| Game Preview: Georgetown | Date: Feb. 1, 2000 |
| Site: Washington, D.C. | Records: U of L: 11-8, Georgetown: 11-8 |
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| The Cards make a venture out of conference play for their first of two matchups vs. the Big East this month. As we move into February, U of L is still searching for a raod win over a Division I opponent as they play at Georgetown for the first time ever. They are also looking to end a three-game skid and a losing spell of four of their last five. The Cards have not faced Georgetown, which has the same overall record and conference record of U of L (3-5) since they met in the Final Four in 1982. |
The Hoyas are led by 6-2 guard Kevin Braswell, who averages 15.1 ppg, and 6-11 center Ruben Boumtje Boumtje, who collects 12.4 ppg and 8.4 rebounds a game. The Cards, who have outrebounded their last two opponents, face another tough batle on the boards. The Hoyas lead the Big East in rebounding at 41.7 a game. U of L, on the other hand, is last in C-USA in rebounding with only 32.3 a game. And what could pose even more problems for U of L is Georgetown's defense. They lead the Big East again in holding their opponents to only 36.2% from the field. If that defense holds, U of L could be in real trouble yet again. The Cards are tied for last in C-USA in allowing opponents to shoot 44.5% from the field. The Cards need a win before their season, and the careers of five seniors, slip away. |
| Game Summary: Georgetown | Score: Georgetown 61, Louisville 59 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Tobiah Hopper (13) Georgetown: Lee Scruggs (21) |
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| Each game is getting uglier and uglier for the Cards, who have now lost four in a row and six of their last seven. The Cards are desparate for a win, struggling to put the pieces together and unraveling as a unit. What hurts the most is that the Cards lost because they could not execute in the final mintues, literally handing the game to the Hoyas after holding a three-point lead and the ball with 30 seconds left. After the game was tied 55-55, Tony Williams hit two inside baskets to give Louisville a 59-55 lead with 1:24 left. The first turnover was actually a bad call against U of L, but such is life when in a funk like the one the Cards are enduring now. Nate Johnson came up big with a steal, but Reece Gaines had the ball stolen from him at midourt with 30 seconds left. Two free throws by Georgetown guard Kevin Braswell pulled the Hoyas within one. After a timeout, U of L never even got the ball inbounds, as Nate Johnson was called for a five-second violation. Georgetown then set up a wide open 15-foot jumper for Anthony Perry, his first basket of the game, for the 60-59 lead with 24 seconds left. It was the Hoyas' first lead since 7-5. |
| The Cards got the ball back, but after another timeout, when U of L used to be strong in its execution, Marques Maybin committed U of L's third turnover in the final minute with only six seconds left. Maybin was driving through the lane, was stripped of the ball by Hoya cener Ruben Boumtje Boumtje, who was then fouled and hit one of two free throws. A last-second three-point attempt by Tony Williams, who missed all five of this threes in the contest, fell off the front rim as time expired. It was the second time this season U of L missed a three-pointer at the buzzer in an attempt to pull out a win from a 2-point deficit. Statistically, the Cards played an OK game. They held Georgetown to 28.8% shooting, the fourth straight road game U of L has held its opponent to less than 40%. The Cards themselves shot 51% from the field against a team that was third in the nation in team defense, a team that on average had held opponents to 44.6% shooting. Like the St. Louis game, it appears the Cards gave away another contest from the line, making only 6-14 free throws. |
| Louisville opened up their biggest lead of the game at 46-36 early in the second half after Tobiah Hopper hit his third three-pointer of the game. But then the Hoyas began to use their size. Boumtje Boumtje and Lee Scruggs, both 6-11, combined for 40 points and 18 rebounds. Scruggs led all scorers with a career-high 21 points and also pulled down a career-high nine rebounds. Using their inside men, the Hoyas went on a 10-2 run to pull within two points at the 9:19 mark. For U of L, Reece Gaines finished with 10 points but also four turnovers, while Nate Johnson scored nine, Maybin and Williams each finished with eight and Dion Edward, who fouled out with a minute remaining, had 10 rebounds. The Cards were outrebounded 39-32 and committed 20 turnovers to Georgetown's 12. Senior Maybin led the Cards in turnovers with six, while Johnson also had four. |
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| Game Preview: Memphis | Date: Feb. 5, 2000 |
