Cincy Sporting News » Louisville

South Florida tops Louisville 24-21 in OT

admin — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 13:02:43 +0000

Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — South Florida is making a habit of winning by a hair. The Bulls rallied in a nail-biter against Louisville, erasing a two-score deficit as they notched a 24-21 win in overtime on Saturday.

Sophomore kicker Maikon Bonani, who missed what would have been the game-winning field goal in regulation, hit a 37-yard field goal to give South Florida (6-3, 3-2 Big East) bowl eligibility for the sixth straight season.

The Bulls struggled early, falling behind 14-3 in the first half.

But Louisville’s mistakes on offense and special teams allowed South Florida to get back into it.

With the game tied at 21 with two seconds left, the Bulls had a chance at victory on a 52-yard Bonani field goal. Louisville coach Charlie Strong twice called time out to ice Bonani, the second time just as he booted one that would have been successful, but was immediately waved off by the officials. Bonani’s next attempt was wide to the left.

In the first overtime series, Louisville made it as far as the 4-yard line. With a fourth-and-inches situation, the Cardinals opted to try for the first down instead of a field goal but failed to convert on a quarterback sneak.

After the Bulls’ offense ran the ball to the 20-yard line, Bonani easily hit his field goal for the win.

South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels threw for 87 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore running back Demetris Murray added 106 yards rushing.

Louisville reserve quarterback Justin Burke threw for 146 yards and three touchdowns, while senior running back Bilal Powell added 140 yards on the ground — his sixth triple-digit rushing game this season.

Louisville (5-5, 2-3) saw its first-half lead vanish after the Bulls capitalized on a botched punt and interception.

Louisville starts strong, tops E. Kentucky 23-13

admin — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 11:38:56 +0000

Associated Press

Louisville's Adam Froman looks to pass while trying to elude the Colonel defense. (By Matt Stone, The Courier-Journal) Sept. 11, 2010

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville senior quarterback Adam Froman passed for 219 yards and a touchdown as the Cardinals beat Eastern Kentucky 23-13 on Saturday.

Froman threw for 190 of his yards in the first half, including the touchdown to Doug Beaumont, who had 83 yards on four catches.

It was the first win for the Cardinals (1-1) under first-year coach Charlie Strong. They lost their opener 23-16 to Kentucky.

Louisville, donning special helmets adorned with stars and stripes to mark the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks nine years ago, outlasted the Colonels (0-2) after scoring all of its points in the second quarter.

The teams combined for 25 penalties and 197 penalty yards.

Louisville went three-and-out on its first two possessions, but Froman supplied a spark late in the first quarter by scrambling for 30 yards and throwing two 20-yard passes before running back Bilal Powell ran 2 yards for the first score early in the second quarter.

Three series later, with the Colonels pinned in their own end zone, a holding penalty against Eastern Kentucky freshman tight end Nathan Watts gave Louisville a safety.

With Louisville’s offense already clicking, Froman threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Beaumont. It was the senior receiver’s first touchdown reception as a Cardinal. Powell added a rushing touchdown before halftime on the following series for a 23-0 lead.

A blowout seemed to be brewing, but Louisville’s offense never regained rhythm after halftime.

Eastern Kentucky managed to get on the board late in the third quarter when junior linebacker Jeremy Caldwell intercepted Froman and ran 80 yards for a touchdown. The Colonels scored again with only 2:28 left in the game, missing a two-point conversion attempt.

The Colonels never threatened to pull off the same kind of mid-major upset potential that fellow Ohio Valley Conference member Jacksonville State did in beating Mississippi last Saturday.

Eastern Kentucky quarterback T.J. Pryor, a Louisville native, threw for 315 yards in the Colonels’ opening game loss against Missouri State but managed only 91 yards in three quarters against the Cardinals.

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Samuels enters NBA Draft

admin — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 01:42:30 +0000

Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)—Louisville center Samardo Samuels has declared for the NBA Draft but will not hire an agent, leaving open the possibility of returning for his junior season.

Samardo Samuels has declared for the NBA Draft but will not hire an agent.

Cardinals coach Rick Pitino said Samuels and his family approached Pitino about testing the NBA draft and that he supports Samuels “100 percent.”

The 6-foot-9, 265-pound sophomore has until May 8 to withdraw from draft consideration. He averaged 15.3 points and 7.0 rebounds last season for the Cardinals.

Pitino said he will orchestrate Samuels’ meetings with NBA teams.

Sypher wants trial moved from Louisville

admin — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 02:05:30 +0000

Associated Press

Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The woman accused of attempting to extort money from University of Louisville men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino is asking a judge to move her trial out of Louisville.

