Card Chronicle - Cards Seek Title In Loaded Battle 4 Atlantis TournamentDenny Crum's 6th Favorite Websitehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48327/cardchronicle_fave.png2012-11-26T16:03:42-05:00http://www.cardchronicle.com/rss/stream/34443952012-11-26T16:03:42-05:002012-11-26T16:03:42-05:00Battle 4 Atlantis Diary
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<figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p><i>Written by Card Chronicle Bahamas Correspondent, Derek Helderman</i></p>
<p><b>Day 1: </b></p>
<p>First off, if you've never been to Atlantis and you ever get the opportunity to go, do so. The place is everything it's said to be and more. There's a pretty stark contrast between what you see when landing in Nassau and what you see on Paradise Island, and it really puts in to perspective just how important following a bunch of 18-year old kids to the tropics because they can put a ball through a hoop actually is.</p>
<p>After a day of travel that started at the Louisville airport around 5 a.m. (flight was at 7:30 a.m.; I travel for business regularly and I'm still ridiculously anxious about being late for a flight), we finally made it to Nassau around 3:45 p.m.</p>
<p>After getting to our room, we grabbed a bite to eat and some local Bahamian beer then made our way back through the casino and into the main Atlantis ballroom. At around 6:30, a huge dinner meal for all the teams and coaches started in the main ballroom. We saw virtually all the coaches and players from all eight teams. I got to chat with Kareem Richardson, Wyking Jones and Kevin Keatts for a few minutes. All three were really nice and willing to say hello and talk for a few minutes. Anyway, the ballroom has a balcony right above it where a few hundred fans of all the teams were lined up watching. I won't bore you with a description of everything, but here's some highlights from the evening reception:</p>
<p>-Before the team went downstairs to eat, I got to snap a picture with Russ and say hello. We talked for just a second and he mentioned something about having to go eat 139 Cuban sandwiches just to show Jack Taylor and Grinnell College what Russdiculousness looks like. We then took the most Russ Smith picture ever.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1795669/bra4us.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Bra4us_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1795669/bra4us_medium.jpg"></a> <br id="1353961685316"></p>
<p>-All the Miss USA winners from the respective states of all eight teams were at the B4A. Based on what I saw, I'm setting the over/under on number of years it takes Tim Henderson to marry one of the pageant girls at 2.5. Young man has game.</p>
<p>-Logan Baumann made the trip. When I saw him, I just had to try to imagine what was going through his mind. Literally two onths ago the guy was an equipment manager and he's now a Louisville Cardinal eating prime rib next to the future Mr. Iowa at the Atlantis Paradise Island.</p>
<p>-Tubby was in the house, as was Saul. I tried to get a picture with them both so I could photobomb it by throwing a giant L up, but they got distracted by Ms. Minnesota. Also, Saul is creepy.</p>
<p>-Probably the funniest moment of the night was when Coach K and Coach Pitino ran into one another. Coach K looked to be on his way out when he saw Coach Pitino and his family and stopped to say hello. On his way over, Coach K grabbed the closest chair and acted like he was going to throw it at Coach Pitino. If you're not in tears, then chalk it up as one of those "just had to be there" things and trust me that it was really, really funny. It was neat to see a sort of personal side to two coaching legends. They chatted for a long time and I assume they were discussing zone press principles and Russ Smith's favorite ice cream flavor.</p>
<p>-Peyton is really a leader. I hate when people read into ridiculously minute situations involving athletes that have nothing to do with sports, but Peyton just stands out as a guy this team follows on and off the court. The entire time during the meal, he was up walking, shaking hands with opposing coaching staffs and introducing fellow Cards. Just a cool thing to see.</p>
<p>-Shaka Smart and Tubby are evidently besties. As the dinner was starting, they talked for about 30 minutes straight. Guessing they were discussing where they were going to apply next if Russ Smith breaks the 138 point record on their team.</p>
