The Louisville Cardinals Could go all the Way
by Ian James
The Minnesota, he went into the locker room and wrote "ILLUSIONS OF GRANDEUR" on a white board.
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Pitino's point was to make one of the nation's most talented rosters play with a purpose. When the Cardinals do just that, they can beat anybody, using waves of defensive pressure, size and scoring depth.
As usual with a Pitino team, the Cardinals can press all over the court, so opponents better be able to handle the ball and prevent Louisville from getting easy buckets the other way. If teams survive the frenetic pressure, they then have to crack a 2-3 zone stocked with long, lanky wings. "They have incredible size," West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. "They stretch from one end of the floor to the other." No wonder opponents struggled to shoot 40 percent against Louisville, making less than a third of their 3-point heaves.
The front line -- 6'6" senior Terrence Williams, 6'9" junior Earl Clark and 6'8" freshman Samardo Samuels -- leads the way on offense, too, as all are double-digit scorers in a balanced attack. Williams and Clark were nearly averaging a double-double. Clark is a potential lottery pick who's at his best breaking down defenders off the dribble, rather than having his back to the basket. Consider Williams a "point forward." You won't find many players capable of averaging better than 4.5 assists and 9.0 rebounds and who can posterize opponents with tremendous leaping ability.
Pitino mostly wants point guard Edgar Sosa to focus on defense. All of Louisville's guards -- including Jerry Smith, Andre McGee and Preston Knowles -- can get after it on defense. The Cardinals' offense isn't always a work of beauty, especially when too many folks think they should be the star, but their defense travels well anywhere. At the end, Pitino's original prediction could very well be correct.
