Louisville

Poll: Who is the Big East's Top Incoming Freshman?

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:39:54 -0700

Rise and Fall: Big East Program Review

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:36:38 -0700

Like civilizations, all great basketball programs eventually fall.. replaced by an upstart newcomer. In this week's Rise & Fall series, we'll take a look at which BCS programs are rising, falling, or merely treading water. Up today, the:

BIG EAST

*Note that the Big East is ridiculously big so commentary for each team will be a bit shorter than other leagues..

CINCINNATI - DECLINING (SLOWLY)

This is a but misleading.. because Cincy was a surprise team last year, and could be even better in 08-09. But still, just a handful of years ago, this was a premier program. The reality is, take away Bob Huggins, and why would a stud prospect (outside of a local kid like Yancy Gates) choose UofC as compared to another Big East school?

CONNECTICUT - STATUS QUO (BARELY)

Similar to Duke in the ACC, UCONN is still chugging along.. but there are definitely signs of slippage. Recent big time recruits either bolted for the pros, haven't panned out, or got into extracurricular troubles. While the Huskies should be a Final Four contender in Detroit, I get the sense that Coach Calhoun's biggest glory days are in the past.

DEPAUL - DECLINING (SLOWLY)

At multiple points in the past decade, it looked like DePaul basketball would get back on the map in a big way, but it just hasn't happened. While there's some hope here, Mac Koshwal has All-Big East potential, sub .500 records are likely the next two seasons.

GEORGETOWN - RISING (QUICKLY)
The Hoyas RPI has risen each of the last 5 years from 142nd in '04 to 7th last year. While a slight step back is expected, the future is still extremely bright. JT3 now has the ability to bring in big time talent, and he's already proven that his system wins games.

LOUISVILLE - STATUS QUO

This was a tough one.. because unlike UCONN above, the Cards still have positive momentum and could reach new heights in coming seasons. What's worrisome is how so many big-name, top-level prospects have fizzled out since committing. For every success, there's been an NBA exit, academic issues, transfers, unhappiness, etc. While this year's group looks like a Final Four contender, not once in the past decade have the Cardinals finished with a Top 10 team (RPI-wise).

NOTRE DAME - RISING (SLOWLY)

Luke Harangody has been a huge find for Mike Brey (who got a 2-year contract extension this morning). His emergence, along with steady improvement in recent seasons has created a good buzz around the Irish, leading quality players like Scott Martin and Ben Hansbrough to join the program. This could be ND's first Top Ten team in years.

MARQUETTE - STATUS QUO

There's a real mix of positive and negative vibes going on in Marquette. On the negative end, the loss of Tom Cream seems like a big downer as does the weak '07 and '08 recruiting hauls. On the positive side though, the team has improved each of the last few years, should be quite good again this year, and there's big names attached to the program in '09.

PITTSBURGH - STATUS QUO

The Panthers great success over the past decade is still unknown to most of the general public. What I'd worry about as a Panther fan though is next season after Fields and Young graduate, and Blair possibly moves on to the pros.

PROVIDENCE - DECLINING (QUICKLY)

The last two seasons have been pretty hideous, and though you have to figure things will improve this season, beyond that is a huge question mark. The program hasn't added a decent recruit since Dwain Williams in '05 and there's nothing exciting on the horizon this season (Bilal Dixon isn't that good) or next.

RUTGERS - RISING (SLOWLY)

Call this the nowhere to go but up category. No one's certain Fred Hill can coach, but with talent like Corey Chandler, Mike Rosario, and Greg Echenique joining the program, things should eventually improve.

ST. JOHN'S - STATUS QUO

Call it the Perfect Storm, but its been one long string of horrendous seasons in NYC. They haven't been above 130th in the RPI for quite some time, and though that plateau might be met this year, I wouldn't expect much more than that.

SETON HALL - STATUS QUO
The problem for the Pirates is that though they're going in a decent direction, the upper half of the league is moving just as quickly. With Harvey, Hazell, and now Jordan Theodore in the mix, the backcourt is set for the next few seasons.. but you can't win without a decent player above 6-5 on the roster.

SOUTH FLORIDA - RISING (VERY SLOWLY)

Similar to Rutgers, the Bulls can only go up. From an RPI low of 236th a couple years back, things have slowly improved, and Dominique Jones was a great catch. But unlike the Knights, USF still has a ways to go to compete for 4 & 5-star prospects.

