TOPPERSTori Collins (10-0) and Chelsea Leonard

combined to allow just three hits in notch-ing UofL’s 11th shutout of the season as the Cards beat host Western Kentucky 6-0.

Colllins gave up three hits and struck out three in four innings. Leonard did not allow a hit and fanned four in notching her sec-ond save of the season. Alicja Wolny , Kate-lyn Mann and Hannah Kiyohara each was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and a run.

“I was pleased with how we came out and scored four runs early and set a great tone for the game,” said coach Sandy Pearsall. “We knew they would be a tough opponent and would constantly put pres-sure on us, and we knew we would have to be aggressive.”

The Cards put up a four-spot in the top of the fi rst. Jennifer Esteban and senior Kristin Austin delivered back-to-back singles and Taner Fowler walked to load the bases for Wolny’s two-run single. Kiyohara’s two-out, two-run single made it 4-0.

UofL tacked on two more runs in the third when Jordan Trimble reached on a fi elder’s choice and moved to third on a double by Kiyohara. Both scored on a dou-ble by Mann.

The Hilltoppers (17-9) put runners in scoring position in the third and the seventh but could not bring them home in suffering their fi rst shutout of the season.

CARDS TOP AKRONCaralisa Connell (7-0) went the distance,

allowing one run and eight hits while strik-ing out seven, and Wolny was 2 for 3 with

her fourth home run of the season as the Cards beat Akron 6-1 Saturday.

Again the Cards broke on top, scoring twice in the fi rst inning. Esteban led off with a single and stole second. After an out, Fowler walked, and both scored when Wolny reached on a two-base error.

UofL tacked on two more runs in the third. Austin had an infi eld single and came home on Katie Keller’s triple. Fowler’s sacri-fi ce fl y brought Keller home to make it 4-0.

Wolny led off the bottom of the fi fth with a shot over the fence in right-center, and the Cards got another unearned run in the sixth. Austin and Keller led off with back-to-back singles, and an error allowed Austin to cross the plate.

The Zips (11-10) got on the scoreboard in the sixth on a double and single.

Esteban and Austin also had two hits

apiece, and sophomore Maggie Rucken-brod was 1 for 2 in her fi rst extended ap-pearance since suffering an injury on the opening weekend of the season. The Cards had 12 hits in all.

BUCKEYES, PANTHERS UP NEXTThe Cards will play host to Ohio State

Tuesday at 5 p.m. in a game recently added to the schedule. The Buckeyes were 12-8 heading into last weekend.

UofL then will entertain Big East foe Pitts-burgh for three games this weekend, a dou-bleheader on Saturday (noon and 2 p.m.) and a single game Sunday at noon.

TEAM STATS ARE OUTSTANDINGAs one would expect from a team with a

22-0 record, UofL’s stats are impressive. The Cards are hitting .351 with 22 home runs as a team, while the opposition is hitting .160 with just four home runs. The team ERA is

1.06, the foes 5.22.The individual batting leader continues to

be Austin at .479. She also leads in runs (24).Two others are hitting above .400 - Wolnyat .463 and Fowler at .406. Fowler leadswith fi ve home runs. Wolny has four. Fowlerand Keller are tied with 20 RBIs each.

Ruckenbrod is hitting .400 and has three home runs despite playing in just 15games.

Leonard (5-0, 0.52 ERA) has allowed just three earned runs and 16 hits in 40 innings,with 58 strikeouts.

Collins (10-0, 1.29 ERA) has allowed 12 earned runs and 42 hits in 65 1/3 innings,with 92 Ks. All four opponent home runshave been hit off her.

Connell (7-0, 1.40 ERA) has allowed eight earned runs and 25 hits in 40 innings,with 37 Ks.

CARDS KEEP ROLLING ALONG, NOW 22-0Senior Tori Collins has a 10-0 record and 1.29 ERA this season. - photo by Howie Lindsey


CARDINAL STARSKRISTIN AUSTIN - SOFTBALLThe senior outfi elder from Hartsburg, Mo., continues to lead Louisville at the plate. She is hitting a team-best .479 while starting all 22 games for the Cardinals. She is second on the team with 49 total bases and leads the team with 24 runs scored. She has three doubles, six triples and eight RBIs. Her .513 on-base percentage is strong, and she is 6 for 7 on stolen-base attempts.

