Cards Use The Beautiful Game To Dominate Huskies
by CardsFan922 on Feb 6, 2012 9:57 PM EST
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PrintSo, that happened. The weirdness that is the Louisville College Basketball Experience of the Early Teens continues. It didn't quite have the historical significance of the Syracuse/Freedom Hall/Kuric game, nor the Senior Night, capper-on-the-season feel of the Providence game last year, or even the "I can't believe we are beating these guys" feel of the last couple Pitt games, but wow, that was quite a game.
Eric Crawford tweeted Siva wearing the Best Undershirt Ever via a.yfrog.com
The score was 44-32 at the under-12 timeout. Then for the next 6 minutes, the Cardinals looked like a team playing their best possible game of basketball: dunks and steals and 3's and rebounds and dunks and omg Kyle Kuric just dunked all over you, bros. By the time Kevin Ware lobbed it up to Gorgui for an emphatic alley-oop at the 5:29 mark, the Cards led 67-38, the bench was jumping up and down, the crowd was loving it and UConn's players looked like they'd rather be shoveling snow on a cold Storrs morning than be on national television.
You know what it reminded me of most? Those NCAA tournament games (Stanford, Oklahoma, Arizona) where the other team's flaws play perfectly into our style, and things like Jared Swopshire getting an and-1 on and blocking Andre Drummond's shot and our coldest three point shooters (Swop, Siva and Chane) start draining them look completely normal and reasonable. And the other team just gives up.
You wonder why we can't play like that every game, then you remember that this is exactly what Pitino's entire philosophy is supposed to produce: soul crushing runs keyed by pressure defense, steals, extra passes, dunks and wide open 3s. It can work for small stretches in games to key comebacks and extend leads, and you appreciate it. But when it works like it did tonight (and in those NCAA blowouts and in some of the games last year) it really is beautiful to watch.
The next three games: @WVU, #2 Cuse at home, Depaul Day II. More weirdness lays ahead.
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This game was awesome
but it’s still a little tainted to me because UConn quit so hard. It’s kind of ruining my enjoyment of it. It was great to see us play amazing basketball though. .
I'm glad the Cards did not play with such sympathy for those losers; THEY quit, and that is for them to live with, not us.
We stuck that proverbial dagger in and then twisted it; and now is the time to mock them the way a Frenchman in a Monty Python movie mocked King Arthur. 
Well we farted in their general direction last night, that's for sure.
I’ve never seen a team of ther caliber so utterly destroyed. The game was over and they knew it; they were basically spectators.
"I am willing to donate to the charity that is working on the prevention of whatever the hell Dick Vitale has." - noobmaster
by rickmbari on Feb 7, 2012 7:28 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
.ksadklsajdlksajdlksajdksaldjsalkdjskal you know my soul
by GOCARDSATTITUDE on Feb 6, 2012 10:25 PM EST up reply actions
LOVE the Bird Wing socks Russ has
Might have to get some of those
by Chris Redman is my hero on Feb 6, 2012 10:27 PM EST up reply actions
I cannot wait for WVU. Might be the last time we play them in quite a long while.
"I'm going to Wichita. Far from this opera forever more."
by FluffyFluffyDoubleChunk on Feb 6, 2012 10:15 PM EST reply actions
"Better" might be an overstatement
since I have that same jacket.
by BostonCardFan on Feb 6, 2012 10:23 PM EST up reply actions
Great cheering, Nic!
I bleed red and black. I poop blue.
by neecebravo on Feb 6, 2012 10:35 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Yeah it was amazeballs
"You are not your job, you're not how much money you have in the bank. You are not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You are not your fucking khakis. You are all singing, all dancing crap of the world."
by rockchickpeg on Feb 6, 2012 10:36 PM EST up reply actions
Really LOUD!!
The crowd was fantastic. And the team deserved every decibel!
Ugh.
This team just doesn’t get it.
They play close the whole game then explode for a huge run to go up by 30…then they put the subs in and hang on to only win by 21? Did you see the stupid fouls they took down the stretch?