Federal court records show the attorney for Karen Cunigan Sypher filed a motion in U.S. District Court on Friday that asks that the June trial be moved to Bowling Green or Owensboro. She argues extensive media coverage would make it difficult to find impartial jurors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Kuhn told The Courier-Journal on Saturday that the government will oppose the move, but said he will explain why in a filed response with the court next week.

Sypher has pleaded not guilty to trying to extort money from Pitino, retaliating against a witness and lying to the FBI.

Louisville 62, California 77

admin — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:53:32 +0000

Associated Press

Jerry Smith #34 of the Louisville Cardinals reaches around to foul Jerome Randle #3 of the California Golden Bears during the first round of the 2010 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Jacksonville Veteran's Memorial Arena on March 19, 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jerome Randle and Theo Robertson scored 21 points apiece and eighth-seeded California squandered most of a seemingly comfortable lead before pulling away to 77-62 victory over ninth-seeded Louisville on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

California’s distractions seem about as distant now as the Pacific Ocean.

That disappointing loss in the Pac-10 tournament? Getting sent across the country to open the NCAA tournament? The suspension of a starter?

The Golden Bears overcame them all – and showed even more resiliency in the first round against Louisville.

Jerome Randle, Patrick Christopher and Theo Robertson – Cal’s senior stars – stole the show, carrying the eighth-seeded Bears to a 77-62 victory over the No. 9 seed Friday night and advancing to the second round for the first time since 2003.

Randle and Robertson scored 21 points apiece, Christopher added 17 and the Bears (24-10) responded to everything the Cardinals (20-13) could muster in the South Regional game at Veterans Memorial Arena.

Their reward? No. 1 seed Duke on Sunday.

The Bears don’t want to think about that one just yet. They’d rather savor this victory. There was plenty to enjoy, too.

They jumped out to an 18-point lead, watched Louisville whittle it down to six, then pulled back out front by 14. They watched that lead get cut to 62-58 with 6:55 remaining, then stepped on the gas for good. Cal finished the game on a 15-4 run.

Rakeem Buckles led Louisville with 20 points. Samardo Samuels added 16.

But the inconsistent Cardinals had no answers early and even less late. Coach Rick Pitino tried to foul Max Zhang in the final minutes, attempting to send the 50-percent free throw shooter to the line, but officials called Kyle Kuric for an intentional foul that got the coach’s blood boiling and led to a technical.

Randle and Zhang made their free throws, ending any thoughts of a late comeback.

Cal shot 51 percent from the field, even better from 3-point range (53.3 percent) and made 17 of 22 free throws. But the real damage came in the opening minutes.

The game was delayed 19 minutes because of a malfunctioning shot clock, but once it started, the Cardinals looked like the ones who needed repairs. They missed 11 of their first 13 shots and had no answer for the hot-shooting Bears.

Cal connected on seven of its first 10 shots, including four of six from 3-point range, and opened an 18-point lead with a little more than 6 minutes gone in the game.

Christopher, taking advantage of so much attention on Randle, hit three from behind the arc. Jamal Boykin dropped a couple of jumpers, Robertson chipped in five points and, all of a sudden, no one was questioning whether Cal would miss suspended forward Omondi Amoke.

Amoke was “temporarily suspended” for an undisclosed violation of team rules. Coach Mike Montgomery went with a three-guard lineup, starting Jorge Gutierrez. The move paid off, as Gutierrez hit a couple shots and dished out four assists in the first half.

Louisville, meanwhile, couldn’t seem to do anything right.

The Cardinals had three turnovers in their first eight possessions, got called for an intentional foul and even had a band member yelling, “Don’t be afraid to score.”

Pitino even seemed to get into a heated confrontation with an assistant coach during one timeout. Pitino was equally short-tempered with his players.

But they responded. After trailing 22-4, the Cards started getting to loose balls, creating turnovers, grabbing offensive rebounds and hitting 3s.

They really got things turned around with a 12-0 run that made it 30-24 with 6:48 remaining in the half. Edgar Sosa hit a jumper in the lane, Buckles got a steal and a layup, Samuels got an easy one in the paint and then Jared Swopshire and Buckles hit 3-pointers.

But Cal cranked it back up. Randle made two free throws, Christopher hit a 12-footer and then Randle drained a long-range 3 at the buzzer. He missed his first two shots from behind the arc, but this one swished the net and had Louisville’s players shaking their heads as they headed to the locker room.

They never really recovered.

Louisville vs California Preview

admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:18:00 +0000

Associated Press

9:45 PM ET, March 19, 2010 Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, FL

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)—California and Louisville are shuffling their starting lineups for their first-round matchup in the NCAA tournament.

The Golden Bears had to. The Cardinals wanted to.

Cal coach Mike Montgomery suspended starting forward Omondi Amoke indefinitely for an unspecified violation of team rules. Louisville coach Rick Pitino benched forward Terrence Jennings in favor of Jared Swopshire, hoping a smaller frontcourt combination will clear out the lane for leading scorer Samardo Samuels.