GISSELLE KOHOYDA - WOMEN’S SWIMMINGThe sophomore from Midland, Mich., made school history at the 2012 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship Saturday night at James E. Martin Aquatic Center on the campus of Auburn University when she placed fourth in the 200-breast with a time of 2:07.87, making her the fi rst Cardinal woman to place in the top fi ve nationally. UofL as a team placed 24th, the highest fi nish in school history. The team title went to Cal-Berkely, which edged Georgia for the crown. USC was third. “These were great swims and a historic night for Cardinal swimming,” coach Arthur Albiero said. “I am very proud of the way our ladies competed here. Senior Fanny Lilliestrom fi nishes her UofL career with three lifetime-best swims. Freshman Tanja Kyllianen and sophomore Gisselle Kohoyda showed they are major competitors on the national level. This weekend is another step in the development of our program.”

CHELSEA LEONARD - SOFTBALLThe redshirt sophomore pitcher from Lexington, N.C. has opponents baffl ed. Her 0.52 ERA leads the team. She has 13 appearances and is 5-0 so far this season. Through 40 innings pitched, the crafty Leonard has given up just 16 hits and has 58 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting just .120 against her and have only two extra-base hits (both doubles).

ALBERT WAGNER - MEN’S TENNISThe freshman from Amberg, Germany, had a 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 victory over No. 89 Lucas Oliveira that clinched the match as No. 40 UofL defeated No 56 Virginia Tech 4-3 Saturday afternoon at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center. The victory extended the Cards’ home winning streak to six. “We’ve been playing these types of matches with Virginia Tech a long time,” coach Rex Ecarma said. “We’ve been battling with them since the early 90s, and almost all of the matches have been 4-3. It’s like history repeats itself, and it’s crazy with our rivalry.”

STEWART IJAMES - BASEBALLThe senior from Owensboro, Ky., had a home run to help Louisville beat Ball State 13-5 Sunday. With his team-leading seventh home run of the season, Ijames now has 40 career home runs and is tied with Phil Wunderlich for 10th on the Cardinals’ career list. Along with the seven home runs, Ijames leads the Cardinals with 25 RBIs and is hitting .329 this season.

NICK RATAJCZAK - BASEBALLThe junior from Joliet, Ill., had a fi rst-inning single on Sunday, extending his career-best hitting streak to 11 games. The transfer from Gulf Coast Community College is hitting .535 (23 for 43) with 14 runs and eight RBIs during his 11-game streak. He is hitting .416 for the season with 21 runs and nine RBIs. Ratajczak has reached base safely in all 20 Louisville games this season. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound second baseman was a two-time fi rst-team All-Panhandle Conference selection at Gulf Coast and was the 2011 Defensive Player of the Year.

KHADIJA ABDULLA - WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELDThe senior from Markham, Ill., led a 1-2-3 fi nish in the shot put at the USF Bulls Invitational last weekend. Abdullah won her season-opening competition with a toss of 16.21m/53-2 1/4. Amashi Kendall followed with a runner-up performance with a throw of 15.87m/52-1, and Chinwe Okoro took third with a mark of 15.02m/49-3 1/2. Each mark qualifi ed for the Big East Championships. Abdullah, the 2010 and 2011 Big East champion in the shot put, also fi nished second in the discus behind Okoro.

LEONARDLEONARD

RATAJCZAKRATAJCZAK

ABDULLAABDULLA

KOHOYDAKOHOYDA

AUSTINAUSTIN

IJAMESIJAMES

WAGNERWAGNER

HOWIE LINDSEY’SHOWIE LINDSEY’S

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LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT MARCH 22, 2012 L

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LOUISVILLE SPORTSREPORT’S CARDINAL KIDS

Trevor and Dylan prepared to cheer on the Cards at the Belk Bowl.

Grayson Zolecki, 4 months old, signaled “touchdown” for the Cardinals.

DO YOUKNOW A

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Robert Fritz submitted this picture of his Grandson, Logan Fritz, “on a fast break.”

Cardinal Kid Remi Ann Adams at the Notre Dame game.

Saylor Didio is two months old.

Cardinal Kid Rylee Trice Pennington is just three

months old.

March 21 issue: How Sweet It is!

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