By Randy Burns And Pk Bartley
Playing at a Slow Pace
It was anticipated by many that the game between the Cardinals and Falcons was going to be slowed down due to the style of play Air Force uses. “As you can see with this style of play, its not always going to be exciting basketball,” said Louisville head coach Rick Pitino. “You have to rely on toughness and fundamentals.” The Cards held Air Force to just 47 points in the game.
Cleaning the Glass
Louisville out-rebounded Air Force 39-20 with Ellis Myles contributing 16 of those 39. “We settled down and did a great job on defense and a great job on the backboard,” said Pitino. The Cards also blocked 4 shots and created 8 steals on defense.
Feeling a Little Sick
The Falcons posed a problem for Louisville because of the style of basketball the team utilizes throughout the course of a game. “I was as sick over this game as I have ever been in all my years,” said Rick Pitino. “When we were running their stuff in practice, we kept scoring all the time.” Air Force closed the margin to 11 points in the fourth quarter but never came any closer.
The Dentist’s Chair
The Cardinals had to use unusual substitution patterns to counteract Air Force’s slow moving offense. “With this style of play we can’t have a normal substitution pattern,” said Pitino. “We’ve got to get in the dentist’s chair, get it over with, and walk out with our teeth in one place.” Eleven Cardinals saw action against the Falcons in the 65-47 win.
Heart and Soul of the Team
Rick Pitino said it himself. Ellis Myles is the “heart and soul” of this basketball team. “He is like watching reruns of the Gladiator,” said Pitino. Of Myles’ 16 rebounds, 10 were defensive and 6 came on the offensive end.
Preparation is the Key
With the style Air Force plays, every opponent has to come ready to compete. “I thought they were well prepared,” said Falcon head coach Joe Scott. He was reflecting on how well tuned the Cards were before the game even started.
Lend a Helping Hand
These were the first games that actually count for both the Cards and the Falcons. Air Force was happy to accept the challenge of playing in Freedom Hall. “I know playing them is going to help us,” said Scott.
Pulling down big numbers
Junior forward Ellis Myles had an outstanding game for the Cards on the glass pulling down 16 rebounds. Senior guard Reece Gaines led the Cards in scoring with 22 points. Junior forward Luke Whitehead was second in scoring with 17 points and he also pulled down 8 rebounds. As for the newcomers, freshman forward Franscisco Garcia led the newcomers in scoring with 7 points.
In the first half, Louisville shot the ball very well hitting 51 percent of their field goals in the first half, and 50 percent of their three pointers in the first half. The second half however the Cards didn’t shoot the ball as well, only 37 percent field goal shooting and 18 pecent three point shooting. For the game, the Cards shot 45 percent field goal percentage and 29 percent behind the arc. On the defensive end U of L played great throughout the game getting eight steals and the Cards had 26 defensive rebounds, which limited the Falcons to one shot on a lot of their possessions. U of L also had four block shots in the game.
Triple threat at point
While Pitino hands out constant praise for newcomers Prileu Davis and Taquan Dean for their abilities to run the point, the coach continues to fall back on the reliability of junior Bryant Northern. Between the three point guards the Cardinals are coming up with a variety of looks for opponents to face.
