| Game Preview: Louisiana Tech | Date: Dec. 4, 1999 |
| Site: Freedom Hall | Records: U of L: 2-2, Louisiana Tech: 2-1 |
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| The Cards finally play their regular season home opener this Saturday afternoon. At 2-2 the Cards have rebounded from their opening two losses, although one win was against a Division II school. Louisiana Tech is currently out of the Sun Belt conference, though will be moving to the Western Athletic Conference in 2001. Going into the game U of L is 36-7 in home openers in Freedom Hall. |
So far this season, Louisiana Tech, who become the Cards' second opponent this season to be named the Bulldogs, have gotten crushed on the road to UTEP 72-53, but then also rallied to defeat CUSA member St. Louis 68-60.
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| Game Summary: Louisiana Tech | Score: Louisville 79, Louisiana Tech 67 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Marques Maybin (20) Louisiana Tech: Gerrod Henderson (31) |
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| The difference in the game was the Cards' 31 points coming off of 29 Louisiana Tech turnovers, 15 of them steals by the Cardinals. With 7-13 shooting from the field and 6-6 at the line, Marques Maybin led the Cards in scoring with 20 points, while Tony Williams added 18. Other double-digit scorers for the Cards were Nate Johnson with 16 and Reece Gaines with 11 points. |
| For Tech it was all Gerrod Henderson, who scored a career-high 31 points on 10-17 field goal shooting, including six three-pointers. The Bulldogs outrebounded U of L 36-29, but shot an embarrassing 5-17 from the free throw line in the second half. |
| The Cards used a 14-2 run a few minutes into the second half to turn a 43-37 deficit into a 51-45 lead. From there U of L went on to lead by as many as 16 at 74-58. Seven unanswered points by Kendrick Spruel, who finished with 11 points, pulled Louisiana Tech to 74-65 with 1:51 left, but the Bulldogs got no closer. |
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| Game Preview: Alabama | Date: Dec. 11, 1999 |
| Site: Freedom Hall | Records: U of L: 3-2, Alabama: 4-3 |
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| Both teams heading into tonight's match-up in Freedom Hall find themselves one game above five hundred, U of L at 3-2 and Alabama at 4-3. The Tide have suffered losses this season at Northern Arizona and St. Louis, and is also coming off a home loss to Samford. The Cards, who are playing only their second game in two weeks, look to extend their current three-game winning streak. A win tonight would set them up well with Central Florida on Wednesday before the really big match-up in Lexington next Saturday. |
| After five games of action, Louisville is led in scoring by Tony Williams, who is pouring in a blazing 20.2 points a game. From the boards, the Cards are led by starting center Dion Edward with an impressive 9.2 a game. Nate Johnson has continued his consistent play by being second on the team in scoring with 16.4 a game, while also averaging 4.6 rebounds and nearly four assists. Furthermore, after 15 turnovers in his first two games, point guard Reece Gaines has only four in the last three games.
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| Game Summary: Alabama | Score: Louisville 87, Alabama 72 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Nate Johnson (22) Alabama: Schea Cotton (21) |
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| It was a magnificent 20-2 run midway through the second half that propelled the Cards to victory over the Crimson Tide, a run that turned a 51-45 lead into a 71-47 bulge that for all intents and purposes sealed the game. After a sloppy first half that featured 18 turnovers by Alabama and 37.5 % field goal shooting by the Cards, U of L was able to pull together probably their most remarkable run of the season so far. |
| Despite the ugly first half, the Cards led by 11 at 39-28. The Tide closed the gap to six before Nate Johnson hit two free throws and the ice on Louisville's long range shooting finally melted. Caleb Gervin hit two three-pointers and Tony Williams and Reece Gaines each had a three that sent the Freedom Hall crowd into a frenzy. At the 9:45 mark, the Cards held their biggest lead of the game, a dunk by Gaines had capped the run and the crowd stood and cheered as the U of L players embraced at half-court after a foul call. It was a moment of pure energy from the fans and an awesome demonstration from the players. |
| Nate Johnson had seven rebounds to go with his game-high 22 points, while Marques Maybin went 10-11 from the line in scoring 18 points. Schea Cotton made his first start of the season for Alabama, and scored a slick 21 points to go along with his nine rebounds although he was only 11-18 from the line. Alabama finished the game with a season-high 31 turnovers, 14 of which were Louisville steals. |
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| Game Summary: Central Florida | Score: Louisville 78, Central Florida 58 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Tony Williams (16) Central Florida: Roy Leath (13) |
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| From the tears-of-joy embrace at Freedom Hall on Saturday to less than 19,000 and boos by halftime. Why? Against a 1-7 team from the Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC), Louisville actually trailed by ten at halftime at home. The Cards missed 10 of their first 11 shots. At one point before the first timeout, Denny Crum went for a new deal and replaced five Cards with five others. The first three shots of the second bunch were air balls. Louisville shot 7-31 in the first half for 22.6%, and was outrebounded 29-14. The Cards did grab a lead with seven minutes left in the first half, but Central Florida scored eight straight points, then with a dunk with seven seconds left in the half took a 10 point lead. |