Pretty sad when your big men in Swop and Chane have to make the 3’s on this team. I mean, sure, Kyle and Chris poured them in too, but why do they have to depend on guys who aren’t sharpshooters to make the shots?
This team has a loooooong way to go. I’ve lost total faith in this coaching staff. Clearly they have no idea what they’re doing out there.
Fire Pitino, hire Brad Stevens.
by DerekFetters on Feb 6, 2012 10:21 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Pretty sure its sarcasm
at least, I hope it is
by Ellis from Compton on Feb 6, 2012 10:23 PM EST up reply actions
What an idiot
While our subs were in, Uconn still had their starters in? Also, we made 11 3’s tonight and Swop and Chane only had one a piece so I wouldn’t say we were “depending” on their baskets. And your comment about the coaching staff is just a little bit out there. Rick Pitino is one of the greatest coaches to coach the game. If something happens to Cal at UK (say he goes to the NBA) I guarantee that 99 out of 100 UK Fans would like to have Pitino back. I have nothing negative to say about tonight’s performance except Russ didn’t shoot enough (total Sarcasm)
Lots of people falling in the sar-chasm here
But for real, hire Brad Stevens. He seems like a cool dude. He’d probably take us out for beers if we asked him.
by DerekFetters on Feb 6, 2012 10:52 PM EST up reply actions
Stevens would get carded though`
and it would be …. AWKWARD!
by Remote Cardinal on Feb 7, 2012 1:22 PM EST up reply actions
Just got back home from the game and some celebration wine at Dundee Tavern
That was mindblowingly awesome…
Yes!
We could turn this into a campaign
by Chris Redman is my hero on Feb 6, 2012 10:26 PM EST up reply actions
Bad time to miss a game, sounds like fun
I’m googling like crazy looking for a way to see this on replay.
I think it's on ESPNU tonight
should also be on the 3 online
by Chris Redman is my hero on Feb 6, 2012 10:26 PM EST up reply actions
Now we're getting warm!
The Cards are finally getting healthy, and I loved the way that we poured it on. Coach P is getting the team ready for a deep run. L-Yes!
Don't want to burst bubbles, but we still need more depth on the bench for a "deep run" IMHO
Real Pitino-ball requires solid replacements at each position … we’re still only 7-deep. God lov’em for what they did today, but I think we really need SVT and WB to get out of the Sweet 16. Anyway, we all deserve to rejoice in the splendor of what we just saw! :)
Or Possibly Angel too?
Screw his rusty defense or turnovers. A 6 ft 7, long-armed kid that can step off the bench and stroke it like that (one with a defender in his grill) might be the kind of offensive threat you turn to versus a long team (like a UConn or Kentucky) in the tournament. That kid is going to be an absolute stud at Louisville. Could be a fan favorite too. He has that poise.
by FrankensteinsJacket on Feb 6, 2012 10:36 PM EST up reply actions
I second that
Before he banked the first three in, I told my dad “man this kid can shoot, I can’t wait to see him in the next couple years.” His response after the banked in 3? “That was all luck.” His response after the 24 footer in dude’s face? “Damn, that kid can shoot..” Go Cards
by Mcallis22 on Feb 6, 2012 10:47 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
We Needed a Treat Like This!!
The OP nailed it. When Rick’s style clicks and works like this, there’s nothing more entertaining in basketball. Not even close. It’s the reason I’ve been watching his teams for 20 seasons now, and why whatever team he coaches is my favorite team. The great comebacks are fun, the scoring runs in (just about every game) are fun, but when it’s a complete clinic (like the second half tonight), it’s basketball the way it was meant to be played – and a way no other coach I’ve ever seen be able to duplicate.
by FrankensteinsJacket on Feb 6, 2012 10:27 PM EST reply actions
There have not been a whole lot of games this year I've watched twice
Can’t wait to watch this one again.
by Ellis from Compton on Feb 6, 2012 10:27 PM EST reply actions
HDVillen is...
probably licking his or her chops. HOF video soon coming…
by FrankensteinsJacket on Feb 6, 2012 10:28 PM EST up reply actions
I think VillehHD's work is cut out for him this time
It’s gonna be hard to limit this to highlight-reel length. He’s gonna have to leave some out.