SYRACUSE - DECLINING (SLOWLY)

This is somewhat misleading, because the Orange are one of my national sleepers this season, and could also be very good next season as well. But just in terms of the overall direction of the program, things aren't coming quite as easily as they used to. The Big East has gotten better and deeper and Top 25 teams are no longer a given for Coach Boeheim.

VILLANOVA - STATUS QUO
Jay Wright's obviously done a great job with the program and helped it get back into Top 25 contention. But I don't see the program breaking out into the stratosphere anytime soon. Thus they remain in the status quo.

WEST VIRGINIA - RISING (QUICKLY)
I'll simply call this the Bob Huggins effect. When he joins your program, things tend to move in the right direction.. just ask Joe Alexander and his newly inked NBA contract.

- up next is the Big 12 -

Early 2008-09 All-Freshman Projections

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:42:30 -0700

Following my 2009 Field of 65 & Projected All-Americans, here is an early look at the 2008-09 All-Freshman Team.

First Team
G - Jrue Holiday - UCLA
G - Brandon Jennings - Arizona
G - Tyreke Evans - Memphis
F - Greg Monroe - Georgetown
F - Samardo Samuels - Louisville

Second Team
G - Demar DeRozan - USC
G - J'Covan Brown - Texas
F - Tony Mitchell - Alabama
F - Drew Gordon - UCLA
C - BJ Mullens - Ohio State

Third Team
G - William Buford - Ohio State
G - Willie Warren - Oklahoma
G - Scotty Hopson - Tennessee
F - Devin Ebanks - ?
C - J'Mison Morgan - LSU

Fourth Team
G - Chris Singleton - Florida State
F - Al-Farouq Aminu - Wake Forest
F - Luke Babbitt - Nevada
F - David Lobeau - Texas A&M
C - Jeff Withey - Arizona

2008 Parade High School All-Americans

Press Release — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:22:06 -0700

PARADE ALL-AMERICANS

FIRST TEAM (Name, School, City, Height)

Brandon Jennings - Arizona - Mouth of Wilson, Va. - 6'2"
Samardo Samuels - Louisville - Newark, N.J. - 6'9"
Tyreke Evans - ? - Aston, Pa. - 6'6"
Jrue Holiday - UCLA - North Hollywood, Calif. - 6'4"
Tyler Zeller - UNC - Washington, Ind. - 7'0"
Al-Farouq Aminu - Wake Forest - Norcross, Ga. - 6'9"
B.J. Mullens - Ohio State - Canal Winchester, Ohio - 7'1"
Demar DeRozan - USC - Compton, Calif. - 6'6"
William Buford - Ohio State - Toledo, Ohio - 6'5"
Greg Monroe - Georgetown - Harvey, La. - 6'10"

SECOND TEAM

Ed Davis - UNC - Richmond, Va. - 6'9"
Derrick Favors - 2009 - Atlanta, Ga. - 6'9"
Kemba Walker - UCONN - New York, N.Y. - 6'2"
Lance Stephenson - 2009 - Brooklyn, N.Y. - 6'6"
Luke Babbitt - Nevada - Reno, Nev. - 6'8"
Elliot Williams - Duke - Collierville, Tenn. - 6'4"
Sylven Landesberg - Virginia - Flushing, N.Y. - 6'6"
Scotty Hopson - Tennessee - Hopkinsville, Ky. - 6'7"
Xavier Henry - 2009 - Oklahoma City, Okla. - 6'6"
Mike Rosario - Rutgers - Jersey City, N.J. - 6'3"

THIRD TEAM

Willie Warren - Oklahoma - Fort Worth, Tex. - 6'4"
Michael Dunigan - Oregon - Chicago, Ill. - 6'10"
JaMychal Green - Alabama - Montgomery, Ala. - 6'9"
Chris Singleton - FSU - Dunwoody, Ga. - 6'9"
Larry Drew - UNC - Woodland Hills, Calif. - 6'0"
Iman Shumpert - Georgia Tech - Oak Park, Ill. - 6'4"
Leslie McDonald - 2009 - Eads, Tenn. - 6'4"
Dexter Strickland - 2009 UNC - Elizabeth, N.J. - 6'3"
Howard Thompkins - Georgia - Norcross, Ga. - 6'9"
Darius Miller - Kentucky - Maysville, Ky. - 6'7"

FOURTH TEAM

Kenny Boynton - 2009 - Plantation, Fla. - 6'2"
DeQuan Jones - Miami - Marietta, Ga. - 6'6"
Tony Woods - Wake Forest - Rome, Ga. - 6'11"
Renardo Sidney - 2009 - Los Angeles, Calif. - 6'11"
Terrelle Pryor - Ohio State - Jeannette, Pa. - 6'6"
Yancy Gates - Cincinnatti - Cincinnati, Ohio - 6'9"
Draymond Green - Michigan State - Saginaw, Mich. 6'7"
Kevin Jones - West Virginia - Mount Vernon, N.Y. - 6'7"
Malcolm Lee - UCLA - Riverside, Calif. - 6'5"
Henry Sims - Georgetown - Baltimore, Md. - 6'11

Poll: Will Louisville or North Carolina Advance to the Final Four?

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 09:18:09 -0700

CBS Coverage Maps: Sweet Sixteen Thursday

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:06:50 -0700

One of the fun but also sometimes frustrating aspects of the NCAA Tournament is that CBS televises multiple games at once. This can lead to some exciting in-game looks at close exciting games, but it also means you might be missing the game you really want to see. CBS released their coverage maps of Thursday's Sweet Sixteen action, and I've linked to the maps for each time-slot below.

Here's what important regions/cities will be seeing:

New York/Tri-State Area

7:40 - Washington St vs UNC

9:40 - Louisville vs Tennessee

- Nothing to exciting to note here. None of the games are "constant" here, meaning you'll be going back and forth to whatever's good.

Los Angeles/Southern California

7:40 - Washington St vs UNC (swing)

9:40 - WKU vs UCLA (constant)

- Main thing here is that even if UCLA is a horrible game, you'll be watching the whole thing

Chicago

7:40 - Washington St vs UNC

9:40 - Louisville vs Tennessee

- Like everywhere else, no love for WVU/Xavier here.

Boston

7:40 - Washington St vs UNC

9:40 - Louisville vs Tennessee

- Pretty much the entire East Coast has this same schedule outside of small pockets.

Washington DC

7:40 - Washington St vs UNC

9:40 - Louisville vs Tennessee (swing)

- "Swing" for the latter game means that CBS is committed to showing the UL/Tenn game here more than the previous game, but it wont be 100% "constant" coverage.

Other Notes

- Even in western Kentucky, you won't be getting the Western Kentucky game.

- Western Pennsylvania's the only area east of the Mississippi to get the UCLA/WKU game.. I guess due to the Pitt/Howland relation??

- Outside of WV and Ohio, the WVU/Xavier game is being shown in scattered odd regions. Mainly Central Connecticut, Syracuse, south Jersey, and west Tennessee.

CBS Regional Coverage Maps: Friday (from HD Sports Guide)

Window 1: 7:10 PM ET - Coverage Map
7:10 West Virginia vs Xavier - 13%
7:27 Washington State vs UNC - 87%

Window 2: 9:40 PM ET - Coverage Map
9:40 WKU vs UCLA - 20%
9:57 Louisville vs Tennessee -80%

- Sweet Sixteen Viewer's Guide

- Complete 2008 NCAA Tournament Coverage

- NCA Tournament Capsules

Poll: Who Will the East Region?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:41:34 -0700

2008 NCAA Tournament Capsule: Louisville

Joel Welser — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:29:32 -0700

Louisville Cardinals

Big East (24-8, 14-4)

Seed: #3

East Region

RPI: 13

Big Wins: 2/4 at Marquette (71-57), 2/9 Georgetown (59-51), 2/28 Notre Dame (90-85)

Bad Losses: 12/8 Dayton (65-70), 1/1 Cincinnati (57-58), 1/19 at Seton Hall (82-92)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2007, Second Round loss to Texas A&M

Coach: Rick Pitino (32-11 in 12 NCAA appearances)

Probable Starters:

Andre McGee, Junior, Guard, 6.4 ppg, 1.8 apg

Jerry Smith, Sophomore, Guard, 10.4 ppg, 2.0 apg, 3.7 rpg

Earl Clark, Sophomore, Guard, 10.7 ppg, 8.l rpg, 1.7 bpg

Terrence Williams, Junior, Forward, 11.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 4.5 apg

David Padgett, Senior, Center, 11.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.2 bpg

Key Roleplayers:

Edgar Sosa, Sophomore, Guard, 7.8 ppg, 1.9 apg

Will Scott, Junior, Guard, 2.1 ppg

Juan Palacios, Senior, Forward, 6.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg

Derrick Caracter, Sophomore, Forward, 8.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.0 bpg

Why They Can Surprise:

It does not always look pretty, but Louisville gets the job done. The zone defense can be suffocating and the Cardinals have a tendency to create scoring droughts for the opposition. The zone also protects big man David Padgett from getting into foul trouble, and Louisville needs the 6-11 center on the floor. Padgett may only average 11.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest, but he is the heart of this team and a force under the basket on both sides of the court. When Juan Palacios and Derrick Caracter are healthy and on the floor, the Cardinals frontcourt can be dominating.

Add 6-8 wing Earl Clark into the mix and suddenly Louisville has a group that is more than adequate on the glass. Clark leads the team with 8.1 rebounds per contest and his lanky frame not only is great on the glass, but also a huge asset in the zone defense.

Why They Can Disappoint:

Louisville does not have a go-to-scorer. Terrence Williams averages 11.2 points and also adds 7.2 boards per contest. However, Williams can disappear for games at a time and has gone through his fair share of scoring woes during his collegiate career. His shooting has improved, but Williams can still go through spurts where he forces too many shots. He is not the only player with shooting issues as the team as a whole shoots just 45.3 percent from the floor. At the free-throw line Louisville only shoots 65.5 percent and that will cause them some problems sooner or later.

Who To Watch:

The perimeter group might not be as talented as the rest of the team, but they are still superb athletes who fit well in Coach Rick Pitino’s system. Jerry Smith is the most dangerous true guard on the team. Andre McGee is a better pure shooter and always a dangerous threat from long range, but it is Smith who will get to the basket as well as knocking down the long balls. Edgar Sosa usually comes in off the bench, but he has the ability to take over a game and score a lot more than his 7.8 point per game average.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 71.9 (114^th in nation, 11^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 61.3 (28, 2)

Field-Goal Percentage: 45.3 (114, 7)

Field-Goal Defense: 38.3 (6, 2)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.5 (87, 5)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.2 (195, 9)

Free-Throw Percentage: 65.5 (279, 13)

Rebound Margin: 2.9 (80, 6)

Assists Per Game: 14.8 (79, 9)

Turnovers Per Game: 13.3 (84, 7)

Joel’s Bracket Says: Elite Eight loss to North Carolina

- All 2008 Tournament Capsules

- 2008 NCAA Tournament Coverage & Brackets

- CHN's Tournament Prediction

- Sign up for CHN's Free NCAA Bracket Challenge.. win a Wii, Guitar Hero, and other prizes!

Saturday's Games of the Day & Predictions

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 18:52:06 -0800

A companion to our daily Three Stars of the Day, we present the top three Games of the Night.

#1 North Carolina (28-2) at #5 Duke (26-3)

9:00 PM ESPN

For a complete preview of Saturday's big game, check out Jeff Borzello's Game of the Week. It covers all there is to say.. though he likes Duke and I'm going with Carolina.

Prediction: North Carolina

#13 Louisville (24-6) at #10 Georgetown (24-4)

12:00 AM CBS

Arguably just as good as the game above.. just without the ESPN-induce hype. First place in the Big East is on the line.. and seeding in the NCAA Tournament adds extra incentive (not that it's needed). The Hoyas are a perfect 15-0 at home, but Louisville's 8-2 road record is one of the better mark's in the country. Louisville has won 9 in a row, and is the better overall team in my opinion.. but a road game at Georgetown is still an extremely hard challenge. A loss by the Cardinals wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, as it will humble them heading into the postseason.

Prediction: Georgetown

Winthrop (21-11) at UNC-Asheville (23-8)

11:30 AM ESPN2

The first big conference championship game of the year. The best two teams in the Big South conference are pretty equal talent-wise.. with the same records (10-4) and similar RPI's (125 & 131). But UNCA did beat the Eagles twice this year in games that weren't even that close. It also doesn't help that the Championship game is at UNCA, where the Bulldogs are 14-2.