<p>-Joanne Pitino was wearing a giant wrap on one of her knees the entire night. Evidently not even Coach Pitino's wife is immune to the injury thing. Fire Pitino; marry Brad Stevens.</p>
<p><b>Day 2:</b></p>
<p>When I emailed Mike to ask if he'd like me to do a day-by-day recap of the trip, I was really unsure if I'd be able to tell you guys anything you didn't see on the broadcast of the games. By 1 p.m. on day two, I wasn't unsure anymore. I knew I'd have a few stories to tell.</p>
<p>After breakfast and exploring the Atlantis complex, we decided to stroll through the marina area. While admiring the insanely enormous yachts, we ended up striking up a conversation with a guy on the Mi Sueno, the second biggest yacht in the marina. Turns out the guy we were talking to was the owner, and he's also a minority owner of something you guys might be familiar with; a racehorse named Bodemeister.</p>
<p>We were talking to Mike Moreno, an oil and gas billionaire and horse farm owner who bought a minority stake in Bodemeister. In the course of our conversation, Mike asked me if I ever go to derby. After telling him I went to Breeder's Cup once (lay off me, I'm not a native Kentuckian...), he proceeds to tell me he owns Bodemeister. Wish I'd have asked for my $100 back that I lost after Bodemeister faded.</p>
<p>After a few minutes or so, Mike came down off the yacht and chatted for a bit about how much he loved the state (not the team) of Kentucky. We talked college basketball for a bit and he ended up inviting us on the yacht to shoot some hoops. The experience of playing basketball on the top deck of a $40 million 190 foot yacht the next is a little surreal.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1795753/b4aaa.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="B4aaa_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1795753/b4aaa_medium.jpg"></a> <br id="1353963448941"></p>
<p>After we stepped off the yacht and chatted for just a few minutes, we parted ways with the Moreno' and were just a little in shock. We decided to grab something to eat and hit up the nearest deli.</p>
<p>While we were tearing down two Reubens, the entire Cards team and coaching staff walked in and were seated right next to us. Ate lunch literally about 8 feet from Coach Pitino, who happens to be a beef barley soup and club sandwich kind of guy.</p>
<p>Not sure if you can see on television just how small the "arena" (which is a hotel ballroom) is, but I played high school basketball in quite a few gyms that seated more people. Place holds 2,000 people tops.</p>
<p>Won't give a play-by-play of the games, but here are some highlights:</p>
<p>-Part of the halftime entertainment of the Mizzou/Stanford game was a dancing, singing sea lion that sings Justin Bieber songs. That last sentence is absolutely, 100% true. I wish I was imaginative enough to make something like that up, but it actually happened. Russ was literally out on the court trying to get to the sea lion. I need a Russ/sea lion photo shop in my life...now.</p>
<p>- In news that everyone already knows, Duke fans are the worst.</p>
<p>-Seth Curry is really, really good. He's also a giant baby. Shot goes down and he's strutting. Rims out and he's limping.</p>
<p>-Ms. Kentucky USA is an attractive young lady. She's also a Cards fan.</p>
<p>-When Russ went all "And 1 Mix Tape" on us with the fake crossover/palming thing, I actually thought Coach Pitino might hurt him. Pitino was absolutely furious. He used about 45 continuous seconds of a TV timeout screaming at Russ.</p>
<p>-Pitino's wrath was unleashed on the entire coaching staff when he accidentally called the last timeout with about 4:20 left in the UNI game. After the timeout ended, he looked at the clock and realized he used his last timeout 20 seconds before the under 4 minute TV timeout, turned to Andree McGee and just went nuts. Looked like someone told him he had more than one TO. He went down the line of four assistants and gave spent about 30 seconds having a rather vocal conversation with each one.</p>
<p>-Cards were lucky to escape against Northern Iowa. By the end of the game, Northern Iowa's crowd (about 1/3 the size of U of L's) was much louder and rowdier than ours.</p>
<p><b>Day 3:</b></p>
