By Craig Healy
The University of Louisville men’s basketball is keeping their winning streak alive, winning 10 out of the last 12 games, and now Coach Pitino and the Cards are sitting in second place (5-2) in the Big East and 15-6 overall.
“We are hot right now so everyone loves us,” said sophomore Terrence Williams. “After the Kentucky game it was the opposite, so now we have been playing with a chip on our shoulder and we are winning games.”
After a late rally in the game against Syracuse University, Williams hit two crucial threes late in regulation to give Louisville control in a come-from-behind win.
Louisville’s next game is on the road at the University of Cincinnati. Although Cincinnati is currently last in the Big East at 1-5 and 10-10 overall, Pitino isn’t taking them lightly.
“Cincinnati is a good team. They had a good win in overtime against West Virginia and gave Georgetown a good game,” said Coach Pitino after the Syracuse victory.
Cincinnati is coached by Mick Cronin, a former assistant and recruiter of Pitino and Louisville. He is in his first year at Cincinnati after coming from Kentucky’s Murray State University. Cronin replaced former coach Bob Huggins, who is now at Kansas State University.
Cronin brings Deonta Vaughn and John Williamson to the table to lead Cincinnati. Vaughn averages 13.8 points per game ahdn has 32 steals on the season, while Williamson puts away 13.0 ppg and adds eight rebounds alon with .467 percent from the field.
Even though Cronin and the Bearcats are 10-10, a lot of their struggles this season have been due to injuries. Marvin Gentry, who was out earlier this season due a sprained right wrist, is back and has scored 50 points in the last three games with Cincinnati, but has only averaged 7.2 ppg with a .37 field goal percentage.
Cincinnati has always been one of Louisville’s rivals, jumping from Conference USA to the Big East with the Cards two years ago. Since then, the two teams have met up twice, splitting the series 1-1 with Cincinnati and winning the most recent match up.
One of the biggest reasons for the recent surge of Louisville is the play by big man David Padgett.
“Padgett has been a lot better. He’s playing pain free,” said Pitino. “At the beginning of the season when he ran, he couldn’t stop, but now he’s stopping and pivoting, giving us production inside.”
Padgett’s presence down low has been helping balance Louisville’s defensive attack.
“Our defense has been keeping us together,” said freshman Edgar Sosa after the Syracuse game. “Every night someone can go out and carry the load offensively, and we have the weapons offensively, but our defense is what keeps us going.”
Wednesday night Louisville will see what their defense is made of traveling to Cincinnati in their fifth road game of the season. Coming into the season, Pitino and the Cards had the goal of making the NCAA tournament, and a win over Cincinnati would move them to 6-2 in the Big East and make the “Selection Sunday” future look bright.