"I am willing to donate to the charity that is working on the prevention of whatever the hell Dick Vitale has." - noobmaster
Screw the short-cuts
If he made a full-length feature film about that game I’d watch it twice
by CardiacCards on Feb 7, 2012 8:41 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Sweetheart you can let go of the Shift key every once and awhile lol
by itsALLintheCARDS on Feb 6, 2012 11:14 PM EST up reply actions
In which case, she should hit shift MORE
by Chris Redman is my hero on Feb 7, 2012 9:05 AM EST up reply actions
unless she's on a Mac, in which case she should just take off the caps lock
because unlike Windows, on a Mac caps lock means caps lock.
"I am willing to donate to the charity that is working on the prevention of whatever the hell Dick Vitale has." - noobmaster
There was like a 3 minute blast when we nailed four 3's and slamma jammed 5 times !
I was sitting in the section with the players parents—including Siva’s dad—and it was crazy wild
Side Note: Russ' Injury & Dieng's Injury
Darn, that was scary when Russ went down…
…now we’ve dodged two bullets (hopefully) with Russ and Dieng shaking off injuries. A sign of the injury curse turning around? I’ll take it.
by FrankensteinsJacket on Feb 6, 2012 10:32 PM EST reply actions
Russ is the biggest drama queen
He got carried off like he’d been shot and was back five minutes later.
by DerekFetters on Feb 6, 2012 10:39 PM EST up reply actions
I don't know if you saw the replay...
but it was no joke. His foot was under his ankle. Same thing for Dieng. I think we’re getting a little pity from the injury gods…
Really? Didn't see a replay
I was in the stands. Thought he was selling it.
by DerekFetters on Feb 7, 2012 11:13 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, I Was Having PK Flashbacks
When Russ wasn’t putting any weight on it. Nice Paul Pierce imitation by Russ. Only thing missing was the wheelchair.
by FrankensteinsJacket on Feb 6, 2012 10:42 PM EST up reply actions
hahahahaha
He got me with it, too. I was standing there with my hands over my mouth.
I think the players are preconditioned to think they are done for the year anytime they tweak anything.
Either that, or Fred Hina has instructed them to lie motionless and no weight on the injury until a full eval is done.
by Remote Cardinal on Feb 7, 2012 1:25 PM EST up reply actions
That was fun!
Is it wrong that I actually felt bad for the UConn players? I mean they were just getting dominated! Bilas kept saying how the Cards were just playing with them now.
"It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up."
-Muhammad Ali
That was a fun game to watch.
I’m excited to see what happens in the coming weeks. We could still have something special here. There’s nothing like a 5-game winning streak directly following a 2-5 downward spiral to make you appreciate EVERY win, and when the 5th looks like this? Wow! Just wow! The feeling is amazing!
I’m pretty sure this was our highest RPI win yet, and our most convincing, plus, it was on ESPN UNO. Add to that the alley oops, the steals, the fast break throwdowns and you have to feel good about the future of this team. They appear to be more cohesive, on defense as well as on offense.
Here’s my two favorite moments of the game: The first was when Siva hit a three pretty soon after Chane did, and he and Chane walk up to each other smiling. I imagine they’re thinking, “We both hit a three!!!”
The second was on one sequence during the ginormous run where the ball movement was reficulously superb and the ball ends up in Gorgui’s hands for an easy but emphatic dunk. If he throws that down it’s a “What’s happening here Bob?” moment. He gets stuffed by the rim, but collects himself and dunks it the second time. I was left thinking, “Good ’ol Gorgui!”
by cardcorefan on Feb 6, 2012 11:06 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Awsome win!
I HAVE some HOPE. Looking for some NCAA sucess.
Freshest legs I’ve ever seen!
