On Second Thoughts

At first glance, this Final Four seems to be a weak one. Where none of the power house teams from the season made it there. Kansas, Kentucky, and Syracuse were the teams that dominated the regular season polls and pretty much made up the #1 spot for most of the year. But after Kentucky's Saturday loss, it was a gaurantee that none of them were going to win the championship or even make it to the Final Four for that matter. So my first reaction was this was bad for the sport, the team that wins the championship is not going to be one of the best teams from the year. But upon further review, the 4 teams that made up the last 4 standing actually do have legitimate arguments to be there. Michigan State, Duke, and West Virginia were all ranked in the top 5 at one point this season. West Virginia, Duke, and Butler for that matter won their respective conference tournament championships. Also, Butler has the nations longest win streak going, but I'm sure they are hoping to tack 2 more home victories on to that streak. None the less, this Final Four should turn out to be a great, the rest of the tournament was why would we expect anything less.

Thoughts for Thursday

After watching the NCAA games on Thursday night, there were a few things that really stuck out to me. All but one of the games were pretty competitive, other than one, which for the most part you would expect. Think in each game we learned a little bit more about the teams that won, but a little more about the teams that lost.
The clock the definitely struck 12, and struck 12 hard for the Cinderellas left in the tournament. The double digit seeds met their match last night. The Washington Huskies hung around for most of the first half with West Virginia, but even without their starting point guard, the 'neers were to much for them to handle and began to pull away in the second half. As for the other Cinderella, the people's (as chosen by ESPN) favorite, Cornell met their match last night. UK was too long, too fast, and too talented for The Big Red to even get a 3 point shot, much less make one. For the most part it looked like a good high school team trying to compete with a Division 1 college team.
As for the other side of the bracket, the games were much more evenly matched. As shown in the Kansas St. versus Xavier game that ended up in double overtime. Neither of these 2 teams wanted to lose and they both fought until the last horn sounded. It was, from an all around perspective, the best game thus far in the tournament. But the back court of the Wildcats proved to much to handle in the end. After seeing most of the teams play, I think of the teams left, K-State may be the only team that could compete with Kentucky. And I'm not for sure they even could.
As for the last game last night. I believe it was the most disappointing of all of the games. Especially for me, considering I had the Orange winning it all. Syracuse came out and just couldn't seem to hold on to the basketball. It looked like a greased pig. They were dropping rebounds, dribbling off their foot, and throwing the ball away. It was as ugly as they played all year. And Butler took advantage. They didn't even have to use their 3-point shooting as a weapon because of the turnovers. And I don't remember a team ever getting so many friendly rolls for a team in the last 2 minutes of a game than what Butler got at the end of that game.
But the Elite 8 is beginning to take form here, and after tonight we will learn the other 4 teams in. But judging from last night it may not matter who makes it because it sure seems like Kentucky is by far the team to beat right now, and everything (upsets) seems to be going their way. Is it lucky number 8 for the bluegrass?

Derby City Classic

The rosters for the annual Derby City Classic basketball game in Louisville, Ky have been announced today. The 19-man roster features 3 future Cards(Elisha Justice, Justin Coleman, and Russ Smith),1 future Wildcat(Stacey Poole Jr.) and a host other future NCAA stars that spans 7 conferences. Over the years this event has had it's share of big name players, DeJuan Wheat, Paul Pierce, Anthony Epps, and The Lopez Bros!, just to name a few, and with the local talent thrown right into the mix it makes to be a great and fun game to watch. In addition to the actual all star game, there is a Slam Dunk contest and a three point contest as well.

The game takes place on April 1oth at 7pm. Last year I was at the game and I watched Rakeem Buckles score 13 straight points to get the black team back into the game. Hopefully he can produce some of that nastiness on the court next year.

Kentucky lands Turkish bigman

Evan Daniels reported yesterday that Turkish bigman "Big Enes" Kanter has committed to the Cats. Kanter had previously committed to Washington before reopening his recruiting back in February. Good news for the Cats who will lose DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, and possibly Daniel Orton to the league this year.

How's Your Bracket Now?

Wow. What a weekend of college basketball. No doubt the discussions around the workplace today will begin with, "How's your bracket?" I must admit, I'm a UK fan and I have them winning it all, however, I never thought we would see Kansas exit BEFORE the sweet sixteen. And honestly, how many people have Cornell, Washington, AND Saint Mary's ALL making through the first weekend? I gotta say, even though I've got UK winning it all, my bracket is totally screwed. But, I can't worry about that now. The Cats are hot and there is plenty of good basketball yet to be played. Here's a rundown of the sweet sixteen matchups and my early predictions(for what it's worth):

9 Northern Iowa v. 5 Michigan St. - Hard to go against Izzo and the Spartans here but with Kalen Lucas banged up, I like the Panthers to keep the magic alive

6 Tennessee v. 2 Ohio St. - I hate Tennessee and Bruce Pearl. 'Nuff said.

1 Syracuse v. 5 Butler - Wesley Johnson is a machine and Butler doesn't have a player named John Connor to stop him

6 Xavier v. 2 Kansas St. - Hard not to root for the Muskateers, one for all and all for one!

1 Kentucky v. 12 Cornell - It's a good thing this game will be played on a basketball court and not in the classroom. Kentucky rolls.

11 Washington v. 2 West Virginia - It's all relative in West Virginia, and relatively speaking WVU is the better team

1 Duke v. 4 Purdue - Chris Kramer punches Kyle Singler in the face, unfortunately he's tossed and Duke moves on

3 Baylor v. 10 Saint Mary's - Baylor's too much, even for three Australians

8 Ways to Bust Your Bracket Pool

Its that time of year. What time is that you ask? The least productive time for most companies because for the next 3 weeks, on Thursdays & Fridays, most people will be keeping up more with their brackets than with any amount of work. And for next 2 days everyone is going to fill out their brackets for all the pools they are going to join. So, I put together a few things to consider when your filling out your brackets so you can rake in a few extra dollars.



1) The Midwest will produce your National Champion. Kansas is definitely the team to beat in this bracket that is stacked with 4 teams that could easily make a run. Michigan St., OSU, and Georgetown could all make a run to the championship game. But none of these teams have the mixture of experience, shooting, rebounding, and talent that Kansas has and they should be the favorite to be the last team standing in this bracket. Quick question, how does the #1 overall seed draw this bracket?