<p>After ferrying to downtown Nassau and exploring the straw market for the customary Bahamian souvenirs and Cuban cigars, we got back to Paradise Island in time to grab lunch and head to the gym.</p>
<p>We had dinner at Bimini Road, a restaurant near the marina that houses my good friend Mike Moreno's (we go way back; like two days back) yacht. Ate dinner about 20 feet from Jeff Goodman. After trying this week to no avail to harass Jeff via Twitter about Mike's long awaited prize, I decided to let the man eat in peace. He was with his family so I cut him some slack. Thank your wife and daughter, Goodman; they saved you this time.</p>
<p>After suffering through the first two games, we watched Duke pull out a win over VCU. The Rams' fans really, really love Shaka Smart and I can't blame them. His kids just don't stop. They're very possibly an Elite Eight or better team. </p>
<p>After a really unimpressive, flat performance against UNI, the Cards came to play against Mizzou. I won't re-type a bunch of stuff you guys all saw on the broadcast, but it was evident that Kevin Ware was not kidding when he said the energy level would be considerably higher than the night before.</p>
<p>Notes from the game:</p>
<p>-I don't know if this is some kind of new tradition, but right as the team finishes warming up, they've started all lining up around the free throw lane. Someone stands under the basket and tosses Peyton Siva and alley oop and he lays the ball in. Whatever; if it helps him play like he did the last two nights, I'm down with it.</p>
<p>-Russ for All America.</p>
<p>-Luke finally got rolling and the crowd really got behind him. Luke looked noticeably relieved and there was a near constant "LUUUUKKKEEE" cheer coming from the Cards' section.</p>
<p>-While the game crowd was dispersing and walking back to their respective towers, about four "C-A-R-D-S" chants broke out. Cards fans brought some real energy and I can only assume left with a lighter wallet after the victory procession forced the crowd to walk directly through the casino and bar.</p>
<p><b>Day 4:</b></p>
<p>The crowd for the championship game was ridiculous. Because the seating was all assigned, you had opposing fans all sitting with one another in a majority of the arena for the whole tournament. Things never really got tense until the championship game.</p>
<p>VCU fans hate Duke, because, well, VCU fans have souls. There were a couple Rams fans who got their entire crowd cheering for U of L and the place was absolutely rocking. Cards fans really had a great showing and I hope it was evident on television.</p>
<p>We all know how the championship game turned out, so I'll just say this: I left the Bahamas really, really encouraged. We lost to a really good Duke team by a couple baskets without arguably our most important player and unquestionably our best big man. SVT and Zach Price showed they can be serviceable backups at the 5. Peyton and Russ proved against an elite team that they are one of the best 1-2 guard combos in the country. This team is very good, plays with more energy than anyone in America, they like each other, and they're only going to get better.</p>
<p>This Thanksgiving weekend, just like every other, was a great time to be a Louisville Cardinals basketball fan. I have a feeling we could be saying something similar the first weekend in April.</p>
<p>Go Cards!</p>
https://www.cardchronicle.com/2012/11/26/3694196/thanksgiving-weekend-in-the-bahamas-a-battle-4-atlantis-diaryMike Rutherford2012-11-24T02:02:50-05:002012-11-24T02:02:50-05:00Louisville Rolls Over No. 13 Missouri
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<figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Rick Pitino's Cardinals destroyed the 13th-ranked Tigers to set up a showdown with No. 5 Duke in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game on Saturday. </p> <p>It kind of feels like an NCAA Tournament win night, doesn't it?</p>
<p>The second-raked Cardinals of Louisville made their first real statement to the rest of the country by manhandling No. 13 Missouri 84-61 in a Battle 4 Atlantis semifinal showdown Friday night.</p>
<p>The relentless Cardinal defense forced Missouri into 22 turnovers, which led to 31 Louisville points. Preseason SEC Player of the Year Phil Pressey (who was very cocky during an early hot shooting stretch) was the main culprit, throwing the ball away a career-high eight times.</p>
