Time to find out if the slipper still fits...Gus Johnson.

2. No. 5 Louisville blacks out No. 3 West Virginia (11/2/06)

HOW IT GOT HERE:

Defeated No. 15- 2007 Big East tourney victory over West Virginia (Stats unavailale)
Defeated No. 7- The miracle comeback against Tennessee (81%-18%)

When I'm 177-years-old and my mind is finally starting to go, I will still always remember that the '06 Louisville/West Virginia game was played on Nov. 2. It was a game that was talked about so much, from the moment the Big East schedule was released up until the opening kickoff, that the date should forever be etched into the memory of any Cardinal fan who experienced the Orange Bowl season.

With all due respect to the Final Four run the year before, this was the most alive the city was for a sporting event in the 2000s. You couldn't go anywhere without seeing someone in card wear or having someone tell you about their tailgating plans or their struggle to land tickets. There were "beat West Virginia" spots on both local television and radio. The game was THE sports story of the week at the national level, and every possible detail was scrutinized for the four work days leading up to it.

It was Louisville taking its biggest step yet towards a national championship...in football. It seemed at times that week like the city might burst.

In the biggest game of his Cardinal career, Brian Brohm tossed for 354 yards and a touchdown as Louisville took advantage of several Mountaineer mistakes to notch a 44-34 victory. The crowd, dressed in all black, stormed the field as U of L stood just four victories away from (probably) playing for the national championship.

Perhaps the biggest case for this being the game of the decade is that it seems to be the "where were you" moment brought up the most by Cardinal fans.

11. LOUISVILLE STOMPS PERENNIAL POWERHOUSE MIAMI AT PJCS (9/16/06)

HOW IT GOT HERE:

Defeated No. 6- Reece Gaines' bomb buries Marquette (73%-24%)
Defeated No. 3- The 2007 Orange Bowl (57%-42%)

The game wasn't competitive, but this was the moment Louisville football really captured the attention of the American public.

After the Cards had suffered a crushing three-point loss in Miami two years prior, this statement game was hyped all summer by Louisville fans and local media. The intensity was ratcheted up a notch when a war of words broke out between U of L linebacker Nate Harris (a UM transfer) and Hurricane quarterback Kyle Wright in the days leading up to the contest, and then set ablaze when players from The U elected to stomp on the Cardinal bird during pregame warm-ups.

After falling behind 7-0, Louisville ripped off 31 straight points to score one of the biggest victories in program history and establish themselves as a legitimate contender for the national championship.

"Well it was pretty obvious today we were embarrassed," Miami coach Larry Coker said after the game. "Our players are embarrassed. Our coaches are embarrassed. We thoroughly got whipped."

Everyone knows the details: Harris' fumble recovery, Brohm's injury, Cantwell's first pass, George Stripling's ridiculous speed and, of course, the Mario stiff-arm.

What an ass-kicking and what a day to be a Louisville football fan.

Vote or be forced to host DeMarcus Cousins for a formal dinner.

The decade's over...about nine weeks before this tournament is going to be, apparently.

Final Four. Let's do it. Come on. Here we go.

1. LOUISVILLE BEATS WEST VIRGINIA TO GO TO THE FINAL FOUR (3/6/05)

HOW IT GOT HERE:

Defeated No. 16- 2001 Liberty Bowl (94%-5%)
Defeated No. 9- '03 Bball win over UK (83%-16%)

After dismantling top seed Washington two days prior, it's safe to say that Louisville fans were confident heading into an Elite Eight matchup with seventh-seeded West Virginia. That confidence was shaken quickly as the Mountaineers quickly hit the Cardinals with a barrage of three-pointers and built a 20-point first half lead.

"I've never seen anything like it in my life," Rick Pitino said. "They were falling out of bounds, shooting from half-court and banking them in. You've got to give them all the credit in the world."

Pitino abandoned the zone defense in the second half and Louisville pressed, trapped and clawed its way back into the game.

With leading scorer Francisco Garcia on the bench with five fouls and Taquan Dean suffering from cramps, homegrown Larry O'Bannon took the game over. His driving lay-up with less than a minute to play ultimately sent the game into overtime where the Cardinals were able to hold off an exhausted Mountaineer squad.

The win secured Louisville's first trip to the Final Four since 1986 and made Pitino the only coach to ever lead three different programs to the national semifinals.

When Brandon Jenkins blocked J.D. Collins' shot and Taquan Dean started toward the other end of the floor with the clock ticking down in regulation, I'll always remember thinking in the back of my mind: "I've never felt a feeling like this in my chest...oh my god, am I dying?" It was an amazing, amazing day.