2) Louisville has a better chance at beating Duke than they do at beating Cal. I've never seen a team that plays more to their competition than this team. So, if this team does end up beating Cal I would almost consider them a lock to take down Duke.



3) Syracuse fans should already be booking their flights and hotels to Indy. Other than the fact this is the west bracket and they will have to travel an awful long way in the Sweet 16/Elite 8 rounds there doesn't seem to be any one in the bracket that could legitimately contest the Orange.



4) Teams to Watch (Upsets):
SDSU over UT, Georgia Tech over Ok. State, Minnesota over Xavier, Cornell over Temple, Mizzu over Clemson, Utah St over Texas A&M, St. Mary's over Richmond

5) Potential Glass Slippers:
Minnesota - Tubby seems to have his team playing his brand of basketball at the right time.
St. Mary's - Experienced gaurd play always helps out in the tourney.
Murray St. - 1 of only 3 teams to have won 30 games this year. The other 2 are #1 seeds.

6) Names you'll be hearing:
Wes Johnson - The best all around player out of the best conference.
Scottie Reynolds - Villanova will only go as far as he will take them. Which I think is a long way.
Evan Turner - He will prove why he was the player of the year.

7) This will be the year that Huggy Bear will break through. Bob Huggins has always been considered a really good coach. But when it comes to the big dance he always seemed to leave before the clock struck 12. This is the year that he will make a deep run and finally have a chance to be considered with some of the best.

8) Teams you better have as the last one standing:
Kansas, Syracuse, or UK

Disclaimer: Widespread Sports is not responsible for any losses rendered from bracket pools.

Tiger to return at The Masters

The man known worldwide as Tiger Woods will finally step out of his own shadow and return to the world of golf in Augusta this April. It's been nearly 4 months since anyone has seen Tiger play let alone see him at all, except for his press conference a couple of weeks ago(where he eerily seemed like a robot) he has been confined in "clinics" working on his family and personal issues since early December. A return to the golf course is no doubt what he needs to find an outlet and to try and get back to being the man that everyone knew and loved throughout the last 13 years of his career.

It's been 6 months since Tiger has played on the PGA Tour, the second longest lay off of his career after recovering from his knee surgery. Will he be the same Tiger?, probably not, but the mere fact that he will be out on the green is enough to justify that he is and will be back stronger than ever. Many are predicting already that he won't win the Masters, but what if he does? Would that be the greatest victory in his legendary career? To come back to his game after everything that has happened to him and his family, to his private and his public persona. To be victorious in Augusta would be the ultimate medicine for a man ailing to get things back to what they used to be. Welcome back Tiger, we've been hoping and now we can't wait.

65 Are Set And Ready To Roll

      As Sunday evening approached and the anticipation grew, you could feel the madness in the air. Who will be dubbed the #1 seeds? who's in and who's out? where will my team be placed? It's one of the few times during the year that feels like Christmas Eve, between the hours of the last conference championship game and the selection show, and Christmas morning when it's time to unveil the teams.

      Now that the brackets are out, everyone should just move forward. We need not talk and debate weather the Mississippi States, Illinois and Virginia Tech should be in. Do I think VT should have made it in over Clemson? Absolutely. But that has no relevance now, and none of these team will have a chance to play for the title so it really doesn't matter. I apologize, I've already spent too much time talking about that topic....moving on.

      There are some very interesting match ups that are already set in place, and that we're hoping to see down the line if things play out in the way they are supposed to. The first one that jumps out at me is Cornell & Temple. Cornell is under-seeded if you ask me and I think that is going to be a great game. Also watching Siena take on a Robby Hummel-less Purdue team should be interesting also. Purdie has been struggling since he has been out. Can JaJuan Johnson carry the load or will they fall because 1/2 of their dynamic duo is out? Also looking toward the future, if things play out Kentucky & West Virginia should be a great game with explosive offensive scorers like John Wall, Demarcus Cousins and Da'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks. Also when looking ahead I would love to see Evan Turner and the Buckeyes take on Austin Freeman and Georgetown in the sweet 16.

      Cinderella teams as we all know make up great tournament play. Here are my top few Cinderella teams to watch out for (10-16 seeds) The Murray State Racers (13) who take on Vandy in the first round and who could possibly upset either Butler and or UTEP in a trip to the sweet 16. Cornell (12) starts out with a tough game against Temple but with a bunch of white guys who can shoot the lights out they could easily get out of the first round and then beat, Wisconsin and even give Kentucky a run for their money as Miami OH did early in the Wildcats season.

      Some teams that could make some noise that are considered middle of the road teams (5-9) would be Texas A&M who finished their season strong in the top 25, winning 9 of their last 12 games, and out of the games they lost 2 of those losses were to #1 overall seed Kansas and Baylor. Marquette and Notre Dame are two other you should keep an eye on. Two teams from the Big East who has made some noise as on late and has good momentum going into the big dance.

      Finally, some top seeds that may fall early....you have to look at Syracuse not having Arinze Onuaku  in their starting line up. Also a very young Kentucky team in a tough, tough region also might bite it early. Kansas State who I think could make a Final Four run could have some trouble with BYU in the 2nd round.

      I could be wrong about all these teams, but thats the great things about basketball in March. Nobody knows whats going to happen, and we all can't wait for Thursday to come and for tournament basketball to get rolling.

Dream Game Rematch?

      Here we go folks, were heading into one of the most exciting days of the year. Selection Sunday. It's full of conference championship games, then the anticipation leading up to the selection show. Here in the bluegrass state we already know Kentucky and Big Blue Nation will be receiving a #1 seed. However when Louisville lost in their first game in the Big East tournament, fans in the Ville were wondering where they may land in the big dance. Fans were hoping if Louisville made a deep run they may be able to squeeze themselves into a 6 or 7 seed. Now with the loss where will they wind up? The 8-9 game? The 7-10 game as the 10 seed? or even worse?

      Let's just imagine for a moment that Louisville does grab a 8 or 9 seed. At one point Joe Lunardi had Louisville and Kentucky in the same region matched up with those seeds. That would mean if Louisville and Kentucky both advanced in their first round games they would meet again in the 2nd round. How great would that be for basketball in Kentucky? Now maybe some Louisville fans wouldn't enjoy playing Kentucky in the tournament after what happened early this year. But would it be safe to say that Kentucky fans wouldn't want to play Louisville either? The Cards would be looking for revenge after a wild game in Lexington this past January. I think you would see different opinions on both sides on the fence in this rivalry. Some wanting to avoid it at all costs, and some relishing the thought of the in state rivals playing each other in the tournament.