<p>Tailgating is only a handful of hours away, so let's recap this fantastic night quick and dirty.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.cardchronicle.com/images/admin/LouisvilleCardinals3.gif" height="31" width="25" style="line-height: 15px;"> Russ Smith's stat line: 18 points, seven rebounds, six steals, four assists and three turnovers.</p>
<p>Peyton and Gorgui out with foul trouble?</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1316145/russigotthis.gif"><img src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1316145/russigotthis_medium.gif" class="photo" alt="Russigotthis_medium"></a></p>
<p>As of this posting I have received 27 screen caps/GIFs of this moment. You guys are the absolute best.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.cardchronicle.com/images/admin/LouisvilleCardinals3.gif" height="31" width="25" style="line-height: 15px;"> Raise your hand if you had Luke Hancock as tonight's leading scorer. The much maligned junior co-captain came off the bench to bury 5-of-7 treys and score a game-high 19 points. I'm not saying he read the "everything is short, follow through and use your legs" spiel on Card Chronicle, I'm just saying I deserve complete credit.</p>
<p>I'm sticking with "Lukelantis" as his nickname for the week. It's a "so bad it's good" situation.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.cardchronicle.com/images/admin/LouisvilleCardinals3.gif" height="31" width="25" style="line-height: 15px;"> The shooting exhibition put on by Hancock somewhat overshadowed what was one of Wayne Blackshear's most complete performance as a Cardinal to date. Every game he looks more confident is a giant step forward for Louisville's national title hopes.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.cardchronicle.com/images/admin/LouisvilleCardinals3.gif" height="31" width="25" style="line-height: 15px;"> Your full box score, by the way:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1786021/bosxcore_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="Bosxcore_medium"></p>
<p><img src="http://www.cardchronicle.com/images/admin/LouisvilleCardinals3.gif" height="31" width="25" style="line-height: 15px;"> Stephan Van Treese needs to be Gorgui Dieng's primary backup at the five for the rest of the season. I don't think it's a debatable issue anymore.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.cardchronicle.com/images/admin/LouisvilleCardinals3.gif" height="31" width="25" style="line-height: 15px;"> Peyton Siva took a lot of jawing from Flip Pressey in the game's first 25 minutes or so, and it looked like he finally said something near the end of the game. He deserved to after dropping 13 points and handing out six assists to just one turnover (a meaningless palming call in the game's final minute).</p>
<p>A solid statement for the ongoing "best point guard in the country" debate.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.cardchronicle.com/images/admin/LouisvilleCardinals3.gif" height="31" width="25" style="line-height: 15px;"> Here are the full postgame comments from Pitino, Hancock and Siva.</p>
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<p><img src="http://www.cardchronicle.com/images/admin/LouisvilleCardinals3.gif" height="31" width="25" style="line-height: 15px;"> He certainly didn't play the game of his life, but Gorgui Dieng gives as much effort as I've ever seen from a big man. The diving slap to keep a possession alive that ultimately ended with a Russ Smith three is the primary example.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.cardchronicle.com/images/admin/LouisvilleCardinals3.gif" height="31" width="25" style="line-height: 15px;"> Shoutout to the guy in the Teddy Jersey with the foam finger behind the U of L bench. Loved the intensity.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.cardchronicle.com/images/admin/LouisvilleCardinals3.gif" height="31" width="25" style="line-height: 15px;"> Equal shoutout to the way-too-excited Missouri fan even closer behind the U of L bench. Did not like the intensity.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.cardchronicle.com/images/admin/LouisvilleCardinals3.gif" height="31" width="25" style="line-height: 15px;"> This happened:</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1316151/600268_560498887297876_477861398_n.jpg"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1316151/600268_560498887297876_477861398_n_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="600268_560498887297876_477861398_n_medium"></p>