5. LOUISVILLE STUNS NO. 4 FLORIDA STATE (9/26/02)

HOW IT GOT HERE:

Defeated No. 12- Jerry Smith's buzzer-beater beats Marquette (72%-27%)
Defeated No. 4- 2005 C-USA title game (52%-47%)

The Louisville football program's first "signature win" had come more than a decade earlier via a thrashing of Alabama in the Fiesta Bowl, but this was the monumental victory that set the tone for U of L's rise to prominence over the next few years.

In a torrential downpour, the Cardinals - who had already dropped games to Kentucky and Colorado State after entering the year with their highest preseason ranking in history - forced the fourth-ranked and unbeaten Seminoles into overtime.

On the first play of overtime, FSU quarterback Chris Rix had his pass intercepted by U of L free safety Anthony Floyd. One play later, Louisville running back Henry Miller burst through the middle and waltzed into the endzone, inspiring the soldout crowd at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium to storm onto the field and tear down the goal posts.

"They were better than we were," said Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden. "Before the season, I was very concerned about this game because they were playing as good as anybody last season. We simply did not stop them."

Bowden also praised Cardinal quarterback Dave Ragone, who he said was "as good as any quarterback in the country."

"We fed off an unbelievable crowd in a torrential downpour," Ragone said afterward. "They started ripping down the goal posts, ripping off my helmet, ripping off everything."

The first spot in the title game and a life is at stake. Whose life? Vote or find out.

I'm alive. I promise. But I'm also insanely plagued by real life at the moment.

Here's something to chew on until the plague fades: the top nine CC commenters of '09 in terms of number of comments.

Congratulations, Card_G6. Your prize is my respect and the envy of every other person who reads this. And some Tic-Tacs.

One spot in the Final Four remains.

2. No. 5 Louisville blacks out No. 3 West Virginia (11/2/06)

HOW IT GOT HERE: Defeated No. 15- 2007 Big East tourney victory over West Virginia

When I'm 177-years-old and my mind is finally starting to go, I will still always remember that the '06 Louisville/West Virginia game was played on Nov. 2. It was a game that was talked about so much, from the moment the Big East schedule was released up until the opening kickoff, that the date should forever be etched into the memory of any Cardinal fan who experienced the Orange Bowl season.

With all due respect to the Final Four run the year before, this was the most alive the city was for a sporting event in the 2000s. You couldn't go anywhere without seeing someone in card wear or having someone tell you about their tailgating plans or their struggle to land tickets. There were "beat West Virginia" spots on both local television and radio. The game was THE sports story of the week at the national level, and every possible detail was scrutinized for the four work days leading up to it.

It was Louisville taking its biggest step yet towards a national championship...in football. It seemed at times that week like the city might burst.

In the biggest game of his Cardinal career, Brian Brohm tossed for 354 yards and a touchdown as Louisville took advantage of several Mountaineer mistakes to notch a 44-34 victory. The crowd, dressed in all black, stormed the field as U of L stood just four victories away from (probably) playing for the national championship.

Perhaps the biggest case for this being the game of the decade is that it seems to be the "where were you" moment brought up the most by Cardinal fans.

7. LOUISVILLE STUNS TENNESSEE IN THE FINAL MINUTE AT THE HALL (12/20/01)

HOW IT GOT HERE: Defeated No. 10- Sosa's dagger against UK in '09 (53%-46%)

Just about everyone I've talked to who attended this game claims it was the loudest they've every heard Freedom Hall. There are also countless stories of high-fives and hugs with nearby strangers.

Neither team would end up making the NCAA Tournament, but this game was special for a number of reasons.

1) It was Pitino's first year.

2) This team was sorely lacking in talent but was already overachieving and playing with more energy than the fans had seen in years.

3) The frustration of the final Crum years were still fresh in everybody's minds.

4) It very well could have been the most exciting finish of the decade...

So who claims the final spot in the semifinals?

Vote or 2010 will be the worst year of your life.

Apologies for the lack of activity around these parts over the mini-break. I was off on a magical Christmas adventure. I really don't want to get into it.

Anyway, here's a recap of the biggest stories from the past few days:

1. Basketball team continues to roll

The Cards started the holiday week by taking care of business against Louisiana-Lafayette and then ended it by blasting a Radford team that will probably win the Big South. Samardo Samuels played with more passion than he has at any other point in his Cardinal career, and completely got the better of the highly-touted Highlander center Art Parakhouski.

Things take just a slight step up in intensity this week as Louisville opens conference play on Wednesday against a 10-2 South Florida squad, and then on Saturday they play an in-state opponent.