| Site: Memphis, TN | Records: U of L: 11-9, 3-5 Memphis: 9-11, 2-5 |
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| Throughout the current losing streak U of L has endured, there have been a few occassions to label the "next one" a must-wn. Today's game against 9-11 Memphis at The Pyramid is without a doubt a must win. If the Cards have any hopes of reaching the post-season they must win today, because they face 4th-ranked Syracuse on Thursday and still must travel to Cincinnati and DePaul. And no team who is winless on the road will get inviited to the NCAA Tournamnet. To get that win, U of L will have to bring its best against a team that has defeated Arkansas and Miami and held tough against Tennessee. Memphis has endured a tough season, as coach Tic Price resigned only eight days before the first game. |
| The Tigers are lead by sophomore center Kelly Wise, who is averaging 13.9 points and 8.6 rebounds a game. Like U of L, Memphis has a freshman point guard, Courtney Trask, who so far is averaging nine points and 4.8 assists a contest. Memphis has had a full week to prepare for the game, while the Cards must do a better job protecting the ball. In its past four road games, U of L has an incredible 74 turnovers compared to only 49 assists. The Cards, despite the recent trend, lead the conference in turnover margin at +4.5 a game. Both teams have struggled on the boards, though, as U of L is third to last and Memphis second to last in the conference in rebounding margin. |
| Game Summary: Memphis | Score: Louisville 74, Memphis 59 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Tony Williams (24) Memphis: Kelly Wise (25) |
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| Finally! Finally, the Cards end their four-game losing streak, and finally, the Cards have their first road win over a Division I school. Although it came against a team that has been struggling, the Cards, as beggars, can't be choosers. We'll take it. The story of the game was in the backcourt, as Louisville guards Reece Gaines, who was 8-8 from the line but struggled again with only two assists and five turnovers, and Marques Maybin combined for 24 points, while Memphis guards Courtney Trask and Marcus Moody were a combined 1-16 from the field with only two points. The Cards put on another sizzling performance from the defensive end, holidng Memphis to 30.2% shooting from the field, including 4-23 from three-point range. Memphis' inexperience and lack of patience contributed to the low figures, but Memphis is now the fifth straight road opponent for the Cards to shoot less than 40%. |
| Tony Williams had a sparkling game for U of L, his best in a long while. For the third straight outing he pulled down nine rebounds, but was able to complement that with 24 points on 8-15 shooting and 3-8 three-pointers. The key difference in the game was U of L's start: they held an 11-0 lead before Memphis got their first bucket at 14:33 in the first half. U of L built leads of 13 and 15 points with less then five minutes to go in the half, but only led by nine at the break, 31-22. Kelly Wise scored the Tigers' first eight points of the second period, and Memphis made a strong run to pull within 36-33 with 15:15 left in the game. But the Cards went into high gear after that. Tony Williams scored eight points in the next three and a half minutes to build U of L's lead back to 14, and the Cards never looked back. They held a double-digit lead the rest of the game, and at one point led by as many as 22. |
| For U of L, Marques Maybin had 14 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists. Quintin Bailey came off the bench to score 11 points on a blistering 5-7 from the field, though Nate Johnson scored only four points to go along with eight rebounds. For Memphis, Kelly Wise scored 25 points and had 12 rebounds, while Shannon Forman had 16 points on 5-7 shooting with 2-3 three-pointers. The Cards also won out on the boards, outrebounding Memphis 34-33, though U of L committed more turnovers than the Tigers, 17-13. |
| Game Preview: Syracuse | Date: Feb. 10, 2000 |
| Site: Freedom Hall | Records: U of L: 12-9, Syracuse: 19-1 |
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| Now that the Cards have ended their four-game losing streak, and finally won a game on the road, they have one of the toughest challenges on their schedule. But this challenge is also a fantastic opportunity for U of L. A win over Syracuse, who is coming off their first loss of the season last Monday against Seton Hall, would go a long way in erasing some of U of L's most recent losses, and really give them a high-quality win as they prepare to make their case to the NCAA Tournament selection committee. It would also bolster the team's confidence as they get ready for the stretch run. All told, U of L couldn't ask for a better shot at redemption. Naturally, however, it won't be easy. |