Both moves could be key when the eighth-seeded Bears (23-10) and ninth-seeded Cardinals (20-12) meet in the South Region on Friday at Jacksonville Veterans Arena.

“Well, just like life, things are going to be thrown at you, and the way you handle it, I think, defines you,” Cal guard Patrick Christopher said. “We can’t really worry about things that we can’t control. This is a situation that we can’t control. We have to move forward with it, work with the guys and work with our chemistry that we have. I think we’ll be fine.”

Montgomery said Amoke is “temporarily suspended” and didn’t make the cross country trip with his teammates. “That’s what it is. The kid made a mistake and we felt like we had to take action, and we did, and pretty much the end of the story.”

Cal declined to divulge what prompted Amoke’s suspension and played down his absence—little surprise since he averaged 4.8 points and 4.6 rebounds, and had more fouls (72) than baskets (58) this season.

Still, the loss leaves the Bears with less muscle and a new rotation against Louisville. That could mean a big game for Samuels, one of the Big East’s best big men. The 6-foot-9 Jamaican leads the team with 15.3 points and 7.0 rebounds, and had five double-doubles.

“We really need to pound it into Samardo and let him get going early for us,” said guard Jerry Smith, who will return to the starting lineup after missing the Big East tournament with a thumb injury. “That’s going to be the main factor.”

The 6-10 Jennings had started 10 of the last 13 games alongside Samuels. But Pitino believes the 6-8 Swopshire, who started early in the season, will make it easier for Samuels down low.

“We’re going to try to open it up a little bit with Jared,” Pitino said.

Swopshire also could help more on the perimeter. Cal has three regulars shooting better than 40 percent from 3-point range.

Although Theo Robertson (44 percent) and Jorge Gutierrez (42 percent) are more accurate, Pac-10 player of the year Jerome Randle might be the most dangerous.

Randle is averaging 18.7 points, has made 88 3-pointers and shown the kind of range that forces many opponents to pick him up near midcourt.

“If I see an opening, if I feel like that’s sagging off, I’m pretty sure I can hit from there if I’m really on top of my game,” he said. “One thing I know is they’re not going to give me a lot of open shots anyway, so I have to figure out another way to get my teammates involved or score with the basketball.”

Guard play could be huge for both teams.

The Bears start three senior guards in Christopher, Randle and Robertson. The trio helped Cal win its first Pac-10 championship in 50 years and reach the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year.

Cal lost to Maryland in the opening round last season, and those seniors don’t want to end their careers like they did last year.

“Last year, we came in not really knowing what to expect coming here to compete and play basketball,” Christopher said. “But this year, we have another year under our belt … so taking that into account I think we’re pretty well prepared for something like this.”

The Cardinals feel the same way. The backcourt duo of Smith and Edgar Sosa had led Louisville to the regional finals the last two years—and could have the talent to get even further this year.

“We’ve been to two straight Elite Eights, coming off a Big East championship the year before, so we have a lot of experience in the backcourt,” Pitino said. “This is their fourth NCAA tournament appearance, our backcourt. So I think they know what it’s all about.”

Big East Conference Tournament 3-13-2010

admin — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 14:01:48 +0000

Big East Conference Tournament

Monroe leads Hoyas into Big East title game

Associated Press
NEW YORK — Greg Monroe had 23 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 22 Georgetown finally got the better of Marquette in a 80-57 victory Friday night that sent the Hoyas to the Big East tournament title game for the third time in four years.

Butler, No. 7 West Virginia survive Notre Dame

Associated Press
NEW YORK — Da’Sean Butler, West Virginia’s last-second hero in the quarterfinals, scored 24 points to lead the seventh-ranked Mountaineers to a 53-51 victory over Notre Dame on Friday night in the Big East tournament semifinals.

UP NEXT

West Virginia vs. Georgetown for Big East title
9:00 PM ET, March 13, 2010
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Big East Conference Tournament 3-12-2010

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:14:42 +0000

Big East Conference Tournament

West Virginia sinks Cincinnati at the buzzer in Big East tournament

Associated Press
NEW YORK — West Virginia became the only one of the conference’s top four seeds to advance to the semifinals when Da’Sean Butler took an inbounds pass and banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Mountaineers (No. 6 ESPN/USA Today, No. 7 AP) a 54-51 victory over Cincinnati on Thursday night. (Full Story)

Wright leads Georgetown past top-seeded Syracuse

Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Chris Wright scored 27 points and No. 22 Georgetown sailed past No. 3 Syracuse with an impressive second-half surge, beating the top-seeded Orange 91-84 in the Big East tournament quarterfinals Thursday.