| Louisville eventually took the lead for good with 13:33 remaining with two free throws by Tony Williams. Williams led the Cards in scoring with 16 points, while Nate Johnson and Marques Maybin each contributed 14. It was certainly a jarring night. Even with a little over-confidence thrown in there is no way the Cards should ever look that bad. But still, if they can pull out a 20 point win while being focused on UK, then bring it on. Any more lapses like that the rest of the season will probably get them beat, so let's press restart and go in and take the next one like we mean it. |
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| Game Preview: Kentucky | Date: Dec. 18, 1999 |
| Site: Lexington, KY | Records: U of L: 5-2, Kentucky 4-4 |
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| Wow, what an excitement around Kentucky for what is still the Dream Game. It may not always register on the national radar screen, but it is always top billing in the Commonwealth. Although UK leads the all-time series 20-10, U of L will have its fourth chance to try to win its third straight over the Cats, its second straight in Rupp Arena. The Cards boast a five-game winning streak, though truth be told UK does represent U of L's toughest game to date. The Cats have dropped a few, but all against top competition. |
| It does seem that in order to win, the Cards are going to have to get solid contributions from every position. They will certainly have to battle Marvin Stone and Jamaal Magloire for rebounds. Also, Tayshaun Prince has the likes of a player who could hurt U of L. Tony Williams, the Cards' leading scorer, will have to hit the glass hard--a double-double from him could bode very well for U of L. Dion Edward will do more than enough to grab 10 rebounds and block a shot or two. But also in the backcourt, Reece Gaines, Caleb Gervin, Rashad Brooks, Kevin Smiley and Quintin Bailey must avoid turnovers, try to rebound, and hit at least 25% of their threes. And of course, everyone at all positions must keep it up on defense. For the whole game. All 40 minutes. Anything less might provide some problems.
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| UK fans are riding Coach Tubby Smith a little hard these days. Too bad they can't remember he won them an NCAA title only two years ago. Anyway, the Dream Game may sound cliche, but there seems to be enough build-up for each of these games each year, the fans get so extremely involved to the point of foul language and worse, that the game turns into a battle and some of the most intense basketball played in the state of Kentucky. The game is on national television for a reason. |
| Game Summary: Kentucky | Score: Kentucky 76, Louisville 46 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Tony Williams (12) Kentucky: Tayshaun Prince (20) |
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| And this is no exaggeration: the second half of the 1999 UK game was one of the worst halves in U of L basketball history. On national television, at Rupp Arena, down only one at the half, UK romps all over the Cards by thirty 76-46. It had been a competitive game in the first half, but it didn't seem like a game in the second half. In fact, it seemed that the Cards forgot to play the second half. There have been blowouts by UK on U of L before, but this is one of the strangest. |
| Consider some second half and game total numbers. UK opened the second half with a 17-2 run. After hitting their first five shots, Keith Bogans hit on a lay-up for an 11-point lead at the 14:33 mark. Now this is where it gets scary. In the second half Louisville was outscored by UK 41-12; from the field they shot a numbing 3 of 27. Three field goals in one half. Unbelievable. Until Reece Gaines hit a jumper with 2:17 remaining, the only field goal in the second half to that point was a three-pointer by Marques Maybin at 10:49. The Cards finished 17-57 from the field for 29.8%, and were outrebounded 41-24. |
| Once again the Cardinals had the uncanny ability of taking an inferior or in this case struggling team and making them look like the Harlem Globetrotters. UK had shot at the 40% clip heading into the game--they wound up 31-52 for 59.6 %, their best offensive game of the season. The Wildcats were also an impressive 7-14 from three-point range, with Tayshaun Prince hitting on 3-5 three-pointers. Prince led the Cats with 20 points, and was as much a weapon as we predicted him to be. Hitting threes, slashing to the basket, handling the ball...Even this U of L fan does appreciate Tayshaun Prince. |
| So U of L has still not defeated UK three times in a row, but who cares at this point? Where does U of L go from here? Well, they can try to help their record vs. Tennessee State on Monday, then get another shot vs. an even better, more polished squad in the classy North Carolina Tar Heels. So although U of L will get back riding again soon, the pain of a 30-point loss, especially when going into a match-up that everyone agreed was more even than this, will last. One three-pointer would have equaled the biggest blowout ever, 85-51 in 1986. It's a thrashing, but with U of L's performance as monumentally poor as it was you've got to believe they will bottom out there and hopefully make as much progress as they can muster. |
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| Game Preview: Tennessee State | Date: Dec. 20, 1999 |
| Site: Freedom Hall | Records: U of L: 5-3, Tennessee State 0-5 |
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| Whenever you fall off you've just got to pick yourself up again, right? Well, the Cards better prepare for another night in the ring, because a true heavyweight awaits in the next few days. Coming into the game the Tigers of Tennessee State are 0-5, including an eight-point loss at Northern Iowa and a six-point loss at Georgia. |
| Frankly, this game will have more in common with last week's Central Florida game than it will the UK game. This time, at least, maybe the Cards will actually play the full 40 minutes. That comes on Thursday, again on national television against the powder blue of North Carolina. |