| In winning 19 of their 20 games so far this season, Syracuse has averaged 78.6 ppg, second in the Big East. The Cards absolutely must apply the same type of defensive pressure they have lately in order to contain the Orange, but even if they don't, it wouldn't hurt the Cards to be drawn into a high-scoring game. The last time U of L scored as many points as they did against Memphis (74) was the 75 they had in beating Utah. The Cards also scored 72 in their win over DePaul. The trick is that Syracuse is holding opponents to only 61 ppg, tops in the Big East. (For reference, U of L is scoring 74.5 a game and giving up 67.8.) It really seems to be a matter of defense, and which team can do a better job of taking the other out of its offensive rhythm. |
| The Orange come at you with a very balanced attack. They have four players averaging in double-figures with two others at 9.1 a game. They are led by Etan Thomas, who is tops on the team in scoring at 14.8 ppg and rebounds with 9.1 rpg. Ryan Blackwell is another double-double threat, averaging 11.5 ppg and 8.1 rpg. And just as impressive for Syracuse is point guard Jason Hart. Reece Gaines has a lot to learn from Hart, who on top of averaging 11.6 ppg is also handing out 6.5 assists an outing. For the season, Hart has 123 assists to only 70 turnovers, an incredible ratio. The Cards have surprised some ranked teams so far this season, and they were competitive against No. 1 Cincinnati. The question is has Louisville really turned a corner now that they are back in the win column again, and even if they are, do they have it in them to put forth the type of effort to knock off the fourth-ranked team in the country. |
| Game Summary: Syracuse | Score: Louisville 82, Syracuse 69 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Tony Williams (20) Syracuse: Jason Hart (16) |
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| Another Thursday night ESPN game against a nationally-ranked team, another brilliant performance from the Cards. Losing streak? What losing streak? Although Syracuse was playing its third game in six days, and was missing starting forward Damone Brown to injury, the Cards played with concentration and intensity the entire game, and with the exception of a five-minute stretch in the second half, dominated the entire game. Tony Williams scored 20 point with eight rebounds, and Marques Maybin had a great game himself with 16 points as the Cards sent Sryacuse to their second straight loss after they won their first 19 games. |
| Reece Gaines also had a solid game for U of L, scoring 12 points to go along with his six assists, five rebounds and only two turnovers. U of L had 22 assists for the game, and moved to 19-0 in their last 19 games when scoring at least 80 points. U of L committed only 13 turnovers and shot a blistering 57.6% from the field, including 6-13 on three-pointers. Uncharacteristically, Gaines was 2-2 from beyond the arc, including a key three that gave the Cards a seven-point lead after 'Cuse had pulled within four at 64-60. Syracuse, on the other hand, shot 43.8% from the field and was a miserable 5-19 from three-point range and 8-17 from the line. Syracuse was led by Jason Hart's 16 points, while forward Etan Thomas had 12 points and nine rebounds. For the game, the much taller and bigger Syracuse outrebounded U of L by only 36-35. |
| Leading 32-24, Louisville got a tip-in by Williams and a layup by Gaines to force a Syracuse timeout with 5:36 left in the first half. A three-point play by Nate Johnson gave the Cards a 46-36 halftime lead; the Cards shot 61% and outrebounded Syracuse 18-15 in the opening period. In the second half, the Cards led 64-52 with 10 minutes to play, but an 8-0 Orange run, including a dunk by Thomas, cut the lead to four. Gaines then hit his key three-pointer, Dion Edward hit a jumper and Syracuse never threatened the rest of the game. U of L made 5-6 free throws in the final 1:30 to ice the game. |
| Game Preview: Marquette | Date: Feb. 13, 2000 |
| Site: Freedom Hall | Records: U of L: 13-9, 4-5, Marquette: 13-8, 6-4 |
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| Now that the Cards have a bit of win streak going, there would be no better team to continue that streak against than Marquette. It's all conference games from here on out, and the Cards have a lot of work to do. Entering this game, the Cards are in last in the American Division, but by no means out of the picture for second place. U of L would love to avenge their overtime loss to Marquette from earlier this season, and really needs to start collecting some conference wins. |