Though still a strong candidate for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, Syracuse (28-4) sustained a potentially costly loss when starting center Arinze Onuaku injured his right knee with 5:07 remaining.

Hayward helps Golden Eagles hold off Wildcats

Associated Press
NEW YORK — Lazar Hayward gave Marquette the lead for good with a 3-pointer with 1:51 to play, then added the clinching free throws with 3.2 seconds left, and the Golden Eagles went on to another close win, 80-76 over No. 10 Villanova on Thursday in the Big East tournament quarterfinals.

Fifth-seeded Marquette (22-10) will face eighth-seeded Georgetown in the semifinals Friday night. The loss for fourth-seeded Villanova (24-7), coupled with top-seeded Syracuse’s 91-84 loss to the Hoyas earlier, dropped the teams that had earned double byes to 0-2 – and both came against teams they had beaten twice during the season.

Harangody, Notre Dame hold off Pittsburgh 50-45

Associated Press
NEW YORK — Draining the shot clock on nearly every possession and relying on stout defense, Notre Dame is playing its best basketball of the season at the perfect time.

Luke Harangody came off the bench and hit three key free throws in the final two minutes, helping the Fighting Irish hold off No. 16 Pittsburgh 50-45 in the Big East tournament quarterfinals Thursday night for their season-best sixth straight victory.

Big East Conference Tournament 3-11-2010

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:42:05 +0000

Big East Conference Tournament

Vaughn leads Cincy over Louisville in Big East

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Cincinnati has rebounded quite well in getting comfortable at the Big East tournament.

The 11th-seeded Bearcats again used a huge advantage on the boards to beat sixth-seeded Louisville 69-66 on Wednesday night to advance to the quarterfinals. They are the only team to play in the opening round still playing, and it was rebounding that keyed both close wins. (Full Story)

Clark, Monroe spur No. 22 Hoyas past South Florida

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Georgetown coach John Thompson III has a remarkable knack for making a difficult game sound simple.

Take, for instance, his approach to guarding Dominique Jones. The South Florida star ripped apart the Hoyas the last time the two teams met, and was coming off an impressive performance that helped his team reach the second round of the Big East tournament.

“I just yelled at the guys, ‘Guard him!’” Thompson said, grinning.

They sure listened, and didn’t stop with the league’s second-leading scorer. The No. 22 Hoyas frustrated South Florida all over the court in a 69-49 second-round victory Wednesday, propelling them into a marquee matchup with regular-season champion Syracuse.

Marquette shakes off St. John’s, advances to Big East quarterfinals

Associated Press

NEW YORK — When Marquette plays another Big East team no one is allowed out of their seat in the final minutes.

How about this stat?

In their 19 games against conference foes this season, the Golden Eagles have had 12 games decided by three points or less. They have won six of the last seven of those, the latest a 57-55 victory over St. John’s on Wednesday in the second round of the Big East tournament.

Healthy Harangody guides Notre Dame into Big East quarterfinals

Associated Press

NEW YORK — With a healthy Luke Harangody back in top form, Notre Dame stopped Seton Hall in its run-and-gun tracks to take another big step toward the NCAA tournament.

Harangody had 20 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, and the Fighting Irish shut down Seton Hall’s high-octane offense for a 68-56 victory in the second round of the Big East tournament Wednesday night.

Big East Conference Tournament 3-10-2010

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:32:42 +0000

Big East Conference Tournament

Rutgers 68, Cincinnati 69
NEW YORK — Lance Stephenson picked up the hardware, then helped Cincinnati finally get a Big East tournament win.

The New York native was selected the conference’s Rookie of the Year on Tuesday afternoon. About 6 hours later, he backed up the choice by making the game-deciding free throw with 1.8 seconds to play and the Bearcats beat Rutgers 69-68 in the opening round. (Full Story)

DePaul 49, South Florida 58
NEW YORK — Dominique Jones had 20 points and nine rebounds, and South Florida beat DePaul 58-49 in the Big East tournament opener Tuesday for its fourth straight victory.

St. John’s 73, Connecticut 51
NEW YORK — For the fifth straight year, Connecticut left the Big East tournament without winning a game. And for the second time in the run, there won’t be an NCAA tournament bid to offset the hurt.

St. John’s ran away from the Huskies 73-51 on Tuesday, extending their Big East tournament losing streak to six games and beating them for the first time since February 2002, a stretch of nine games.

Providence 106, Seton Hall 109
NEW YORK — Seton Hall and Providence raced up and down the court, playing little defense in a one-sided game that felt like a school-yard mismatch most of the night.

That is, until Providence nearly pulled off a colossal comeback.

Herb Pope had 27 points and 11 rebounds, and Seton Hall built a huge second-half lead before barely holding off a furious Friars rally for a 109-106 victory in the first round of the Big East tournament Tuesday night.