The D2 Champs Bellarmine and Louisville did their best UK/Transy impression when the two programs that dwell in the city that wants to be a Chicago-Atlanta hybrid, came to blows on the Yum! Center floor Friday.
The Ville had started things off by hosting NAIA champs U Pike for the first exhibition of the season.
Louisville is hoping to not have a PREMATURE ending in the NCAA's this year, and hoping they don't get another Head Job in the early rounds. That being said, They are going to have to overcome quite a bit early on to get where they want to be in March.
Pitino gave Bellarmine coach Davenport a pair of ostrich skin Gucci shoes before the game, as a tribute to him bringing a National Title to the city. Davenport will not have to return the favor in the future, as Pitino will not bring home any such accolades.
Former Huntington (WV) Prep (not to be confused with Huntington High nor St. Joe's) star Gourgi Deing is going to have to simmer on the fouling. The big man got 2 quick fouls in the first 5 minutes of the game. After spending some quality time on the Bird bench, he went on to have a productive 8 point game with 4 blocks and 6 rebounds, hardly Jort like if you ask me. The big thing though, is that he did salvage a serviceable performance without committing another foul.
Other things noteworthy from the game were Peyton Siva and Mike Marra did not play due to their injuries, which is going to hurt the Birds badly. Kentucky boy Elisha Justice is running the point for now, and it's not been as pretty and romantic as you would like to believe. He is showing to be very turnover prone. Kyle Kuric is also not showing much and really needs to make some adjustments to help his team win on the D1 level, not taking anythign away from the champs. Bellarmine is sound fundamentally and executes well. The Knights had previously played Duke in an exhibition and will visit Xavier to close out their pre-season.
Jared Swopshire, to me, is the lone bright spot thus far. He has his short-comings, but it is pre-season, and has already shown progress since both the team scrimmage and Pikeville games.
Russ Smith is capable of being a scorer for Louisville, unfortunately, he turns the ball over more than Justice. He had 5 turnovers to go along with his 13 points. He is also stricken with a little disease known as Ball Hoggin'. The other Smith, making Louisville the equivalent of a yellow pages with all these Smiths, Chris has simply not stepped up in the absence of Siva.
Chane Behanan might actually be a brighter spot than the Smith. He appears to be ready to go and produce for Pitino, while others are lagging behind. He is scoring and rebounding, and most importantly, the majority of his boards are coming on the offensive side.
And, what would a doom and gloom mode for the Birds be without mentioning freshman Wayne Blackshear is going to miss the season with his shoulder injury. Of course there is the outside chance that he could return around tournament time. way outside though.
Right now, there are too many gaps and lost pieces of the puzzle. Louisville is going to struggle, and is hoping it will not put them too far behind in order to lay catch-up.
Am I being a little ridiculous in calling for a bad season for the Cards after only two exhibition games? Maybe. But, it's Louisville, and I hate em'.
Now, don't get me wrong, in my hate for the Redbirds, I don't want to see them be too bad. I would like for them to be a decent team solely for the purpose of me making the most cash I can from selling my UK/Ville tickets. Check E-bay kids. I stand to make back what the Season tickets cost me with one game. The UNC game will allow me to back pack across Europe for 3 months.
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