| The Golden Eagles continue to be led by Brian Wardle, who is averaging 17.2 points a game, while John Cliff is at 13.9 a game. If the Cards can maintain their defensive pressure, they shouldn't have a problem with Marquette this time around. The Golden Eagles are last in C-USA in scoring at only 63.7 ppg. (U of L is at 74.8.) On the other hand, they are second in the league in team defense, holding opponents to 61.4 ppg. Simply put, if the Cards can continue to shoot the ball as well as they have their last two games, and as well hold their own on the boards, the Cards shouldn't face an obstacle in evening their season series with Marquette. After Thursday's big win, nothing will be sweeter for Cards' fans than a victory over these nuissant C-USA rivals. |
| Game Summary: Marquette | Score: Louisville 76, Marquette 64 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Marques Maybin (26) Marquette: John Cliff (16) |
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| It seems that since the Memphis game, every game has been a must win for the Cards. And that was no different against Marquette, who U of L desparately needed to defeat to improve its standing in the American Division. Despite a few lapses and a strong effort by the Golden Eagles, U of L shone in avenging their two-point overtime loss early in the season. In that game, Marques Maybin sat out with the flu. He was back for this one, and made all the difference: he lead all scorers with a career-high 26 points, shooting 8-14 from the field and 8-8 from the line to go along with four assists. Nate Johnson also scored 12 points and had seven rebounds for U of L. |
| In the first meeting in Milwaukee, Marquette killed U of L on the boards, outrebounding U of L 49-25. The Cards fixed that problem, winning out on the boards 36-34; Dion Edward had 11 rebounds to go with Johnson' seven. The Cards also made a living at the foul line, shooting 20-29 compared to Marquette's 6-11. Reece Gaines had 11 fo U of L, while Marquette was led by John Cliff's 16 points, Brian Wardle's 15 and Oluoma Nnamaka's 15 points and 12 rebounds in his first double-double of the season. |
| The Golden Eagles led by six, 28-22, with 2:20 left in the first half before U of L went on a 7-0 run to take a 29-28 halftime lead. Marquette still led at 41-39 with 13:04 left, but the Cards took over from there. Quintin Bailey scored six straight points of a 9-0 Cardinal run to put U of L up 48-41 with 10:35 left. The Cards got their biggest lead at the 3:20 mark, going up 14 after a Dion Edward putback. The Golden Eagles pulled within six, but, like in the Syracuse game, Reece Gaines came up with a huge, clutch three-pointer to put the game back out of reach. |
| Game Preview: UNC-Charlotte | Date: Feb. 16, 2000 |
| Site: Charlotte, NC | Records: U of L: 14-9, 5-5, UNCC: 13-11, 5-6 |
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| The Cards now take to the road for two very important conference games. Tonight vs. UNCC the Cards will try to avenge their first loss in Freedom Hall this year against a team that has considerable success against U of L, especially at Freedom Hall. U of L will look to get over the .500 mark in conference play for the first time in a while. In order to secure the victory, the Cards will have to improve their perimeter defense. |
| The difference in the first game between these two teams was the 49ers' three-point shooting. They hit 14 of 25 threes in beating the Cards by ten. They had more points in the game from three-point range than two-point range. In the series, UNCC has won three straight and four out of the last five in Freedom Hall, while the Cards have taken three of the last four in Charlotte. The last time the teams played, U of L was coming off a 9:00 game against DePaul and was lethargic the entire game. With an extra day's rest this time around, hopefully the Cards can for the second game in a row avenge an earlier loss. |
| Game Summary: UNC-Charlotte | Score: Louisville 67, UNC-Charlotte 51 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Marques Maybin (19) UNCC: Tremaine Gardiner (15) |
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| The Cards did exactly what they couldn't do in their last meeting against UNCC and in doing so rolled to their fouth straight double-digit win, improved to 6-5 in conference play and bagged their second road win of the season. Marques Maybin continues to pace U of L, scoring a game-high 19 points after receiving last week's C-USA Player of the Week honors. Maybin was 7-11 from the field and 4-5 from the line. The Cardinals' balanced attack also featured 15 points on 3-6 three-point shooting and seven rebounds from Tony Williams, 14 points including 7-8 from the line from Reece Gaines and 11 points and eight rebounds from Nate Johnson. |