You're so humble,
Ghandi ain’t got SHIT on you.
by twistedenglish77 on Feb 7, 2012 12:33 AM EST up reply actions
I will give you credit for being open-minded
I usually don’t get replies either. I just chalk it up to not being funny.
by Chris Redman is my hero on Feb 7, 2012 9:06 AM EST up reply actions
Sorry I missed it.
Work sucks. Glad to see these guys are coming around and playing alot better.
by ville 606 on Feb 6, 2012 11:33 PM EST via mobile reply actions
UConn's little guard Boatright
It’s not very often that I witness someone who is likely quicker with the basketball than Peyton but I think we saw one tonight with this Boatright kid. I had tremendous seats with my friend at mid-court six rows from the floor and I’m generally not accustomed to having deal with fans from the opposing team right in my ear. I’m fortunate I found how when I did because at the time (1st half) I was on the verge of saying some very disrespectful things to the three gentlemen sitting directly behind me. They were his father (who didn’t look any older than I am (I’m 35) and his two cousins. They were going on and on with this bullshit about “welcome to the boat show”, “here comes the boat show”….I was really close at the end of the game to start singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat….but I classed it up and refrained. I was more comfortable fraternizing with them once we were comfortably in the lead. Everybody around us knew they were UConn fans from their performance in the first half and were just letting the insults fly with the “cheaters” comments and “how much did you get paid”. I knew that he had just come back from his second NCAA suspension and was asking his cousin who happened to be sitting next to his father about what happened. Suffice it to say I didn’t really get a straight answer…not like I wouldn’t come home and read about it on the web. At any rate his family ended up being pretty cool (what are they going to do right …we were crushing them by that point); they were very complimentary of our team and the arena but one of the more interesting things I got our of the entire conversation was about our beloved Fat Wayne. As it turns out Boatright is from Aurora (north of Chicago) and beat out Blackshear for Illinois player of the year. I wish I had known that before I went mouthing off about Blackshear beating out Anthony Davis for Chicago player of the year this past season but Boatright’s family didn’t hesitate to sing the praises of young Wayne and went on to say how good he was in high-school and how he had gone head-to-head with their son/cousin on several occasions. There has been a lot of talk on CC lately about if/when/how much FWB will help us especially since no one has really seen him play but coming from the parent of the kid who beat him out for best player of Illinois…the kid can really ball and score.
Here’s hoping we see Wayne out on the court by the Syracuse game — I believe we will. Oh …and Swop I take back everything bad I’ve ever said about you.
Go Cards…Sorry for the long post.
i thought
davis beat out FWB for the Chicago player of the year? I could be wrong tho but seems like i remember hearing some UK fans bragging about it
Spent the entire second half of that post waiting for the ")" (close parenthesis) after the "(who didn't look any older than I am (I'm 35)"
Tweaked out when it never came
My damn OCD-tendencies…
by CardiacCards on Feb 7, 2012 8:47 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
yea I should be ashamed
as guyngreen pointed out below…I actually am a programmer but wasn’t wearing the programmer hat at the time of the posting. Sorry about the lack of the closing parnen.
you are correct
after getting home at 11:30 I was a little jacked up from adrenaline and cocktails and wanted to get those thoughts down and didn’t think about the most appropriate place for them. At the time this was the most current story and the FanPost didn’t dawn on me. Next time.
Row Row Row your boat,
Back to crappy Storrs,
All the while this awesome win,
goes down in Cardinal lore.
by Remote Cardinal on Feb 7, 2012 1:29 PM EST up reply actions
Chris Smith
I don’t know how you quietly get 16 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists but Smith had a spectacular game to follow up his huge game against Rutgers. His outlet pass to Siva for the dunk was a perfect example of how when he’s in his comfort zone he can really make excellent decisions.
Oh, and Angel Nunez. That is all.
by collegeofcardinals on Feb 7, 2012 10:14 AM EST reply actions
Agree. And how about Kyle's 9 rebounds?
Seems like we had lots of guys doing lots of things they don’t usually do. Very good sign.
by Carolina Cardinal on Feb 7, 2012 10:42 AM EST up reply actions
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