<p>And here's the <a target="_blank" href="http://gifsforum.com/images/gif/other/grand/645108a82153851e9b074e771655ec97.gif">undeniably adorable GIF</a>.</p>
<p>"What's wrong with your guards?" "One is Russidculous and the other one is normal." Early leader in the clubhouse for best Pitino exchange of the year. </p>
<p>Easiest time ever to be a Louisville fan.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.cardchronicle.com/images/admin/LouisvilleCardinals3.gif" height="31" width="25" style="line-height: 15px;"> A much, much better effort tonight from Chane, even though he only finished with four rebounds. He finished better around the rim and was more aggressive in situations where aggression was needed.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.cardchronicle.com/images/admin/LouisvilleCardinals3.gif" height="31" width="25" style="line-height: 15px;"> I'm fully willing to admit it: I couldn't love the pregame intros with the Jock Jams soundtrack and bowling alley strobe lights anymore.</p>
<p>Behind Chicken Knowles, this is the second best thing the Bahamas have given the world. Couldn't be happier we chose this over Maui.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.cardchronicle.com/images/admin/LouisvilleCardinals3.gif" height="31" width="25" style="line-height: 15px;"> As you probably could have guessed, the CC Bird Mask has been in the area and enjoying the scene.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1786061/birddddd_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="Birddddd_medium"></p>
<p><img src="http://www.cardchronicle.com/images/admin/LouisvilleCardinals3.gif" height="31" width="25" style="line-height: 15px;"> If you push up on Tim Henderson near the end of the first half, you <i>will </i>get crossed and your team <i>will </i>get scored on.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.cardchronicle.com/images/admin/LouisvilleCardinals3.gif" height="31" width="25" style="line-height: 15px;"> So tomorrow night it's Louisville vs. Duke for the first time since the 1986 national championship game, and Pitino vs. Coach K for the first time since the Laettner game and just the second time ever. Oh, and it's also the No. 2 team in the country vs. the No. 5 team in the country.</p>
<p>It doesn't get much better than this.</p>
<p>Actually, do you guys just want to go tailgate right now? I have Derby Pie and some good Derrick Caracter stories. See you there in 20.</p>
https://www.cardchronicle.com/2012/11/24/3684584/louisville-blasts-missouri-84-61-in-atlantis-semifinals-duke-up-nextMike Rutherford2012-11-23T20:35:25-05:002012-11-23T20:35:25-05:00Open Thread Louisville Vs. Missouri
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<p>No. 2 Louisville faces its first ranked opponent of the season in a Battle 4 Atlantis semifinal tilt against No. 13 Missouri.</p> <p>This night definitely has a sort of mini-March feel to it. Really excited.</p>
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<p> </p>
<p>GO CARDS. </p>
https://www.cardchronicle.com/2012/11/23/3683994/open-thread-louisville-vs-missouriMike Rutherford2012-11-23T19:05:42-05:002012-11-23T19:05:42-05:00Tim Fuller And Card Chronicle: A Brief History
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<p>FFFFFFFFUUUUUUULLLLLLLEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRR</p> <p>One of the most interesting aspects of tonight's game between Louisville and Missouri is the presence of Tigers assistant coach Tim Fuller, who spent the 2010-11 season at U of L. </p>
<p>I let out a "Fuller call" on Twitter late last night, and a handful of folks expressed their confusion and demanded an explanation. </p>
<p>Here's a timeline of how we got to this place. </p>
<p><b>June 27, 2010</b></p>
<p>Fuller is hired to replace Walter McCarty as assistant coach at Louisville. He had previously served as the director of basketball operations at Wake Forest. Known for his ties to Nike, Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo, Fuller is expected to greatly bolster U of L's recruiting efforts. </p>
<p><b>July, 2010</b></p>