      If you are a true basketball fan in the state of Kentucky you should want to see this game. The two teams haven't met in the tournament since 1983 in the first "Dream Game" this would truly be another dream game for basketball fans in Lexington and Louisville. Since the last game between these 2 programs was such a heated contest, I think players, fans and even Coach Cal and Coach Pitino wouldn't mind locking up again. Even though the teams would be pretty far apart between seeds. Anyone could imagine the game being much closer then the seeds would indicate. We'll just have to wait and see....

Check out the selection show Sunday Night on CBS @ 7pm....Also for your enjoyment, here is a clip of the build up between Louisville and Kentucky's first "Dream Game"

Smith out of Tournament

According to Louisville Basketball coach Rick Pitino, his starting senior shooting guard and towel wielding maniac Jerry Smith will miss the duration of The Big East tournament due to a severely sprained thumb. "It's all swollen and black and blue", says Pitino about Smith's thumb. The team doctor said it could be two days or two weeks for Jerry to recover from his injury. Everyone is hoping to get him back before the NCAA's but only time and rest will tell the tale.

Smith has started 29 out of 30 games this year and has been THE ultimate cheerleader when on the bench, jumping up and down and swinging towels with no regard for human life. Peyton Siva and Edgar Sosa will finally get a chance to play on the court together for the first time all season while Saturday's hero/legend Kyle Kuric will definitely be in the mix as well. Louisville starts off their postseason tonight at 9pm against The Cincinnati Bearcats on ESPN.

Hey, I Know You

So here we are, Championship week and the second round of The Big East Tournament. Pretty much everything has gone according to plan so far except for St. John's destruction on UCONN( who saw that coming?). All the second round matches have been set, Marquette vs. St. John's, eh. Notre Dame vs. Seton Hall, probably gonna be good, and then we've got Louisville vs. Cincinnati. Stop me if you've seen this before, The Cardinals and Bearcats, both in the same conference, both in the postseason tournament, both have something to prove. Louisville must come up big and prove that Saturday's win over Syracuse wasn't a fluke and Cincy has to make a case for the committee to get into the tournament, which won't happen unless they win the whole thing and that is unlikely, but nevertheless, tomorrow's game is a BIG game in a BIG time rivalry and I'm guessing it will be a fight til the end.

Their first meeting was in 1921 and they've been at each other's throat ever since. From the Missouri Valley Conference in the 1960's through the Metro Conference, Conference USA and now the Big East, it seems these two teams are destined to be with each other. Louisville holds the edge in the all time battle 52-39 and looks to keep their winning ways going Wednesday night in Madison Square Garden. Big East Tournament with NCAA implications, historic rivalry,ESPN, what's not to like.

Turning Off The Hall Lights

      The University of Louisville's Basketball team made sure that Freedom Hall would close it's doors in the most positive manor possible. The Cards Surprised a lot of people when they beat Syracuse, the #1 team in the country on Saturday. Senior Jerry Smith started the game out with a hot hand scoring the first 8 points for the cardinals. He injured his hand and didn't play a single minute during the 2nd half, which opened up extra minutes for Louisville bench players. One being Mr. Kyle Kuric, who scored 22 points and hit four 3 pointers to help stretch the Cardinals lead. The Cards did what they had to do and won the most important game this season, if not Freedom Hall history.

      Not only did this help clinch a NCAA tournament birth for the Cardinals this season. It helped close out a legendary tradition in the city of Louisville. It helped solidify the magic of The Hall, it added another great memory to those that already exist. Weather it was "The Comeback" against Tennessee when Rece Gains and Bryant Northern hit three 3's in the last 30 seconds to win the game after being down six or weather it was "The Dagger" when Edgar Sosa hit the last second game winner to beat Kentucky in 2009. This game can be put right up next to all of those. Where they all rank I have no idea, but they're all just a treasure box in my mind that I can sort through from time to time and thanks to You Tube....it's a bit easier....enjoy Cards Fans

One More Brawl in the Hall

     SAYING GOODBYE TO THE HALL

Find Me a Fourth

With Selection Sunday just right over hills and many out there already predicting the brackets, I'd like to talk about seeding. No, not the whole tournament, but let's talk about the No. 1 seeds. The way I see it, we've got three absolute locks for the top seed in the tournament, Syracuse, Kansas, and Kentucky. Those three teams have played the best basketball out of anyone the whole entire year. They were asked to win at home, they did, on the road?, check mate. A few straggles aside, they took care of business and they are sitting pretty right now. Now here's the problem, who is worthy enough to step in and take the fourth no. 1 seed? Let's have a look, shall we?

Ohio State: Since Jan. 12th, The Buckeyes have only lost 2 games by a combined 9 points. They have 6 Top 40 RPI wins including wins at Purdue and at Michigan St. They've already clinched at least a share of the Big 10 title and they have arguably the best player in the country in Evan Turner. A strong performance is expected in the Big 10 tourney and that should be enough to give Ohio State a shot at the fourth no.1 seed.

Purdue: They were all the way there until a season ending ACL tear put their best player, Robbie Hummell, on the shelf for good. Hummell was their heart and soul, a fifth year senior that would do anything to help his team win and it showed everytime he was out on the court. With 6 RPI top 40 wins and at least 2nd place in the Big 10, it was there time. Hopefully they can come together without their leader and finish the job they started.

Kansas State: Winners of 8 out of their last 10(both losses to No.1 Kansas) the Wildcats seem to be peeking at the right time. Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente are playing great ball down the stretch while leading this team to sole possession of 2nd place in The Big 12. An Ohio State slip and a nice showing in the Big 12 Tournament could catapult them to the last spot at the top.

Duke: The loss at Maryland with ACC 1st place implications doesn't exactly help your chances at a no. 1 seed. But the ACC is down this year, UNC is a shadow of last years team and besides Maryland, no other teams in the ACC has double digit wins. Jon Scheyer can lead this team to the ACC tourney title and if he does, The Blue Devils could make a strong case.

