By Benjamin Lampkin
Cards shooting falls flat
After battling UK for 20 minutes and staring at a mere four-point halftime deficit, the University of Louisville Cardinals spent the last 20 minutes of Saturday evening’s epic match mired in a shooting slump. The Cardinals, who shot a respectable 41.2% from the floor in the first half, couldn’t buy a basket in the second half, hitting only 11-35 field goals for a paltry 31.4%. U of L also struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on 2-14 shots in the second half and only shooting 21.1% for the game. “It was one of those nights, one of those off nights,” said freshman guard Carlos Hurt.
The defense of the Wildcats can be attributed to the shooting woes from the floor, yet the Cardinals were unable to make up any ground from the free-throw line. The Cards missed five of eleven shots from the charity stripe in the second half and were a miserable 53.3% for the game. The Cardinals only managed 62 points for the game, their lowest total of the season.
Second-half runs bury Cardinals
Coming into the second half, the Cardinals sought to erase a slim four-point UK lead. However, after trimming that lead to one at 38-37, the Cards quickly found themselves on the receiving end of a typical UK run. Sparked by senior Tayshaun Prince and junior Keith Bogans, the ‘Cats went on an 12-0 run that saw 11 of the points come from the duo of Prince and Bogans. “We never allowed them to make a run and that was a big key,” said UK head coach Tubby Smith. Whenever they tried to make a run at us, we were able to respond with a good shot, a blocked shot, or beating them to the basket.”
Still down by 13 with the score at 63-50, the Cards once again found themselves in the middle of a wild UK run. With 5:35 to play and the game still not out of reach, the ‘Cats dealt went on a 15-0 run that saw the lead grow to an insurmountable 28 with 1:55 remaining in the game. “In the second half, we took better shots and they just didn’t go down,” said U of L head coach Rick Pitino. “Kentucky is a very experience team and took advantage of that.”
Rupp Arena crowd gets creative
With everyone expecting a barrage of boos and catcalls heading in the direction of the Cardinals bench and coach Pitino (“I didn’t pay any attention to it,” said Pitino), the Rupp Arena crowd instead focused on their own coaches and players. Injured senior JP Blevins received a standing ovation at halftime, and several times throughout the second half, a chorus of chants could be heard from all areas of the arena. “Tubby, Tubby!” rang throughout the arena and easily drowned out any boos that found there way down from the rafters.
A few UK fans found ways to let Pitino know how they felt with handmade signs. “Cardinal Sin” was one that made its presence known, and one that got the Pitino family attention was a sign that read, “We didn’t like you either, Joanne,” in reference to Mrs. Pitino and her comments about Lexington. “I think that’s the way we have to take it all, as a good-natured jest,” said Pitino. “You have to be able to laugh.”
The announced crowd of 24, 330 was the fourth-largest in Rupp Arena history, and it was the largest crowd since March 7, 1996.