<p>Louisville immediately begins popping up on the lists of top ten recruit after top ten recruit thanks primarily to the presence of Fuller. The term "Tim Fuller Effect" becomes a thing both on Card Chronicle and throughout the local sports media. </p>
<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1785557/fulllerr.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Fulllerr_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1785557/fulllerr_medium.jpg"></a> <br id="1353714537672"></p>
<p><b>2010-2011 </b></p>
<p>Louisville drastically overachieves to earn a four seed in the NCAA Tournament but is upset in the first round by Morehead State. That's ok because thanks in large part to Fuller their recruiting appears to be set. Elite recruits Rodney Purvis and Negus Webster-Chan have pledged their allegiance to the Cardinals, as has Wake Forest transfer Tony Woods. </p>
<p><b>April 13, 2011</b></p>
<p>News breaks that Fuller has accepted an assistant coaching position at Missouri. The Louisville staff is apparently very surprised and unhappy. Cardinal fans become very worried about the stability of their recruiting classes. Despite these concerns, all recruits reaffirm their commitments to U of L. </p>
<p><b>April 18, 2011</b></p>
<p>Tony Woods says he doesn't think he wants to be a Cardinal anymore. </p>
<p><b>April 19, 2011</b></p>
<p>Negus Webster-Chan says he is reopening his recruitment. </p>
<p><b>May 2, 2011</b></p>
<p>Rodney Purvis decommits. He later says he would have stayed committed to Louisville had Fuller not left. </p>
<p><b>May, 2011</b></p>
<p>We start blaming Tim Fuller for everything bad that happens with the overdramatic "Fuller Call" (FFFFFFFUUUULLLLLLEEEEERRRRRRR).</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1315865/fuller_medium.jpg"><img alt="Fuller_medium_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1315865/fuller_medium_medium.jpg"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1785573/fuller.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Fuller_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1785573/fuller_medium.jpg"></a> <br id="1353714941460"></p>
<p><b>June 20, 2011</b></p>
<p>Tim Fuller<a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&cad=rja&ved=0CE4QFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cardchronicle.com%2F2011%2F6%2F20%2F2233219%2Flcpt-final-four-john-calipari-vs-tim-fuller&ei=Kg2wUKjgFITs9ASNqIDIDg&usg=AFQjCNE2N4RjyhaA7fCAXj0A5AUiVAcTpg" target="_blank"> loses to John Calipari </a>in the semifinals of the 2010-11 CC Least Cool Person Tournament. </p>
<p><b>Oct. 7, 2011</b></p>
<p>Webster-Chan commits to Missouri. </p>
<p><b>2011-12</b></p>
<p>Fuller Call continues to be used fairly liberally during times of crisis. </p>
<p><b>March 16, 2012 </b></p>
<p>After a wildly successful season, Fuller and Missouri are stunned in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Norfolk State. We <a href="http://www.cardchronicle.com/2012/3/16/2878907/so-this-has-to-happen" target="_blank">handle it in a totally mature fashion</a>. </p>
<p><b>November 23, 2012</b></p>
<p>Fuller and the unbeaten Tigers are ranked 13th in the country and will face the equally unbeaten and second-ranked Cardinals of Louisville in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis. </p>
<p>Can't wait. </p>
https://www.cardchronicle.com/2012/11/23/3683664/tim-fuller-and-card-chronicle-a-brief-historyMike Rutherford2012-11-23T12:47:19-05:002012-11-23T12:47:19-05:00Ware Says Cards Will Be Better On Friday
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<figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>After being "chewed out" for being careless with the ball against Northern Iowa, U of L sophomore Kevin Ware vows the Cards will return to form Friday night against Missouri. </p> <p>Louisville gave its most uneven performance of the season in a Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinal victory over Northern Iowa Thursday night. </p>
<p>The game saw Louisville shoot just 30 percent from the field, turn the ball over 20 times, and nearly squander an 18-point second half lead. It's a performance sophomore guard Kevin Ware says U of L fans shouldn't get used to. </p>