Villanova: This team was right at the top. 7 top 50 RPI wins, 2nd place in the Big East, life was pretty good for Nova. Now they've hit a rough spot in their schedule losing 4 of 8 and dropping in the rankings. One more huge regular season game to go(at home against #10 West Virginia) and it's off to the Big East in tourney in New York, where I feel they will have to win it all to get the fourth number one seed.

There you have it, these are five teams I believe have the best shot at the No.1 seed and what needs to happen for them to get there. All of these clubs are talented enough to get the job done that I've set out for them. The question is, who will come out of the knock down-drag out festival they call Championship Week alive? The chaos starts next week and it will not be pretty.

All Time Cardinals

A couple of weeks ago, we here at Widespread Sports sent out a poll of who YOU think are the All Time best Louisville Cardinals. Whether they are the greatest or just simply your favorite players to lace up in Cardinal red, we've got the reults in and here they are, the All Time best Louisville Cardinals, choosen by YOU:

Darrell Griffith

Terrence Williams

DeJuan Wheat

Francisco Garcia

Taquan Dean

Milt Wagner

Charlie Tyra

Wes Unseld

Pervis Ellison

Larry O'Bannon

MISSING: 6'10 Cardinal

+

This equation pretty much speaks for itself.

The Cardinals were embarrassed last night on the road at Marquette.

Did anyone see Samardo Samuels last night? I think we went missing, we should put his face on a Milk carton to see if we can locate him because he never showed up in Milwaukee last night like he was supposed to.

Louisville had been on the road for 5 days and just seemed very weary and worn down. They just didn't show up to play. We're not going to throw out any stats or break down any key match up's today because that game was barely even worth our time to put this up. What a joke this game turned out to be. I wonder if they knew they were playing for a spot in the NCAA tourney and for seeding as well. Now they have to go home to try and squeak out a win against the #1 team in the country, so they can get an invite to the dance, and try to ensure that the last game in Freedom Hall is not a loss.... No pressure Cardinals.

The Word Is Out

It is not a good time to be a running back over the age of 30 in the NFL. Thomas Jones joins the likes of Brian Westbrook and LT to be the latest 30+ backs to be dropped from their respective NFL roster. Whether it be from lack of productivity, injuries or bonuses no team has really given any reason the players are being dropped. But this is following the trends of previous back like Emmitt Smith and Shawn Alexander that once a running back hits the age of 30. They can no longer be productive. Not only does this shake up rosters in the NFL but it also changes a lot of mentallity going into the fantasy season. Seeing as though Thomas Jones was one of the most productive back just last year, he was likely to get another shot with an early round draft. But with the lack of confidence from his former team this will sure affect his draft position in a negative way.

As cruel as it may seem, the numbers do add up. Or dont add up. How ever you want to look at it. Some of the most productive backs in the history of the NFL have hit the wall at the age of 30. Whether it be that they lose a step in their game, or if mentally they just cant keep pace with the speed of the game anymore. It seems like once they hit 30 they just cant get the job done anymore. And the word is out. It seems like all the GM's know this and have accepted that it is time to drop a player at 30. This might be something to consider in the future when drafting a player who is in their late 20's. I'm just saying.

Lebron's New Number

Lebron started the campaign a couple months ago to retire the jersey #23 in honor of Micheal Jordan. Growing up in the same generation as Lebron I can see why he would feel this way. Jordan was it. He's the greatest basketball player any of us have ever seen play the game. (Speaking in terms of "our" generation). Not only was he the best basketball player, he was the best athlete of our time. And he was a guru at marketing himself. No one to that point, or even til now has done what he was able to do. Even Lebron and Kobe have not imitated what Mike could do with the marketing campaigns. From the Be Like Mike ads, to the McDonalds ads, to the Jordan Shoe line (that has now spread to clothes and bags). There is no one that has or ever will come close to Jordan. Tiger was walking awfully close to that point. And thanks to the Media and Journalist and Paparazzi of today he crumbled. I dont think anyone will ever again be what Jordan was because of this. I believe that if Mike were playing in this time he would have already been busted for actions that he did, that weren't found out or reported on.

Now, back to the present. Lebron, who like most, believes that Jordan is the greatest of all time. And feels like no one should be able to wear the #23. And like I said before, Lebron and i grew up from the same generation. A generation where the argument on all little league basketball teams was "who gets #23". Because everyone wanted to "Be Like Mike". I do believe its an honorable thing and actually am in favor of retiring the number. But I think its ironic, and some what funny, that Lebron chose the #6 to switch to. The funny part about that is that the #6 belonged to Bill Russell. Who, in most peoples opinions, might be the greatest center to ever play the game. And in some of those opinions might be the greatest player of all time. But, thats another argument for another day.

Louisville Marquette - The History

Below are some of the greatest games in Louisville Marquette basketball history. Dating back to conference USA days. There were great finishes which found each team coming up on the winning end. But here are the greatest Louisville victory. LOUISVILLE leads the series 38-25

Remember This Jerry?

Reeeeece Gains

Francisco Garcia to the Rescue

Who is Marquette?

      

      A team picked to finish 12 in the Big East Marquette has come up with 10 Big East wins this season and is fighting for a first round bye in the Big East tournament. If Louisville has anything to say about it they will have the rights to that first round bye which is still open to either school. 

     The Golden Eagles are coming off of a stretch where they only saw 1 loss out of their last 9 games. Though the 1 loss came against Pittsburgh which was clearly the toughest game during that stretch, the next set of tough games for them were all road games that went to overtime against the likes of Seton Hall, St. Johns and Cincinnati. Other than that I don't really know much about Marquette. Other than Lazar Hayward their senior leader should probably be stopped because there are only 2 others on their team who average double figures a night.

      Honestly I am not worried about stopping Marquette. If I were the Cardinals I would be worried about doing what you need to do to not play like a bunch of reckless street ballers out there and play as a team. I think if they just worry about doing the right things and taking care of themselves they could easily come out a winner. Though if they don't rebound, take advantage on 2nd chance scoring opportunities or play with hustle, urgency or passion, they may find themselves in a must win at home against the #1 team in the country....and that is pressure they don't need.