| In holding UNCC to only 4-20 on three-point shots, Denny Crum called the game U of L's finest on the road this season. Louisville fought through picks to cover shooters on the perimeter, then provided excellent weak-side defense to guard the paint when UNCC tried to get the ball inside. Tremaine Gardiner was the only UNCC player in double-figures, scoring 15 points to go along with 12 rebounds. Diego Guevara and Jobey Thomas combined for 6-24 shooting for the game. The 49ers shot only 32.2%, becoming the sixth straight home team to shoot less than 40% against U of L. |
| Louisville really controlled the game from start to finish. They build a 15-3 lead as UNCC missed nine of their first 10 shots. A Maybin jumper at the buzzer gave U of L a 32-19 halftime lead. UNCC pulled within nine on three occassions, but could not hit three-pointers to pull closer. A 7-2 run, led by Nate Johnson, put the game away. The series now has a distinct home court disadvantage: U of L has won four of its past five at Charlotte, while UNCC has won four of its last five in Freedom Hall. |
| Game Preview: DePaul | Date: Feb. 19, 2000 |
| Site: Chicago, IL | Records: U of L: 15-9, 6-5, DePaul: 17-8, 7-5 |
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| The Cards can win the nightcap of a two-game road trip in Chicago, and as well secure their only season sweep of an American Division opponent. The Cards continue to have three players averaging in double-figures, though Reece Gaines is close at 9.3 ppg. Tony Williams is at 15.3, Marques Maybin is up to 14.2 and Nate Johnson has 13.0 ppg. |
| DePaul, on the other hand, has four players in doule-figures, led by Quentin Richardson's 17.9 ppg and 10.1 rpg. Richardson, however, is 0-3 lifetime against U of L. Bobby Simmons average 14.4 ppg for the Blue Demons, while Paul McPherson scored 10.7 ppg and Steven Hunter 10.4. DePaul has won won three of their last four games, and is coming off a 55-35 win over Marquette. |
| Game Summary: DePaul | Score: Louisville 71, DePaul 54 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Marques Maybin (17) DePaul: Bobby Simmons (12) |
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| In winning their fifth straight to improve to 16-9 and 7-5 in conference, U of L is looking as good as it has all season. The Cards have now won eight straight over the Blue Demons, and DePaul star Quentin Richardson remains winless against U of L. And once again it was Marques Maybin leading the charge for U of L. He scored 17 points in shooting 5-7 from the field and 7-10 from the line. Also for the Cards, Nate Johnson scored 15, Reece Gaines 12, Tony Williams 10 and reserve Quintin Bailey nine. For DePaul, only Bobby Simmons finished in double-figures, getting 12 points on 3-12 shooting. Star Richardson was held to only four points on a paltry 2-14 peformance from the field. U of L yet again held its opponent to under 40% shooting, with the Blue Demons clocking in at 32.%. |
| U of L trailed only once in the game, at 4-2, and took the lead for good on a Tony Williams three-pointer that gave U of L a 21-18 lead. DePaul was able to pull within five shortly afer halftime, during which the Cards led 38-31. U of L raced to 16-6 lead, with Nate Johnson scoring nine of those points, but DePaul rallied to tie the game at 18. The Cards then scored 11 in a row to secure their halftime lead; for the half, U of L shot 57.7%. After the Blue Demons pulled within six with about 14 minutes to play, the Cards rallied again, and pretty much wrapped up the game with a Bailey three-pointer that extended the Cards' lead to 51-40. It was U of L's fifth straight double-digit win. |
| Game Preview: St. Louis | Date: Feb. 23, 2000 |
| Site: Freedom Hall | Records: U of L: 16-9, 7-5, St. Louis: 14-10, 6-6 |
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| In the last week and a half, U of L has exacted revenge on both Marquette and UNC-Charlotte for defeats earlier in the season. They get a third shot at revenge Wednesday night in Freedom Hall as they try to erase the ugly loss to St. Louis that U of L could have won had not their free-throw shooting been so horrendous. Plus, it's been awhile since the Cards have been held to 48 points, and seeing as how SLU has lost three of its last four games, the Billikens are ripe for another hurting. Justin Love, who tore up the Cards in their first meeting, continues to lead the team in scoring and is the only SLU player averaging in double-figures at 19.1. Justin Tatum is averaging 8.9 ppg and 6.8 rpg. |
| The Cards' have held five straight conference opponents to under 40% shooting. For U of L these days, Tony Williams continues to lead the squad in scoring with an even 15 points a game, but Marques Maybin is closing the gap at 14.3. Nate Johnson is at 13 ppg, while guard Reece Gaines inches closer to double-figures with 9.4 ppg. Dion Edward still holds the lead in rebounding on the team at 7.3 a game, though Tony Williams is close at 6.6 rpg. Edward also has 40 blocks on the year, more than double Nate Johnson's 19. Positively, the race for team leader in assists is very tight. Reece Gaines holds the advantage with 78 on the season, but Nate Johnson has 76 and Tony Williams 75. |