<p>"I just truly feel like you won't see the same team that you saw tonight (against Missouri)," Ware <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fncaab%2F2012%2F11%2F23%2Flouisville-cardinals-northern-iowa-panthers%2F1721955%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cardchronicle.com%2F2012%2F11%2F23%2F3682570%2Fkevin-ware-says-louisville-will-be-better-against-missouri" target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">said</a>. "We had unnecessary turnovers. The way Coach chewed us out nobody is ever going to play as bad as we did (against UNI.) Definitely look forward to seeing the Louisville team you've been seeing. We'll be ready to play."</p>
<p>They better be, as No . 13 Missouri's up-and-down style of play thrives off of opponents committing silly turnovers. It's a situation the team says it's aware of. </p>
<p>"The 20 turnovers that we had were 20 turnovers that Louisville did. It wasn't 20 turnovers that Northern Iowa made us do," U of L freshman forward Montrezl Harrell said. "Missouri pressing us, we just have to be patient."</p>
<p>The Cards and Tigers tip it off in tonight's second semifinal at approximately 9:30 p.m. </p>
https://www.cardchronicle.com/2012/11/23/3682570/kevin-ware-says-louisville-will-be-better-against-missouriMike Rutherford2012-11-23T01:09:30-05:002012-11-23T01:09:30-05:00Cards Survive Scare In Atlantis Opener
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<figcaption>Andy Lyons</figcaption>
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<p>The Cards survive and advance on day one in the Bahamas. </p> <p>It's only fitting that Russ Smith's and-one basket in the final seconds secured Louisville's victory over Northern Iowa, as the the game filled with spurts of extreme good and extreme bad was essentially a microcosm of his Cardinal career to date.</p>
<p>Louisville was abysmal from the field for most of the first half, but utilized a solid late run to take a 26-20 lead into the break. The Cards came out of the locker room looking like the No. 2 team in the country, knocking down shots, scoring on the break, and building a seemingly insurmountable 40-22 advantage. They then became more complacent than your drunk uncle after Thanksgiving dinner, taking awful shots, giving up easy shots, and ultimately letting UNI cut the lead to one in the game's final minutes.</p>
<p>U of L appeared to have seized control with a 48-44 lead and just 42 seconds to play, but then Chance Behanan for some unknown reason decided to rake Northern Iowa's best free-throw shooter across the arm. Behanan nearly committed the same transgression on the other end (as did Gorgui Dieng...Ok, it should have been a foul on both of them), but thankfully a held ball call with 6.1 seconds paved the way for Smith's heroics.</p>
<p>I deem thee, "the jump call that saved Thanksgiving."</p>
<p><b>The Bad:</b></p>
<p>--This was probably the worst game Chane Behanan has played as a Louisville Cardinal. At least three of Northern Iowa's wide-open three-point attempts during their big run were his fault, he took outside shots that weren't even close, and he forced shots around the rim when he had easy kickout opportunities. And what in the world was he thinking with the one called foul and the one should have been called foul in the final minute? He simply has to be much, much better.</p>
<p>--Luke Hancock has not missed a jump shot this season that hasn't been short. If this wasn't the case, I'd be Ok with him not using his legs or following through. Since it <i>is </i>the case...might want to start using your legs and start following through. It's an easily correctable thing.</p>
<p>--"Bounce," the official Battle 4 Atlantis mascot.</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1314639/20121122_jla_aj6_137.0.jpg"><img src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1314639/20121122_jla_aj6_137.0_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="20121122_jla_aj6_137"></a></p>
<p>--Announcer's messed up just about every Cardinal's name ("Chain," "Gorgul," etc.), and the analyst said "score the ball" no less than 75 times.</p>
<p>--The offense without Russ Smith on the floor is so timid and out-of-sync it's scary.</p>
<p>--Peyton and Russ combined for 10 turnovers, the bulk of which were unforced.</p>
<p>--Kevin Ware needs to attack the rim when he gets into the lane instead of going for these awkward floaters. A lot of times it appears he has a pretty clear route to a lay-up (or at least a foul), but he chooses to contort his body and shift his momentum away from the basket. Use that freakish athleticism, my man.</p>