      In my opinion the key to a victory tonight are the role players. Samardo has sort of ben the corner stone to our winning important games. Though teams are starting to catch on to that ever since his 36 point performance against Notre Dame. So as long as he comes out and still goes to the rim hard and goes to the free throw line, plus those fore mentioned role guys come out to play and we see spurts from Preston Knowles, Jarred Swopshire, Peyton Siva and we have to see consistency from Sosa, I think the Cards have a good proven method to wrapping up any team in the country weather that be Marquette tonight or Syracuse this Saturday.

Gold Medal or Championship for your favorite team?

      The Canadians wound up winning the gold medal yesterday evening as Sid "The Kid" Crosby hit the game winning goal in overtime, or extra periods or whatever they call it in Hockey. They avenged their loss to the US earlier in the week, just like most people thought they would do because of their overall talent. 

      Ever since the days of my youth, when I discovered Sports Center and became enamored with sports at the age of 8, could I ever remember the U.S. being so obsessed with Hockey. Typical America hates Hockey and those that turned their heads for a brief moment in hopes to catch a glimpse of another Miracle on Ice have already re adjusted and have their focus back on March Madness, The NBA stretch run and Baseball spring training. The NHL may pick up a few hanger on's and some may stick, but overall america will not stick around the sport.

      I heard a very Interesting question asked and to me there is only 1 clear cut answer, but I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion. The question was....Would you rather have your country's team sport win a gold medal in the olympics or your favorite team in the NFL,MLB,NBA,NHL or College Football or Basketball win their sports Championship? Put yourself in my shoes and plug in your team where they fit, but for me....If the Green Bay Packers are in the Super Bowl....If Louisville was playing in the National Championship game in the NCAA tournament. I could care less weather our national Hockey or Basketball team won a Gold Medal or finished last, I wouldn't care if America didn't win a single medal in the entire Olympics if The Packers are hoisting the Lombardi trophy or The Cards are cutting down the nets. Does that make me unpatriotic? I have no idea, but I know this. I devote a lot more time of my life covering and loving college basketball and the NFL than I do Curling, or Short Track Speed Skating. Am I glad that my country does so well in Olympic games? of course. I don't route against America. Though if your comparing Olympics vs a team that I put my own heart into following every single year through the ups and the downs you better believe I am going to have more to put behind the club team or my local college team.

      Everyone see's it different and I may catch a serious lashing for this article but this is America and hey....thats just the way it is. Think about this question yourself....whats the your answer?

SOSA AND PITINO AFTER U CONN GAME

The Tiger Emerges

      Tied for 7th in scoring this game, Edgar Sosa's last two out of six points he scored were the most valuable of the game. He went in for a layup with eight seconds remaining on the game clock, and came out with the bucket the Cards needed to put away the U Conn Huskies, 78-76.

      This isn't the first game winning shot Sosa will be remembered for. He hit the game winner last season against arch rival Kentucky....like I have to remind Cards fans of that stat. Though Edgar has been taking a lot of heat from Cards fans this season. He hasn't seen the success or received the praise of past Louisville seniors like Terrence Williams and David Padgett who helped lead their teams to trips to the Elite 8. Sosa was praised in his earlier years for playing beyond what most freshman and sophomores typically played. He was nicknamed the Tiger. The last 2 years he seemed not to have grown any, he seemed to still be that player who could make things happen but still made bad decisions and just all around didn't grow as a player from his early days. This Afternoon he did make a play that everyone  will remember....and least for the rest of this season.

      Louisville played quiet good even though they were dominated on the glass 22-50 and Kemba Walker put together a nice game scoring 28 points 4 rebounds 3 assists and 2 blocks. U Conn in the end just committed too many turn overs, or should I say Louisville forced too many. 15 of the 22 TO's U Conn committed were steals by the Cards. Peyton Siva and Preston Knowles played extremely well on defense each getting 3 steals and offense. Knowles hitting big shots and Siva taking on the roll of field general and utilizing his leadership skills.

      Louisville goes on the road again this week to take on Marquette, before heading back home for the last brawl in Freedom Hall against Syracuse. At least one more win should secure a spot in the NCAA tourney for the Cards. Though another win on the road or a win against one of the top 3 teams in the country could be tough. Stay tuned folks....

    

    

Super Conferences

Rumors have been swirling that the Pac-10 and the Big 10 are looking to expand. The latest is that the big 12 will split and some teams will join the Pac 10 and some will join the Big 10. Making some people believe that super conferences of 16 teams are in the cards for the college football's future. There would basically be 4 super conferences with each having 2 divisions of 8 teams. The champions of each division playing in a championship.

How would this work? Could this work for football? How would it affect the sport as a whole? Would it help or hurt college football? My first impression was that this was a stupid idea and that it would never work. But after thinking about it a little bit, it just might. It would just about eliminate the possibility of more than a couple undefeated teams each year. Which would in turn eliminate debate at the end of the season and the demand for a playoff system.

As far as scheduling, if each division had 8 teams, that would give each team 7 divisional opponents each season. Maybe add in 2 conference opponents from the other division and that still gives you a couple out of conference games each season to do with whatever a team wants to do. If you are Florida, it would probably be a couple cupcake teams out of the state of Florida.

Are the Super Conferences the future for college football? Whats your opinion of them?

Cards Slip and Fall in The Hall

      Ladies and Gentleman....Mr. Austin Freeman. Incase Cardinal fans didn't know about the kid before this game, they certainly do now. He dropped 29 points on the Cardinals scoring from all over the floor. In the lane, from behind the arc and the free throw line. He didn't rack up the stats much elsewhere, but how could he? He was too busy scoring. Greg Monroe did happen to clean up with 14 boards and 5 assists and while helping Freeman out in the scoring department with 16 points.


      Georgetown needed this win coming off two consecutive losses. "I think they lost two in a row and they came in a little hungrier inside than we were and we didn't play as hard inside the paint." said coach Pitino. When asked where do you go next he responded "To Connecticut ...The thing you can't figure out is where you get a win in the Big East. Before the game Rick made a comment that his team was like a box of chocolates....mean, you never know what your gonna get, and man is that true. Sosa was the offensive force for the cards tonight, and nobody could have predicted that he would have put up the points he did. But he was awful on defense. Who will be the next Cardinal to step up and carry the team? Nobody knows, and thats why it wouldn't be a huge shock if the Cards lose the rest of their games or win the rest. This team truly has two faces and tonight they shows mostly their ugly side.

