Haunting Moments vs. Michigan St.

by Quinn1979 on Apr 4, 2009 10:26 AM EDT Comment 11 comments

It's taken me awhile to get any motivation to post after last Sunday. But did anyone else notice some eery parallels during the Michigan St. game that reminded you of other bad memories as a UofL fan?

1. Center hitting 3s: As Suton was going 3-3 from long range in the first half, everyone surely had one word in mind: Pittsnogle.

2. Banked 3: Ahh...Kalin Lucas' banked 3 at a clutch moment when they're up 6. Brought back memories of Patrick Beinlein banking the 3 in from the Lobo logo.

3. Botched Fast Break: I really got the eery feeling when MSU thwarted UofL's 3 on 1 fast break after Samardo's big block. Not only did Michigan St. interrupt the play, but they actually saved the ball. A true dagger. Remember 2003 vs. Butler? Reece Gaines had been money all season and he stole with ball with Garcia (I believe) way ahead. Reece threw the ball over the one single Butler defender, but the guy jumped up and made a heck of a play to steal the ball.

4. T-Will Alley-oop: I've always been surprised that T-Will doesn't get more alley-oops called for him. Obviously, the alley-oop that sticks in my mind is the one vs. Texas A&M (a loss). Unfortunately, my first thought when they ran that play vs. MSU was that the last similar time they ran that play was a loss.

In my opinion, you can hear all you want about Michigan St. "controlling the tempo" or "doing a masterful job to shut down T-Will" or "really listening to the brilliant gameplan by their brilliant coach Tom Izzo." To me, though, the bottom line is that they hit their shots. Let's face it, two UofL opponents have hit 50% from 3 all season and they were both losses (ND and MSU). Bottom line: that was the difference.

1. Think about it, UofL was an inch away from grabbing the game by the throat in the first half which is usually the time they pull away. Suton hit a 3 with 1 second left on the shot clock with PK in his face. Say he misses that and one of his other 3s and UofL has a 9 point lead at some point in the first half, T-Will likely plays the last 4 minutes of the half and it's a totally different ballgame. As a point of reference, Suton had hit two 3s in an entire game only 3 times all season. Of course he hits three 3s in the first half against the #1 overall seed.

2. Lucas' banked 3 was, ahem, the dagger. There's no other way around it. There's a biiiiig difference between being up 6 and up 9.

3. To me, though, the BIGGEST shot in the entire game was Lucas' rainbow 3 after UofL had grabbed a 36-34 lead. That had been the exact point in recent games when UofL steps on the opponent's throat and builds a double digit lead. When we came back against Nova and Syracuse, those shots for the opponent simply didn't go in. I am quite convinced that if he misses that shot, UofL has the ball and the lead 36-34 and wins going away.

I'm not trying to take any credit away from MSU -- they hit they hit the shots and played well. I'm just trying to point out what a mammoth difference a bank 3 here and a desperation 3 by the Center there does impact a game.

I don't know what it is about the Big 10 either. You watch their games and the scores are 38-33 and 52-49 yet someone they always play UofL well. My tally shows Pitino at 3-6 vs. the Big 10 at UofL including 0 for the last 5. That's an amazing statistic.

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Great post...

….it is amazing the small ways the ball bouncing can impact the entire season. You are right about Syracuse and Nova and even Sienna missing those 3’s – it wasn’t all steals, it was the other team missing shots and us getting the rebound.

MSU scored on like 11 straight possessions. I wonder what the previous high was for a team against us this season. Maybe UConn at the end of the first half.

Don’t forget in the first half when Suton drives through the paint through three guys, we swat the ball away for the steal and he somehow kicks the ball to himself for an easy layup. They showed that one a few times on the JUMBO TV in the Lucas Oil center. It was like Woodson dropping the ball and then picking it up and throwing to Burton for a huge game. Except we at least won that game.

Couldn’t script a worse game for us. The center going 3-for-3 from 3, followed by them scoring on 11 (!) straight possessions including a banked 3 in the 2nd half.

by CardsFan922 on Apr 4, 2009 11:28 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It Is The Small Parts Of The Game Which Seem Not To Have Great Significance

Yet build together to reveal the entire swell of the game.
Yeah, nice post Quinn, and comment CardsFan.

I can’t help thinking that we should be playin’. AND it would be the Marquee game, the second game would have been UofL versus UCONN. Guaranteed high ratings.

OK, here we go. Can’t root for UCONN. Not in me. Hoping for MSU.
In less of a rooting interest I think Carolina will be way too much for Villanova. No 1985 repeat this time. No drugged up point guard to see them through.