| Game Summary: St. Louis | Score: Louisville 68, St. Louis 56 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Marques Maybin (28) St. Louis: Justin Love, Justin Tatum (15) |
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| Once again the St. Louis Billikens drew the U of L Cardinals into an ugly, uninspiring game. But this time around, U of L kept its composure, made its free throws and received another sparkling performance from Marques Maybin to avenge their third loss so far this year. Maybin set his second career-high in four games, scoring 28 points on 8-14 shooting from the field and 12-13 from the line. During the game, Maybin became U of L's 51st 1,000 point-scorer in school history. The Cards have now won six straight, and are in the driver's seat to claim second place in C-USA's American Division. After being in last place at 3-5 in the division, the Cards are now 8-5, limiting each conference opponent in their current streak to under 40% field goal shooting. SLU shot only 36% from the field and compounded their scoring woes by making only 13-25 from the line. |
| Just how much of a key is Marques Maybin to U of L's success? In U of L's six-game winning streak, he is shooting 57% from the field and averaging 20 points a game. For the year, U of L is 16-2 when Maybin scores in double-figures. The Billikens were led by Justin Love and Justin Tatum, who each scored 15, while Marque Perry finished with 10. Perry left the game with a dislocated ankle midway through the second half, and may be out the remainder of the season. 16 SLU turnovers led to 20 U of L points, and although St. Louis outrebounded U of L 37-34, the Cards had more second-chance points, 25-15. U of L led by as many as nine in the first half, when SLU shot only 39% and made 11 turnovers to lead to 14 U of L points. The Cards let at the half 37-29. With 13 minutes left, U of L held a 51-41 lead, but a 10-3 SLU run cut the lead to 54-51 with 8 minutes remaining. A field goal by Tony Wiliams, who struggled in the game with six turnovers, and two free throws by Nate Johnson, pushed the lead back to seven, and the Billikens did not threaten the rest of the way. The Cards have won each of the six games in their current winning streak by double-digit margins. |
| Game Preview: Cincinnati | Date: Feb. 27, 2000 |
| Site: Cincinnati, OH | Records: U of L: 17-9, 8-5, Cincinnati: 25-2, 13-0 |
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| In the last meeting between U of L and Cincinnati, the Bearcats got an outstanding peformance from DerMarr Johnson and some out of this world perimeter shooting. If the Cards can contain Johnson and defend the perimeter this time around, they might have a chance. Of course, UC has so many weapons, it could always be someone else that steps up to carry the Bearcats. Even still, the challenge for U of L will be to continue its excellent defense of late. Holding the Bearcats to under 40% shooting would really be an accomplishment, and of course, U of L must try to keep the battle on the boards as even as possible. |
| Heading into the game, the Bearcats have four players in double figures: Kenyon Martin at at 18.7 ppg (along with an even 10 rpg), Pete Mikeal at 13.4 ppg, DerMarr Johnson at 13.0 and Steve Logan at 10.8. The Cards have a tough defensive road ahead of them: their next three opponents lead the conference in scoring, with Cincinnat setting the pace at 80.0 ppg (South Florida averages 79.6 and Houston 77.4). Futhermore, the Bearcats are second in the league at team defense, holding foes to only 62.3 ppg. The Bearcats also protect the ball better than anyone in C-USA, averaging a league best only 13.7 turnovers a game. With these numbers in hand, it's not hard to see why UC has dominated conference play and cruised to another C-USA championship. For the Cards, Marques Maybin has become the leading scorer, now averaging 14.9 ppg compared to Tony Williams' 14.7 ppg. |
| Game Summary: Cincinnati | Score: Cincinnati 68, Louisville 59 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Nate Johnson (17) Cincinnati: Kenyon Martin (24) |
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| In the first meeting between U of L and UC, the Bearcats rushed out to a big lead, withstood a respectable U of L comeback then pulled away to win easily. Tonight, it was much of the same. In the first game, U of L held Kenyon Martin in check. Tonight, it was not more of the same. Martin led all scorers with 24 points, including the final eight for UC, to go along with 12 rebounds as UC remained unbeaten in conference play. The game was decided after the first 15 minutes, and by halftime the Cards trailed 33-16. It was their lowest first half scoring output of the season, and their largest halftime deficit as well. U of L shot only 28% in the first half, committed 12 turnovers and their 16 points just outperformed Martin's first half showing of 14 points and 10 rebounds. DeMarr Johnson, who scored 21 in the first game, managed 15 points, as he and Martin were the only double-figure scorers for the Bearcats. |