Top 10 Current NCAA College Basketball Coaches

      As I wrote about in my previous article....Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio wrote a national article on CBS Sports.com about how he believes Rick Pitino has fallen from the Elite ranks of college coaching. What is Elite anyway? The NCAA tournament has Elite being the top 8. Some may consider Elite being an even smaller number. Either way it got us at Widespread Sports thinking....Who are the top coaches in college basketball? We took information from the NCAA tournament over the last 5 years and scored the coaches teams performance. We awarded 10 points for a National Championship, 8 points for National Championship Runner up, 6 points for a Final Four, 4 points for an Elite Eight, 2 points for a Sweet Sixteen and 1 point for winning one game in the tournament. We awarded 0 points for making the tournament but not advancing to the 2nd round, and finally deducted 2 points if that coaches team didn't get into the tournament that year. Keep in mind these stats have been compiled from the last 5 years and have taken no consideration in what coaches have done in the current 2010 season because there has been no post season. Here is how our list shaped up....(the number next to the coaches name is the score they received based on tournament performance.

1-Roy Williams-31

2-Ben Howland-21

3-Tom Izzo-17

4-Bill Self-16

5-Billy Donovan-16

6-Jay Wright-14

7-Rick Pitino -13

8-Jim Calhoun-9

9-Jamie Dixon-8

10-Bruce Pearl-8

List Notables:

• No Surprise at #1 Roy Williams has won 2 National Titles
• Tom Izzo and Ben Howland have been nothing but consistent in the NCAA tournament 
• Billy Donovan has had a rough past few years but won back to back National Titles
• Rick Pitino in at #7 proves he truly isn't washed up and is still a very good coach 
• Bruce Pearl just barley makes the list by making 3 sweet 16's n the last 5 years, one with Milwaukee 
• Coach John Calipari misses being on the list because of a stripped appearance in the National Title
• Coach K I think would normally be listed as a top 10 coach, just not based on his last 5 years in the ncaa tournament 

       

Kentucky Sports Blogger Sparks Big Debate

      A debate broke out after local UK writer/blogger Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio wrote a national column on CBS Sports.com that proclaimed Rick Pitino was a mere fragment of himself from his days at Kentucky. He did give Rick some credit, and even made that sound like he was being generous. He brought up issues with Karen Sypher and Procini's more than once which has nothing to do with basketball in the slightest.

      He compared Rick to Steve Spurrier, which on some levels are similar, being that they both built powerhouse programs in the 90's and then jumped ship to try and prove they could do the same on a professional level. They both struggled in the pros and only lasted a few years before going back to coach the youngsters again. Where Mr. Jones went wrong was in his comparisons of the two after they landed back in college. Spurrier has hardly even sniffed a conference championship in the SEC, barely finds his Gamecocks in the Top 25 and has seen the likes of such bowls as the Independence Bowl, Liberty Bowl, Outback Bowl and PapaJohns.com Bowl which they have gone 1-3. Where Coach Pitino has lead his Louisville Cardinals to a Final 4, two Elite Eights and an overall #1 seed in 2009. I don't think the world Elite describes any teams that play in the Papa Johns.com Bowl.

      Has Rick produced the same results he had with Kentucky in the 90's? No, but he was building a dynasty with a group of players who would have been either one & done's or players that would have jumped straight to the NBA in this day. Has he lived up to the full initial expectations of the cardinal fans....not fully, because we expected a championship by now. Though has he kept the fans happy by producing a top notch program for most years? Absolutely....where does Rick truly rank? Widespread Sports came up with that answer. Check Out our Top 10 NCAA College Basketball Coaches List.

    
    

Weekend Wrap-Up

Not a great weekend for your average sports fan. Not many upsets amongst the college basketball ranks. The best game probably coming from Music City, where UK and Vandy battled to the last second. Once again, the young Cats came out on top. There were a couple shady calls towards the end of the game but nothing that drastically changed the outcome. UK just out taleneted the brainiacs from the south. But I think everyone in the Bluegrass State and Big Blue Nation were holding their breath when Ogilvy caught the last second pass but missed the runner in the lane as time expired. There wasnt much to learn from this game, other than a bit of concern coming from the gaurd position, which for the most part has been unstoppable all year but Bledsoe and Wall combined for a 1 for 3 spot from the free throw line at the end of the game that would have iced it for the Cats. Might be something to keep an eye on as the tournament creeps closer and closer.

I wish everyone would stop talking about Tiger Woods. How many different people can take different angles to say different things about the different ways Tiger Woods made his speech on Friday. Heres some journalism, he said he sorry. He thought he was invincible and could get away with anything. Is anyone surprised at this? It was what we thought it was. He cheated. He didnt deny any of the stories that had come out from any of the women. And he asked that one day we will all move on from his mistake. Well I have. All I care about now is his getting back on the golf course. And can I say to all the golfers who have publically came out and bashed Tiger, I would start praying now that your never paired up with him on a Sunday at any tournament because I'm sure you'll be embarrassed.

And your random sports news. America is completely dominating in the Olympics. They are leading the overall medal count, as well as the Gold medal count. A couple of the big surprises from the weekend were, the gold medal in Men's Figure Skating. I didnt see any of this but I do know that it wasnt expected. Bode Miller won Gold in the combined event. The biggest surprise came from the Men's Hockey team. That no one really expected to much from. But they are undefeated thus far, now have a bye to the quarter finals, and beat Home Team Canada last night 5-3. And trust me, coming the day before the 30 year anniversary of the Miracle on Ice. I think we all have heard "Do you Believe in Miracles" 1 to many times today. But all in all, it is pretty cool to see the Americans kick ass in Vancouver.

Kentucky @ Vandy 6pm on ESPN

      Kentucky entering their toughest stretch of the season, they'll need to really focus if they want to prove to the nation that they are made up of more then just a few one and done's paired with 1 good veteran, who can plow through a weak SEC conference. When (17)Vandy, (20)Tennessee and South Carolina are considered the tough part of your schedule it's hard to prove that point. Though it did help them by beating Mississippi State after being down late and rallying to show some resilience. 

Louisville @ DePaul Today 2pm on ESPNU

      Samardo Samuels leads his cardinals up to Chicago to do battle with Big East bottom feeder DePaul.  Yes, you heard that correct. This team has been looking for a leader since Terrence Williams got drafted to the Nets last June, and Samuels is the man for the job. Everyone has been waiting for him to step and take on that roll, but it seems sometimes he is reluctant. Weather he does it vocally or just on the court he needs to embrace and roll with it. 