Cold in the east.

by Roz on Apr 4, 2009 1:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Still sickened

Still feel like we blew it

Go Cards!

by Red Rage on Apr 4, 2009 3:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

State

Strange team. They don’t seem to be athletic but the more I watch them the more quickness and jumping ability I see. They don’t seem to be especially good shooters but they keep making big shots. The more I watch the better I see that they are. They aren’t going to be winners in a beauty contest but they are winners.

by cbcard on Apr 4, 2009 9:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I think we all knew it was over when the banked 3 went in

One of those shots that are described as “…you know things are going well when ____ happens”

by UL is my hot hot sex on Apr 5, 2009 2:07 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Revisionist look at MSU after UConn game: IZZO is an F-ing genius

and these no-name Michigan guys (9 of them on roster) play with heart and determination

unbounded.

I want them to win it all now

(God, can we ever have a KY -born team again fight for the crown for the Cards…)

by frankpos on Apr 5, 2009 8:54 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

negative

by UL is my hot hot sex on Apr 5, 2009 10:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm on Prozac

OK, not really, but I’m still so utterly depressed I can hardly come to this great blog. But I do. I force myself. We lost because of Goran Suton. He scored 17 of their 30 1st Half points. He scored 2 in the 2nd Half. If we’d found a way to shut him down much sooner, we win that game. Everything else is overthinking it. That’s my opinion.

by CardsFanTX on Apr 5, 2009 7:05 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Just now had the desire to post

After we lost to MSU (note the similiarity to Memphis State University), I was totally demoralized. The stuff that had made UL during the last part of the season was missing.

My assessment of the team was utterly blown out by this game. It’s like the ND game revisited, except T-Will was playing. But like the ND game he was not his normal self. Whether that was from overconfidence, injury, lack of focus, or Michiagn State defense, is not relevent to the fact that he was not playing like T-Will.

And what is it about opposing Center’s being able to suddenly shoot as if they are Guards. Pittsnogle was a known 3-point shooter, but last year Harangody wasn’t, and this year Suton wasn’t. It’s as if the Basketball gods are just toying with us.

Anyway, I glad that the Women’s team is playing up to UL standards. Making the Final; Four for the 1st time in UL history. You GO Girls!

I know, we made the Great 8. I know we lost to the team that beat the “Bad Ass Husky’s” and is playing for the National Championship. But I still feel as if we had the game and just let it slip away.

by JustCards on Apr 6, 2009 10:51 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I am not upset about our loss looking back....

we didn’t quit, we didn’t go cold, we didn’t give up – no, we were just beaten by a team that was better than us THAT night. Look, MSU beat UConn so give them credit for being a team good enough to be in the championship game. Watching the news last night, a Cardinal fan said “we were so disappointed in our men but the ladies came through for us”. That attitude is disgusting. NO fan should be disappointed in our men’s team. We had a great season and they came through for us all season long. In the end, they weren’t quite good enough to beat MSU who IS good enough to be playing for the crown tonight.

by Linda on Apr 6, 2009 11:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Tarheels Not Too Much For MSU

In the classic ’50’s Western, “Shane,” there is a famous scene in the little dusty town’s general store/saloon. The star of the movie, Allan Ladd (all 5’ 6" of him) plays the heroic role as a drifter and works as a farm hand and befriends a sheep herding family headed by Van Heflin (later played bombadier in 1972’s “Airport”). Anyway, Shane is in the general store picking out supplies with Heflin’s young son, played by the late Branden de Wilde. There is a lot of bad feelings and feudings bewteen the cattlemen and sheep herders. Real bad. So after picking up supplies for the farm, Shane walks into the attached tavern to buy a special treat, a bottle of sasparilla for the boy. Immediately he is razzed, scorned, ridiculed, and verbally shat upon by the presiding cattlemen who are nested in for their afternoon whiskey. Shane is taunted not only for his unmanly choice of beverage, but because he works for a sheepherder. Shane just takes it and takes it and it just keeps coming. By this time the boy has ducked into the barroom too, and is witnessing his hero’s humilliation. Finally, the most mild Shane (who is about to blow and reach for his six gun….he, of course, has a secret past) is about to blow and take them ALL on, when the boy whispers, “No, no Shane, no…there’s too many.”

The guys in blue have Danny Green, Thompson, Lawson, Sheriff Andy Taylor, Hansbrough, Opie, Ginyard, Davis, Barnie Fife. They’s got all these guys.

Most of us will be pulling for the Spartans.

No, the Tarheels are not too much for MSU, but there will be too many.

Carolina.

by Roz on Apr 6, 2009 1:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs