Anyone seen them play? I've seen a lot of other BE games on ESPN, but haven't gotten a chance to see Pitino's crew this year. I really hate Louisville and hope we can beat them. What do we need to do to get a W at the Col. Sanders Coliseum or whatever they call their new digs down there.
I watched them against Kentucky on New Year's Eve and wasn't particularly impressed, but that was also probably the worst they've played all year. As usual, they rotate a lot of guys. Knowles is the star, he can score, dish, rebound, and shoot the three. The defense will have to make sure we don't leave him open because he'll kill us given the chance. They don't have a lot of size inside, but they do have former Marquette target Gorgui Dieng. The kid is logging decent minutes, averaging over 20 mpg in Big East play and is a blocking machine, averaging over 2 a game and registering 5 in each of his past two games.
But they are very deep, as always. Pitino rotates 10 guys, and 7 of them play 20+ mpg. We'll probably need a lot of Cadougan to help get the ball out of the backcourt, it wouldn't surprise me to primarily see 3-guard sets to deal with the press.
Buckles broke his finger the day before the UK game and Swopshire has been out all season, so UL without their two best 4s Saturday. Since then they've gotten decent play from a freshman at the 4, Van Treese. But that still means Crowder/Butler/Fulce could have good games.
Agreed UK was one of their two worst games of the year, after a home loss to Drexel. Drexel isn't awful, should be decent in the Colonial, but much more of an NIT team than a NC2A team.
Pitino has been playing about 10 guys, but the roles, like most team this time of year, look to be getting more defined. Siva looks like he's improved at the point. Knowles has turned into a chucker at not much else IMHO. They've returned to playing the much faster pace that Pitino's teams used to play, rather than the slower pace they played the last few years. Smith is a glue guy at this point in his career.
Dieng looks like he's going to be a very nice player. Good defensive instincts, runs the floor well, has good hands. Jennings is physically gifted but seemingly takes about every other possession off on either end of the floor.
Off the bench, Justice is the back-up point, and a guy Cadougan won't match up too bad with if that happens. Kuric and Marra seem to be primarily three-point guys who can definitely get hot at times. Goode is an upperclassmen who hasn't played a ton to this point in his career who's seeing more time with the injuries to Buckles and Swopshire.
Where is the Louisville is evil guy?
And by the way, how many porn stars are UL grads?