You think watching this is a gruesome task, and it is for Cardinal fans, try having to endure what’s happening on the hardwood, then trying to make enough sense of it to fashion some sort of perspective.
Yeah, that’s what we’re dealing with here.
As a one point dog at home to Lipscomb from the ASUN, Louisville fell back into it losing doldrums after a brief wobbly two-game winning skein, 67-75.
The Cards did energize the truly faithful smattering of fans scattered about the Yum!, scoring the final eight of the 1st, to cut their deficit to a penny, 32-33.
Hope sprang forth. Though, to be honest, it frankly never seemed like U of L could win the game, after a 9-8 lead quickly turned into a 9-18 disadvantage 11:52 to go before that break.
And I must pause for a second to think about the gravity of that sentence just writ.
At halftime, U of L which turned it over on three of it first five possessions at the open, was actually +10 in points off turnovers. But that was counterbalanced by -10 on the boards.
Then U of L did what this dumbfounding Cardinal outfit does to open the 2d. The Cardinals surrendered a triplicate of three point possessions in the first five, an old school and a couple threeballs. While committing giveaways and coming up empty on the majority of their first five.
U of L kept it close. But, as hereinbefore stated, there never seemed a legitimate chance the tilt would be won.
To the significantly better schooled, more disciplined, quicker to the ball visitors/ victors, Louisville was -10 in the paint. And, a head-shaking -14 off the glass.
Seven giveaways after halftime were critical. As Snoop Dog might say, critical . . . ly bad.
Now the schedule toughens. Conference play plus a trip to Rupp.
Bomb cyclone is the forecast.
No joke.
— c d kaplan