In 9 days we play Long Beach State. Last night they beat #9 Pitt 86-76. And look at how they did it:

• They played basically 7 guys with 6 of them getting 18 minutes or more (4 of them averaged nearly 36 minutes each).
• Good shooting - as a team they shot nearly 60% from the field (59.3%) for the game
• Consistent shooting - EVERY ONE of these 6 guys shot better than 55% from the field.
• Balanced scoring - four of them scored in double digits
• Good passing - they had 24 assists on 32 field goals (75%)
  
• Good rebounding - they out rebounded Pitt by 1
• Good decision making - they had 2 fewer turnovers than Pitt (10 vs 12)
• Good defense - they had 1 more steal than Pitt (6 vs 5)

And talk about a schedule. Between now and Christmas they will have played not only #9 Pitt, but #8 Louisville, #12 Kansas, #1 North Carolina, and #13 Xavier - ALL on the road. Pretty sure I don't want to see them again in April.

Finally, rumor has it that they played the entire game without an injury, although, as a Louisville fan, I cannot confirm this as I have never seen a game where that has happened and personally consider it an urban myth.

GO CARDS - and be ready for these 49ers. They look to be the real deal.

PS - Peyton get well quick. We will definitely need you in this one.