2. Charlie Strong rules

A year ago we were battling mid-level MAC schools for junior college transfers and now we have a four-star recruit who has offers from just about every major program in the country saying he will de-commit from Georgia and sign with Louisville if Charlie Strong offers him a scholarship.

"I'm still committed to Georgia, but I'm going up to Louisville for a visit on January 8th," Butler said. "I really want to play for Coach Strong, so I'm thinking about going to Louisville."

Strong, of course, was recruiting Butler fairly hard while with UF, but that did not appeal to Butler and he committed to Georgia early last spring, April 18.

"Coach Strong, he's just a real person," Butler said. "He's a good coach, a good friend. He'll teach you right from wrong and get you right."

...

And when asked if he would decommit as soon as Louisville offered, Butler said, matter-of-factly, "Yes sir."

So we've got that goin' for us, which is nice.

Strong also added depth to the defensive line by adding a pair of transfers in Tyler Harrell (Iowa) and Randy Salmon (Hutchinson CC).

3. Wayne Blackshear commits

The most positive off-the-court piece of news for the Louisville basketball program in quite some time came on Christmas night when Morgan Park (Chicago) stud Wayne Blackshear committed to the Cards.

Pitino has recently stressed the importance of landing a versatile wing player for the future and now he has one in Blackshear, a 6-6, 210-pound scoring machine who's rated in the top 20 for his class by just about every recruiting service out there.

The 6-foot-6, 210-pound swingman is the fourth junior to commit to the Cardinals, giving them, perhaps, the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class for 2011. Blackshear, who already has a 42-point game, has paced youthful Morgan Park (Chicago) to a surprising 10-1 record this year.

Blackshear also had scholarship offers from powers such as North Carolina, Kentucky and Michigan State.

Former Chicago Sun-Times prep editor Taylor Bell says, "The most impressive thing about him is that he never takes a play off. He plays hard all the time. He’s the real deal. He’s right there with Jereme Richmond (the state’s No. 1 senior, from Waukegan) for Player of the Year."

Rick Bolus, director of High Potential Basketball Recruiting in Shepherdsville, Ky., calls Blackshear "big-time. He’s an athletic player who can literally do it all. He’s a coast-to-coast player."

The commitment would also seem to bolster Louisville's shot at landing Blackshear's good friend, Mike Shaw. Both told the Courier-Journal this summer that they would definitely be attending the same school, but when asked if that were still the case following Blackshear's commitment, Shaw, the 40th best player in the class of 2011 according to Scout.com, had this to say:

"I don't know. Right now I am just taking my time. Louisville is a good fit for Wayne, and he made a good decision."

Shaw might be waiting around to see what top-five recruit Marquis Teague, another friend of Blackshear's, ends up doing. Teague is the top target in the class for both Louisville and Kentucky.

4. Urban Meyer announcement makes everyone nervous

It's cool now, but admit it, you peed a little bit. If it would have happened I think we all would have known who to blame: Ron Cooper. See you thought I was going Kragthorpe, but then I reached deeper. Stay on your toes, people.

5. Brian Brohm starts at quarterback for the Bills

He did show some improved arm strength and made some decent throws, but his numbers - 17-of-29 for 146 yards with two picks - and the final score - Atlanta 31, Buffalo 3 - aren't going to have any Bills fans calling him the next Jim Kelly. T.O. apologized to him for not going after a deep ball, though. That was cool.

6. Hunter Cantwell activated by Carolina

I still think the man can hang around the league for several years.

Rookie quarterback Hunter Cantwell was elevated from the Carolina Panthers' practice squad to the active roster Thursday after Jake Delhomme was placed on injured reserve with a broken knuckle.

"He's a guy who has shown promise and (is) somebody worth developing," said coach John Fox. "I'm not sure we anticipated doing it at this point in the season, but that's kind of where we are."

Cantwell, who played in college at Louisville, is expected to be the No. 3 (emergency) quarterback in the final two games against the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints.

7. I didn't get a Preston Knowles jersey for Christmas

I love no one.

Check out the video interview of Edgar Sosa that Rick Bozich has on his blog. The blog post is about Sosa's three-point shooting, but the interview is mostly about how the team keeps in contact with past players. Also, George Goode in the background makes me laugh.

Bobby Knight on Kentucky and Calipari:

"We've gotten into this situation where integrity is really lacking and that's why I'm glad I'm not coaching. You see we've got a coach at Kentucky who put two schools on probation and he's still coaching. I really don't understand that."

Enjoy the 90,000 poorly-worded emails, coach.