<p>--We had one double figure scorer.</p>
<p><b>The Good:</b></p>
<p>--Northern Iowa came into tonight ranked 13th in the country in points per game. Their 46 point total was more than 40 less than their previous average of 86.3.</p>
<p>--I'm pretty much good with anything Russ Smith does at this point. Even when he misses on a wild drive it seems like he draws so many people to him that it creates easy follow-up opportunities (the soft rebounds from his high-arcing shots help this too). Someone has got to make something happen in the halfcourt for Louisville, and so far he's the only player on the team who's shown that ability.</p>
<p>--He didn't shoot the ball very well, but Wayne Blackshear again played with great energy, and Louisville was a much, much better team when he was on the floor.</p>
<p>--Kevin Ware's rebound when he touched the basketball off the opponent's backboard was really cool.</p>
<p>--Russ mistakenly coming out early during the starting lineups was one of the best Russ Things of the year.</p>
<p>--Montrezl Harrell had eight rebounds in just 13 minutes. He and Russ were the only players stat sheet <a target="_blank" href="http://thevilledaily.com/louisville-basketball/game-recap/louisville-takes-down-northern-iowa-51-46">gave an A to</a> for their performance.</p>
<p>--Gorgui's hustle play that led to Chane's only field goal was awesome.</p>
<p>--We've now experienced a tight game in the final minute. Obviously we would have preferred for it not to happen the way it did, but it happened, and we won. It was a situation they were going to have to deal with for the first time at some point, and now that's out of the way.</p>
<p>--It's far better to be upset or angry about a win than depressed about a loss. I was frustrated for about five minutes after the game and then moved on to being really excited about tomorrow night.</p>
<p>Long live the jump ball call that saved Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>FFFFFFUUUUULLLLLLLEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR</p>
https://www.cardchronicle.com/2012/11/23/3681252/louisville-outlasts-northern-iowa-51-46-in-battle-4-atlantisMike Rutherford2012-11-22T20:52:09-05:002012-11-22T20:52:09-05:00Open Thread: Louisville Vs. Northern Iowa
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<p>The second-ranked Louisville Cardinals begin their quest for a Battle 4 Atlantis championship Thanksgiving night against 3-0 Northern Iowa.</p> <p>Beach Gorgui. That is all. </p>
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<p>GO CARDS.</p>
https://www.cardchronicle.com/2012/11/22/3680862/open-thread-louisville-vs-northern-iowaMike Rutherford2012-11-22T15:31:40-05:002012-11-22T15:31:40-05:00Missouri Awaits Louisville/Northern Iowa Winner
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<p>A win over Northern Iowa tonight means Louisville will get a shot at old pal Tim Fuller on Friday. </p>
<p>The No. 13 Missouri Tigers beat Stanford 78-70 in the first round the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in The Bahamas on Thursday. The Tigers built a double-digit first-half lead before surviving a second-half charge from the Cardinal.</p>
<p>Phil Pressey hit a 7-footer to give Mizzou a 28-16 lead with 6:59 to go in the first, and that would be the Tigers' biggest lead of the night. Stanford immediately went on a run to get the deficit down to three by halftime, and would take the lead at 38-37 early in the second half.</p>
<p>Missouri would respond, as Laurence Bowers hit a three to take the lead back on the next possession. The Cardinal would not lead the rest of the day as the Tigers had an answer for everything.</p>
<p>Bowers led Mizzou with 19 points on 9-14 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds. Pressey added 18 points, nine assists, and five rebounds.</p>
<p>Chasson Randle led all scorers with 22 points for the Cardinal on 7-14 from the field.</p>
<p>The Tigers move to 4-0 with the win, while Stanford drops to 3-2.</p>
<p><i><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2012/11/22/3680306/stanford-missouri-final-score-battle-atlantis" target="_blank">Via SB Nation</a></i></p>
https://www.cardchronicle.com/2012/11/22/3680362/missouri-tops-stanford-awaits-louisville-northern-iowa-winnerMike Rutherford