      This is the definition of a "trap game" and the Cards. On the road at DePaul, one of the worst teams in the Big East. We've seen this before, and hopefully for Louisville fans the outcome won't be the same as the Madison Square Garden debacle. Catch the game on ESPN U @ 2pm.

Tigers Apology Breakdown

      Though Tiger read this statement rather than just going off his cuff. He did seem pretty contrite. Though he never really broke down and he continued to speak, look and act like a robot. He did break himself down in many ways taking full responsibility if his actions even saying he was selfish, he only thought about himself and he thought certain rules didn't apply to him.

      Though he didn't have to apologize to the public, or anyone else other than his family, he did make sure to do so to his friends, family, his peers and his fans including young people who looked up to him. Some emotion came out when he started to defend his wife and children and you saw him just slightly come out of robot mode and go into defensive husband/father attack mode.

     All things considered, I think he showed a lot of remorse for his actions, but still put on a show in a way but only when addressing issues that were in correlation with his younger fans, educatioal foundations and sponsors. I think that was something he just had to do to repair & preserve his image on that side of his life, but he didn't make it his primary goal. 

      Tiger barely touched on the future of his career on the PGA tour, which I think was another example of how important he thought it was to address his actions, his regrets and in the end showed how sincere he was in addressing his problems, rather than focus on if he might be at Augusta this spring. Now that Tiger has addressed the media and his fans he can now start to get back on the right track in his life. Repairing issues with his wife and kids and than he can begin to focus on golf again.

      As I mentioned Tiger can be very robotic when speaking to the public and I could have imagined a scenario where Tiger comes out, and takes 2 and a half minutes to make a quick apology with no passion and no truthfulness and walked off the stage. Instead he made himself very vulnerable when he criticized himself and he focused on what matter the most in the end.

Tiger Press Conference 11am

Tiger Woods Press Conference Today LIVE @ 11am

What will Tiger Have to say? Will he be brief and talk about first steps, recovery and a give us a glimpse on the future? Will he seem remorseful and show a side of himself he usually doesn't let the public see? Click HERE to watch the 11am press conference Live? 

Thoughts for the Day: 02.17.10

The day started out by listening to Cardinal fans call into all the sports shows complaining about the refereeing. Not much surprise there from the Cardinal faithful this year. The only difference is this time they were calling out the refs from the UK game versus Mississippi State on Tuesday night. Saying they gave the game to the Cats. The truth is the Bulldogs choked down the stretch and let the 7 point lead slip away. The fact is that UK is a damn good basketball team and any team is going to have to play a full 40 minutes, not 35 minutes, if they want a chance to win the game.

Later on that day, the news broke that Tiger Woods would FINALLY confront the public about the situation that took place nearly 3 MONTHS AGO. Its thought that he will apologize for his past and talk about his future in regards to his return to golf. Doesn't take much brain processes to break that story. My opinion is, even though its been criticized, that drawing this thing out for so long the storm has some what passed. And he will probably be welcomed back into the public eye with open arms. Honestly, I've moved on from the whole thing. I think most people just want to hear the details about all of the mess, not an apology. Which is sad. I'm not condoning what Tiger Woods did but I do think the media tried to exploit him for his mistakes. Which in my opinion is sad.

The best part of the night was one of the best basketball games I have seen this whole season. UofL and Notre Dame battled in an epic double overtime Big East matchup. Niether team wanted or could afford to lose this game. And that fact was evident from the tip off in the first half to the last play of the second overtime. The Fighting Irish showed me a ton of heart last night playing without their leader, Luke Harangody. But every player coming off the bench all night seemed to make a few plays to keep them in the game. As much as Notre Dame showed me last night, I was more impressed by the Cardinal team that persevered and came through with a win at the end of the game. A team that has had such a roller coaster ride throughout the season, took all the punchs and answered every time. This could easily be a team to be afraid of come March. They are not afraid anyone and always seem to play the really good teams close and if they learn to finish some of those games they could make a run.

My day ended with the Olympics. America's Sweetheart, Lindsey Vonn, stepped up with her bruised shin and won gold in the downhill competition yesterday. And pacing herself for a likely few more golds in her upcoming competitions. Next, I watched the man, myth that is Shaun White. I'm your average American that doesn't know squat about snowboarding competitions. But I understood the amazement you have to have when watching this guy compete. He is in a completely different atmosphere then the rest of the competition. He was "higher" and doing more flips and spins and rotations around the axis of a corkscrew than any of the other guys could begin to imagine. Needless to say he won gold, with both of his runs. Thoughts, if you haven't seen this guy in a "Half Pipe" before you need to. Its unreal.

Not bad for a Wednesday.

2 OT's & A Win For The Cards

      Wednesday Night was a true test for the Cards. Notre Damn always plays the cards hard, and even though Louisville is tied for 5th in the Big East, and Notre Dame10th, this would be the type of game the Cards would drop after a big win at Syracuse. The game was up and down, back and forth and left to right all night long. Nash and Cooley fouled out early for the Irish and by the end of regulation this game had already turned into a free throw fest before going to overtime.


      Notre Dame just couldn't defend Samardo Samuels in the post. He would either score or get fouled and go to the line. Another Big time player in this game was Jarred Swopshire who is really starting to come around for the Cards. He played 38 minutes and was perfect from the free throw line (5-5) scored 12 points, grabbed 9 boards, and had 3 blocks. 


      At the end of the first overtime Samuels blocked a shot with 7 seconds left on the clock and Sosa threw up a half court shot that almost dropped in the bucket after hitting the rim. The game was extended to a second overtime and by the end both teams were running on fumes. The final seconds had the game tied and Notre Dame had the ball, but couldn't find the man in the post who was wide...or should I say WIDE open. The clock ran down to zero without the Irish even getting a shot off.