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| Game Summary: Tennessee State | Score: Louisville 115, Tennessee State 76 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Marques Maybin (23) Tennessee State: Kurtis Murray (26) |
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| Well, what would you expect out of this game? Of course the shooting touch came back. U of L shot 53% in setting their highest point total of the season. Marques Maybin led the Cards with 23 on a blazing 9-12 from the field but a frigid 4-8 from the line. Maybin did manage to grab 11 rebounds, however. |
| Also firing it up for the Cards was Tony Williams with 22 points and nine rebounds, Nate Johnson with 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals and, pleasantly, Tobiah Hopper also with 14 points on 6-9 shooting. U of L forced 30 turnovers and outrebounded the Tigers 51-29. |
| After leading 52-34 at the half, U of L went on a 11-0 run to open the half, then another 10-2 run three minutes later. The Cards broke the century mark with 3:15 remaining; with the exception of Kevin Smiley, every Cardinal on the roster scored, including walk-ons Derek Walcott and Andres Rodriquez. |
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| Game Preview: North Carolina | Date: Dec. 23, 1999 |
| Site: Freedom Hall | Records: U of L: 6-3, North Carolina 8-3 |
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| Oh, what a match-up it's gonna be when the North Carolina Tar Heels come into Freedom Hall for the first time ever. UNC did play once at Louisville, though in 1929 before the Hall was around. Although the 6th-ranked Tar Heels look to dominate the Cards, North Carolina is the one team you can say it's just an honor to have in Freedom Hall. Even U of L must be in awe of the storied tradition, and alumni roster, of North Carolina. |
| But still, the game does offers a thrilling group of player match-ups. How well will Dion Edward and Tobiah Hopper tag-team against UNC's 7-foot Brendan Haywood? Edward has been prone to foul trouble, and Hopper, coming off his best effort of the season against Tennessee State, will have to contribute for the Cards keep a balance on the inside. But the most intriguing match-up is in the backcourt. Will U of L's corps of guards be able to slow down or defend Ed Cota? And in a freshman vs. freshman duel, Joseph Forte, who's in the running for ACC Freshman of the Year, will show his stuff to Reece Gaines, who would love to have a breakout performance. |
| Truth be told it will be a stretch for the Cards to be able to beat North Carolina. North Carolina is fresh off a sound defeat against Indiana in the Jimmy V Classic, and will probably come in focused on getting a win. But with the most exciting game in Freedom Hall thus far this season, and with the first national TV game at home, the crowd will hopefully be full and active. A promising effort, a good game, can go a long way in establishing some credibility and confidence for this U of L team. |
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| Game Summary: North Carolina | Score: Louisville 97, North Carolina 80 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Nate Johnson (31) North Carolina: Max Owens (22) |
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| Are you kidding us? Had the final score been reversed, some U of L fans would have been content with keeping it under 20 against the Tar Heels. But like Coach Crum says, anything can happen on any given night, and on this night, everything happened for the Louisville Cardinals. |
| From the outset Louisville looked like they were on. A 7-2 run gave the Cards a 29-22 lead with 8:45 left in the first half. Then the Cards took charge with another 10-0 run, including two Marques Maybin dunks off of UNC turnovers. Overall in the opening period, U of L forced 15 turnovers that led to 23 points. Louisville was outrebounded by four but had more second-chance points than the Heels 11-4. Unbelievably, and Cards fans, don't get used to this, U of L did not commit a turnover in the entire first half (after which they led 50-35) and even then not until three minutes into the second half. And it was the match-up at point guard that was telling. |
| All-American senior Ed Cota of UNC did hand out a game-high nine assists, but he only scored six points and very much out of character committed seven turnovers. On the other hand, freshman Reece Gaines for U of L had 12 points, including 6-6 from the line, as well as four rebounds, seven assists, five steals and no turnovers. Amazing. Gaines had the game UofLHoops.com was calling for. Along similar lines, Tobiah Hopper also contributed, knocking down some shots that were just inside the three-point line from the top of the key. His nine points were huge for the Cards--indeed, U of L is a much stronger team when Tobiah Hopper provides scoring from the center position. It's a perfect complement to the way Dion Edward leads the team in rebounding, as he did again with seven. |
| After an 11-4 run midway through the second half, Nate Johnson hit a three to give U of L its biggest lead of the game at 19 with 9:15 remaining. The closest UNC got the rest of the was 11 at the 3:45 mark. Still unbelievable. How did we get a lead that big on North Carolina, and how did we score almost 100 points against them? |
| Nate Johnson had a lot to do with the scoring. He was the dominant player of the game, scoring a career-high 31 points on a sizzling 13-19 from the field including 4-8 shooting from three-point range. Headed into tonight's game, Nate had made only three three-pointers all season. He also had five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Marques Maybin had 20 points of 8-14 shooting, while Quentin Bailey hit for 10 points off the bench. Louisville finished with six turnovers compared to UNC's 21. The Cards also had 10 more assists then UNC, 24-14. |
| Amazing. Absolutely amazing. |
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