I've heard multiple stories of how Samardo Samuels allows small problems that shouldn't be that big of a deal dominate his psyche for extended periods of time, and the following quote from this morning's story in the C-J certainly reinforces those stories.

"I was so mad like I didn't know what to do with myself — I started thinking this basketball stuff isn't for me," Samuels said. "It was bad. That was one of the lowest points I ever got to in my basketball career."

I think this is probably the biggest reason we've seen Pitino be so reluctant to leave Terrence Jennings in the game for long stretches of time. TJ can handle being on the bench, Samardo can't.

Because they play basketball at a major program, it's easy to forget that the players we talk about are also just college kids. Everyone who goes to college matures, and while the biggest jump in growth for most ususally comes at some point during their first year or early in their second, for others it's not until a little bit later.

Samardo's a kid who's trying to learn the game of basketball while under a tremendous amount of pressure. Growth will come, it just might take a little more time than some were expecting.

We now know who Louisville's second opponent will be for the 2010 football season. The Cards will host Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 11.

DeMarcus Smith was on 790 WKRD yesterday and stated that he had moved Oregon to No. 1 on his wish list before Steve Kragthorpe was fired and Charlie Strong was hired.

I. LOVE. THIS. MAN.

Major congratulations to Brock Bolen who was activated from the practice squad by the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier this week and actually started last night's game against the Colts at fullback.

Sports Illustrated is getting into the end of the decade spirit and has released its top ten college football upsets of the 2000's. Checking in at No. 6: Louisville's take down of Florida State in 2002.

Cardinal third baseman Phil Wunderlich has been named a preseason third team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

I'm old. I don't beat around the bush when it comes to post titles anymore.

There won't be a recap for the Charlotte game because there are a limited number of ways to say it sucked and I have no idea whether it was a fluke or indicative of the season that lies ahead.

Maybe we do win with Peyton, Preston and Jerry at 100%, but wasn't much of this team's strength supposed to be in its frontcourt? Weren't Samuels and Jennings supposed to be one of, if not the, top big men tandems in the Big East? To my knowledge those guys are both performing at full strength and Louisville was absolutely dominated in the paint by a team that starts three guards and a pair of forwards who stand 6-6 and 6-8, respectively. Still, the Cards were outrebounded 49-34 and 49er forward Chris Braswell, a freshman, dominated the game by snatching 14 rebounds, hitting 9-of-12 shots and finishing with 21 points.

There's no question that Samardo Samuels' start has been, to put it mildly, a disappointment, but what about Jennings? Does anyone think he improved significantly over the summer? You don't find your way into Rick Pitino's dog house by accident. I understand that his natural ability demands playing time and that it's possible that we're the best we can be when he's on the floor, but if he'd gone about things the way he should've during the offseason then this wouldn't be an issue.

Our big men need to do a lot of growing if we want to be comfortably away from the bubble by mid-February.

I think the most positive thing I heard about Saturday's game was that Preston Knowles was getting into people's faces during breaks in the action. Somebody has to.

INTERNET REPORT ALERT: I've received word that U of L is planning a large press conference for 4 p.m. tomorrow at the Brown & Williamson Club. Have not been able to confirm what it's for, so I'm not going to speculate, but I absolutely invite you to do so.

The first year in the NBA is hard for a lot of guys, but it appears Terrence Williams is having a particularly difficult time with the adjustment. He's already lost nearly as many games as he did in his college career, he's connected on just 14 of his last 44 shot attempts, he's seen his playing time slowly dwindle and now he's taking shots at his coaches and fans on Twitter.

@MMEIZINGER send me the story where I said I play like lebron,btw you look like nothing – 20 hours ago

Up early to the gym before practice to practice before practice, because NOW practice is my games. Welp that’s life – 10 hours ago

How would it be if Mr. Stern called my name 10 min earlier #9 or 5 min later #12 hmmmmmmmmm to bad I can’t live off what ifs – 10 hours ago

Don’t get me WRONG I thank GOD everyday for where I’am and I love it, hardest working when others aint watching an imma get MY game back – 10 hours ago

@jphoyt you’re beyond terrible so what’s the difference – 7 hours ago

Its funny u fake fans an fake coaches take what I say the wrong way, I love my team an team mates we are human an hate losing point blank – 7 hours ago

Losing's tough, especially for someone like T-Will.

He'll be fine and dropping new T-Willisms shortly.

In better news, T-Will will be holding an autograph session at 8 p.m. on Thursday at Angio's on Bardstown Rd.

He's also still fully capable of dunking the basketball.

ADMM has asked me to let everyone know that he's OK, but he refuses to give anyone his current location. Just let him be....just let him be.