| But it was Johnson's defense on Marques Maybin that really led to UC's win. Maybin, who was averaging over 20 points in the last six games, struggled to even get a shot off all night, finishing with nine points on 3-10 shooting. Nate Johnson paced U of L with 17 points on 7-10 shooting (3-3 from three-point range), while Quintin Bailey kept the game respectable by scoring a career-high 16 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists. U of L did much better in the second period, shooting 65% and outscoring UC 43-35. But after the Cards pulled within nine at the 3:48 mark, Martin had two consecutive three-point plays to seal the game. It was another contest of ifs and maybes for U of L, but the bottom line is UC's athleticism and depth was too much for the Cards. UC has now won seven straight over Louisville. |
| Game Preview: South Florida | Date: Feb. 29, 2000 |
| Site: Freedom Hall | Records: U of L: 17-10, 8-6, South Florida: 17-10, 8-6 |
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| The Cards and the South Florida Bulls enter Tuesday night's game with identical records and an identical quest: to try to get the second seed of the C-USA tournament in hopes of avoiding a matchup with Cincinnati until the tournament finals. Although the game is at home for U of L, it won't be easy. Not only does South Florida lead the conference in steals, but they are also the top three-point shooting team in the league. The Cards have also struggled this season coming off of only one day's rest. Sunday night's game against Cincinnati does not leave U of L much time to prepare for such an important game. |
| Pacing the offensive threat for South Florida is forward Altron Jackson, who is averaging 18.4 points a game, and forward B. B. Waldon, who averages 17.6 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. It is the final home game of the year for U of L, so seniors Chad Schoen, Kevin Smiley, Tobiah Hopper, Dion Edward, Tony Williams and Nate Johnson will be playing their final games ever for U of L in Freedom Hall. Hopefully the emotion of the night will motivate U of L, as a win will at least guarantee them a bye from the first round of the C-USA tournament. |
| Game Summary: South Florida | Score: Louisville 76, South Florida 66 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Nate Johnson (26) South Florida: Altron Jackson (21) |
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| South Florida played a confusing 1-3-1 trap against U of L, which caused the Cards some problems in the first half. But they responded after haltime, got a fantastic effort on the glass, received tremendous leadership from Nate Johnson and clinched at least a bye in the C-USA tournament. A win over Houston on Saturday will give the Cards second place in the conference. As mentioned, it was Johnson who led the Cards, scoring 26 points on 10-16 shooting, including 3-5 from three-point range, and also collecting 10 rebounds. Quintin Bailey provided another important first half lift off the bench, finishing with 12 points and two three-pointers. Reece Gaines also had a solid performance, adding 11 points but more importantly six assists, three rebounds and only two turnovers against a defense that really confounded U of L. |
| Also wrapping up his home career at Freedom Hall in fine fashion was Dion Edward, who tied a career high with 14 rebounds and also scored six points to go along with five blocked shots. All told, the Cards outrebounded USF, a rarity this season, 40-31. U of L opened the game with a 10-0 run, but once South Florida settled into its zone trap defense, the tide turned. Down 14-6, USF then scored 14 points in a row to go up 20-14 with 9:41 left in the half. The Bulls led 31-25 with 4:35 remaining, but the Cards used a 13-3 run to close the half with a 41-37 lead. Bailey at one point scored nine straight for the Cards, keeping U of L in the game. USF pulled with 44-43 in the opening minutes of the second period, but U of L scored ten in a row to lead 54-43 with 15:11 left in the game. USF pulled within six at 61-55 with 11:30 remaining, but got no closer. |
| U of L's defense did the job again, limiting the Bulls to only 43% shooting and forcing them into 17 turnovers, though the Cards had 19 turnovers themselves. Leading USF was Altron Jackson with 21 points and seven rebounds and B.B. Waldon with 12 points and eight rebounds. |