Prediction: UNC-Asheville

Next in Line:

#7 Stanford at USC - Cardinal look to rebound after tough UCLA loss (Stanford)

Creighton vs #21 Drake - Will an MVC team besides Drake steal a bid to the Dance? (CU)

Saint Joseph's at Dayton - Can one of these teams salvage an NCAA Tourney bid? (Dayton)

Previous Game of the Night (Predictions, 83-49)

March 5th - Tennessee at Florida (2-1)

March 4th - UNLV at New Mexico (3-0)

March 3rd - Texas Tech at Kansas (3-0)

March 2nd - Clemson at Maryland (1-2)

Games of the Day: Georgetown at Louisville

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 09:09:17 -0800

Games of the Night

A companion to our daily Three Stars of the Day, we present the top three Games of the Night.

#6 Georgetown (19-2) at Louisville (17-6)

9:00 PM ESPN

A pair of Big East games lead off what is actually a rather dull Saturday (compared to recent weeks). Louisville has been playing better basketball in recent weeks now that everyone is healthy, and a win over G'Town would keep their slim Big East championship hopes alive. The Hoyas lone conference loss was on the road at West Virginia, and it took overtime for them to prevail at Syracuse, so this game is by no means a lock for the country's 6th ranked team. In fact, Louisville is a slight 2.5-point favorite in Vegas. I like the Cardinals to win, but if the line grows anymore I'd take G'Town against the spread.

Prediction: Louisville

#16 Marquette (16-5) at #21 Notre Dame (17-4)

12:00 PM ESPN

Notre Dame has won four straight and is still unbeaten in South Bend. Marquette is coming off a defeat, has lost 3 of 6, is 3-3 on the road.. and yet is still ranked higher than the Irish. This would obviously change if Notre Dame wins this afternoon, and all the indicators point to that result. Marquette did destroy the Irish a couple weeks back in Milwaukee, which has turned out to be their 2nd best result of the season outside of beating Wisconsin. But that game only gives Notre Dame more incentive to come out with energy and focus. Expect another big 20 & 10 effort from Harangody.

Prediction: Notre Dame

Purdue (18-5) at #8 Wisconsin (19-3)

9:00 PM

To be honest, I don't really expect much out of this game in terms of close competition. But by default, a matchup between the two leading Big Ten teams has to make the list. Purdue though did beat the Badgers two weeks back, and that game wouldn't have been close if not for the inspired play of Brian Butch. Also in Purdue's favor is that Wisconsin is coming off a poorly played game at Iowa in which Trevon Hughes had his worst game of the season. Still, no one could justify picking Purdue to beat Wisconsin in Madison, but the 10-point spread is enticing.

Prediction: Wisconsin

Previous Game of the Night (Predictions)

February 7th - UCLA at Washington State (2-1)

February 6th - Duke at North Carolina (1-2)

February 5th - Florida at Tennessee (2-1)

February 4th - Gonzaga at SMC (1-2)

January 30th - Indiana at Wisconsin (1-2)

January 29th - VCU at George Mason (2-1)

January 28th - Louisville at UCONN (1-2)

January 27th - Duke at Maryland (2-1)

January 26th - Georgetown at West Virginia (3-0)

January 24rd - Dayton at Xavier (2-1)

January 22nd - Akron at Kent State (2-1)

January 21st - Drake at Creighton (1-2)

January 20th - Texas at Oklahoma State (3-0)

January 19th - Marquette at UCONN (2-1)

January 18th - Illinois State at Drake (2-1)

January 17th - Vanderbilt at Tennessee (2-1)

January 14th - Georgetown at Pittsburgh (2-1)

January 12th - Stanford at Oregon (3-0)

January 9th - Rhode Island at Dayton (2-1)

January 8th - Florida at Alabama (2-1)

January 7th - Robert Morris at Boston College (1-2)

January 6th - North Carolina at Clemson (2-1)

January 5th - Western Kentucky at South Alabama (3-0)

January 4th - American at Brown (0-3)

January 3rd - UCLA at Stanford (3-0)

January 2nd - Houston at UMASS (2-1)