      "We were not going to deviate from our offense tonight, If we were going to loose it, it wouldn't have been because we deviated from going insdie" said coach Pitino. Which is clearly obvious since Samardo wound up scoring 36 points. With 21 lead changes the game could have gone either way. "They could have folded about 5 times down 7, and they didn't do it." -Pitino

The Dogs Take Cats To Overtime....Cats Come Out On Top

      When the game clock struck 3:35 and Mississippi State was up by 5, you knew this was going to be tight all the way to the final buzzer. Mississippi State, just as I had predicted yesterday, was giving Kentucky fits. Even after the nations leading shot blocker Jarvis Varnado fouled out of the game, the dogs were still able to hang around thanks to point guard Dee Bost. The Cat's were not about to go quietly however. They closed the gap by 2 and when Kentucky had their final chance to tie up the game, the bulldogs were all over Cousins, making sure he wouldn't be able to work his post magic, though they didn't account for Patrick Patterson who drained a 15 foot jump shot to send the game to overtime.


      This was Kentucky's chance to get an early jump on the dogs and put them away early....well that just wasn't the case. The Bulldogs battled and hung around until John Wall made his way up the lane like a blur and nailed a short jumper and got fouled, which wound up putting Kentucky up by three. On the next possession John Wall clearly got away with a goal tend which wasn't seen by any of the refs, and even though Mississippi State drained a later three point shot and took it all the way to the wire, they couldn't close the door on an upset over the #2 Kentucky Wildcats.


      The end of the game resulted in water bottles and other debris being tossed on the floor while there was still time on the clock. A Dasani bottle came within just a few feet of hitting John Wall. (How about some advertising dollars Coca Cola for that plug) Fans of the Bulldogs should have been proud of their team for not only hanging in there with the Cats, but also giving them a run for their money taking them to overtime and almost coming up with a win. Even the Mississippi State players were disgusted with the fans throwing things. You make yourself look like pathetic, trashy, no class rednecks when you throw things onto the court....not to mention childish. When you come away a loser, just make sure you don't look like sore ones.

Top Big East Teams Topple

                     

      A few surprises arose this past weekend in the Big East. Staring out Sunday when unranked Louisville astounded the college basketball world and upset #3 Syracuse. Louisville had just blown a huge opportunity to beat a 2-8 in conference St. Johns team on the road, and they let the weaker opponent overtake and ultimately embarrass them. But Sunday they came out with a confidence that wouldn't allow Syracuse to prevail. The Orange has Georgetown next this Thursday.

      Speaking of Georgetown 2nd to last place Rutgers wound up over taking The Hoyas in New Jersey. Jonathan Mitchell dropped 24 points while hitting 4 out of 6 three pointers. Despite shooting only 44% from the field Rutgers got enough opportunities by causing Georgetown to commit 14 turnovers, 5 of those coming from Greg Monroe. This Thursday The Hoyas have Syracuse coming into the Verizon center, both coming off losses....who's going to be the hungriest for a win?

      With Syracuse taking a loss to Louisville, The Villanova Wildcats had their chance to claim sole ownership of first place in the conference. All they had to do was defeat U Conn at home....and they couldn't do it. It seemed Nova tried to Live by the 3 point shot, instead they died by it, by taking 24 three's during the game and only hitting 7. It also didn't help that U Conn out rebounded The Wildcats 40-29 with only 13 of those rebounds being offensive and eliminating 2nd chance point for Nova. The Wildcats have almost an entire week to prepare for their next opponent Pittsburgh.

      It's coming down to it in the Big East and even though 3 of their top team took losses this past weekend, it just goes to show you show good the conference is overall. Can the teams like U Conn and Louisville win enough games to prove that they too belong in the discussion when march rolls around. They may have to show it in the conference tournament.

CARDS & CATS FAN

      We are putting together 2 Top 10 list's. Favorite Louisville Cardinals and favorite Kentucky Wildcats of all time. We would love your input to help us put together our list. Remember we want your favorites not just the best or the greatest. If that were the case we could come up with the list on our own. We're looking for those unforgettable's. Not just the Daryl Griffith's and the Dan Issel's. Leave a comment on this article or on our facebook page. (don't forget to become a fan) Thanks for your input.

Cards Leave Cuse Dazed and Confused

      With 1:20 left in the game #3 Syracuse looked up and found themselves down six to the unranked Cardinals of Louisville. Then Kris Joseph brings the Orange within two points with 35 seconds to go. At this point Louisville fans thought they might see another collapse to their 4th top Big East team this year. Jerry Smith wound up hitting two clutch free throws to seal the deal for the Cardinals.

     As I wrote this morning Louisville would need to make an impression by beating Syracuse and or Georgetown to try and make the NCAA tourney and they would need a leader to emerge. I'm not sure if one true leader came forth but with Sosa, Knowles, Swop and even Mike Mara stepping up and scoring double figures that sure helped keep the cards in the game. Samardo struggled early but came up with 8 points when it counted in the 2nd half. If Louisville can continue to share the load and work as a team they should be able to prove that they are a good team. 

      The Cards still have a ways to go before they can start thinking about jumping back in the tournament discussion, but I would say knocking off the #1 team, in the top conference in college basketball, on the road, is a good way to start getting your name back in that discussion. The Ville still has Georgetown and Syracuse again at home. If they can get another big time win and take down the rest of their conference games I would say the cards at least have a shot.

Cards Close Out New York Road Trip Today

      The bubblicious Cardinals head into the Carrier Dome today for what looks like it may be a pretty lopsided battle. After the Cards took an embarrassing beating at the hands of St. Johns this past week, who was 2-8 in conference, they now have to match up with one of the top teams in the country. Louisville looks like they are heading to the NIT, and most likely will. Though if a leader emerges and rally's the team together, they could pull of an amazing feat. They still have 2 remaining games vs Syracuse and a game against Georgetown. This is a BIG opportunity and allows some room to impress some people though they don't have any impressive wins thus far. These are some of the top teams in the country. If they can surprise....well EVERYONE in the nation and pull off 2 wins against these top teams they have remaining they could possibly wind up with a date to the dance. But it's a loooong shot at best.

College Game Day visit's Rupp Arena

written by: Kris King

      ESPN's College Game Day invaded Rupp Area this morning and found over 24,000 in attendance. That number shattered the previous record help by Kansas State from earlier this year. It seemed Rece, Jay, Digger and Hubert had a bit of trouble doing the show because it was so loud. The place erupted when coach John Calipari came out to greet the fans and booed loudly when the guys mentioned it was Coach K's birthday. You think the UK faithful are still bitter over the whole Duke Final Four? 

Kentucky will host the Tennessee Vols tonight @ 9pm on ESPN