Les Miles voted Cincinnati 8th in his final coaches' poll ballot. I guess he was just that impressed with Texas' clock-management. He also put two-loss Oregon one-spot ahead of an undefeated Boise State team which manhandled the Ducks a couple months ago.

Check out all the ridiculousness right here.

BOOM.

via www.hellinthehall.com

Cincinnati/Florida is the only BCS game I will watch. It's not because I'm trying to make a statement - although, I do think it's going to take a dramatic decrease in ticket sales and television ratings for anything to change - I just couldn't care less about any of the other games on the docket.

It's gotten to the point where I simply can't talk about college football's postseason anywhere near serenely. It's like debating the issue of two plus two equaling four.

Here's hoping the good guys figure out some things over the course of this work week, because Saturday's game against Western Carolina won't be a walk. The Catamounts are 8-1, own a victory over Duquesne and their only loss came at No. 2 Texas.

Don't let anyone ever tell you that a non-season-ending game is a "must win," but another Cardinal loss before the Kentucky game would bring about an onslaught of "is the Pitino scandal affecting Louisville" stories, which would just make everything that much harder on this group.

We all know about it taking a while for guys to fully grasp the Rick Pitino scheme and philosophy, but this team needs to win and needs to keep winning until Jan. 2.

What's amazing to me watching this year's Cards is how unathletic the squad looks. Saturday's game certainly appeared to be a Big East/C-USA matchup, only, you know.

The Cards aren't quick with the ball, they're not quick to the ball, they struggle to keep their guy in front of them when playing man and very few of them appear capable (or willing) of skying over people to impressively snatch a rebound. The bad news is there's no remedy for this.

I still think we have the potential to compete for a top four spot in the Big East and a decent seed in the Big Dance, we just have a lot farther to go than I thought we did a few months ago.

Do your thing, coach.

I love my dog, I love my country and I love the best Louisville game of the decade tournament.

1. LOUISVILLE BEATS WEST VIRGINIA TO GO TO THE FINAL FOUR (3/6/05)

HOW IT GOT HERE: Defeated No. 16- 2001 Liberty Bowl (94%-5%)

After dismantling top seed Washington two days prior, it's safe to say that Louisville fans were confident heading into an Elite Eight matchup with seventh-seeded West Virginia. That confidence was shaken quickly as the Mountaineers quickly hit the Cardinals with a barrage of three-pointers and built a 20-point first half lead.

"I've never seen anything like it in my life," Rick Pitino said. "They were falling out of bounds, shooting from half-court and banking them in. You've got to give them all the credit in the world."

Pitino abandoned the zone defense in the second half and Louisville pressed, trapped and clawed its way back into the game.

With leading scorer Francisco Garcia on the bench with five fouls and Taquan Dean suffering from cramps, homegrown Larry O'Bannon took the game over. His driving lay-up with less than a minute to play ultimately sent the game into overtime where the Cardinals were able to hold off an exhausted Mountaineer squad.

The win secured Louisville's first trip to the Final Four since 1986 and made Pitino the only coach to ever lead three different programs to the national semifinals.

When Brandon Jenkins blocked J.D. Collins' shot and Taquan Dean started toward the other end of the floor with the clock ticking down in regulation, I'll always remember thinking in the back of my mind: "I've never felt a feeling like this in my chest...oh my god, am I dying?" It was an amazing, amazing day.

9. LOUISVILLE UPSETS NO. 1 KENTUCKY IN LEXINGTON (12/27/03)

HOW IT GOT HERE: Defeated No. 8- 2004 Liberty Bowl (53%-46%)

In what Rick Pitino still refers to as the best win of his coaching career, the 20th-ranked Louisville Cardinals came into Rupp Arena and stunned No. 1 Kentucky 65-56, snapping the Wildcats' 27-game regular-season winning streak. UK hadn't been beaten outside of the postseason since an 18-point pummeling by the Cards the year before.

"Kentucky is a great basketball team that just happened to lose tonight," Pitino said after the game. "We were very fortunate to win. We had that special moment that happens once in a lifetime."

The surprising star of the game was reserve Otis George, who finished with 13 points and eight rebounds. Larry O'Bannon and Luke Whitehead each added 11 points while Francisco Garcia netted 10.

"This is just a great feeling," Whitehead said. "Coach Pitino already told us how much this game means to him. He said it meant a lot to us, him and the city and it just makes us so happy."

The Cards trailed by five at halftime but shot 54.2 percent from the field in the second half and knocked down 15-of-16 free-throw attempts. They also out rebounded the heavily-favored Wildcats 38-30.

Vote or you'll never have sex again.