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

Strong Puts Finishing Touches On Coaching Staff

written by: Kris King

Charlie Strong hires new Linebacker coach Brian Jean-Mary away from Georgia Tech to complete his coaching staff this past week. Strong has done nothing but impress since being at Louisville. From his confidence in his introductory press conference, to his recruiting to putting together a top notch coaching staff. Read more about the hire @ Courier Journal.com

Coaches/Staff

Charlie Strong - Head Coach Vance Bedford - Defensive Coordinator Dave Borbely - Offensive Line Kenny Carter - Running Backs/Special Teams Ron Dugans - Wide Receivers Adam Feit - Asst. for Athlete Development Mike Groh - Quarterbacks Clint Hurtt - Defensive Line/Recruiting Coordinator Brian Jean-Mary - Linebackers Kyle Johnston - Head Athletic Trainer Pat Moorer - Director of Strength and Conditioning Mike Sanford - Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Larry Slade - Secondary Ryan Solesky - Director of Football Operations Brad Farrell - Assistant Athletic Trainer Paul Gering - Assistant to the Head Coach Mike Kurkowsi - Dir. of Athletic Equipment Operations Robyn Mattingly - Recruiting Assistant Denise Murphy - Administrative Asst. to Charlie Strong Vicky Nugent - Program Assistant David Spina - Director of Video Operations