[Stardust]

UL's biggest issues right now:
1. They depend sooooo heavily on Samuels and Sosa to be their primary offensive threats. I said before the season that UL's biggest concern was the fact that they don't have a 2 or 3 with the ability to create offense, that their current players depend on their teammates to free them up, and that is very true. Sosa has really stepped his game up, but it still remains that when Samuels is having an off night (which seems to be happening more and more) UL then has to rely on very inconsistent shooters to fill the void.

2. The defensive intensity of this team is nowhere remotely close to being that of the past few years. In previous seasons the Cards could rely on their defensive pressure to disrupt opposing teams and give them points off turnovers, this year's team is slow to rotate, inadequate at blocking shots, and the guards don't have the ability to lock down scorers.

3. As a direct result of their defense being unable to create sudden change baskets with their pressure, UL is not displaying the ability to have those long sustained spurts (unlike UK who is killing teams with this). UL in the past couple years could slack off or play without complete focus and still blow out teams because they could go on these 12-20 point swings. This team does not have that ability to do this night in and night out.

4. Cohesion. I can't stnd UL, but I will give credit where it is due and say that the teams in the past few years have actually been fun to watch play other teams. They were agressive, they always made the extra pass, and they played in unison. For whatever reason that is gone this year. I don't know if it is lasting effects from Sypher-gate and Pitino's 5 months of hiding,or what, but UL plays like a bunch of line bearded individuals.

EKU, this is a great post. I could not have put it down on paper as well as you did, but two things stood out to me that were not typical of Pitino teams: Defense and Cohesion (teamwork). My direct assumption is that this is Pitino's fault. I'm confident that the offcourt issues that he has subjected himself, family, team and school to, has had an affect. I do not believe that Pitino's focus is at the same level. That translates to the team.

Anyhow, great post.

[theVILLE]

UL's biggest issues right now:
1. They depend sooooo heavily on Samuels and Sosa to be their primary offensive threats. I said before the season that UL's biggest concern was the fact that they don't have a 2 or 3 with the ability to create offense, that their current players depend on their teammates to free them up, and that is very true. Sosa has really stepped his game up, but it still remains that when Samuels is having an off night (which seems to be happening more and more) UL then has to rely on very inconsistent shooters to fill the void.

2. The defensive intensity of this team is nowhere remotely close to being that of the past few years. In previous seasons the Cards could rely on their defensive pressure to disrupt opposing teams and give them points off turnovers, this year's team is slow to rotate, inadequate at blocking shots, and the guards don't have the ability to lock down scorers.

3. As a direct result of their defense being unable to create sudden change baskets with their pressure, UL is not displaying the ability to have those long sustained spurts (unlike UK who is killing teams with this). UL in the past couple years could slack off or play without complete focus and still blow out teams because they could go on these 12-20 point swings. This team does not have that ability to do this night in and night out.

4. Cohesion. I can't stnd UL, but I will give credit where it is due and say that the teams in the past few years have actually been fun to watch play other teams. They were agressive, they always made the extra pass, and they played in unison. For whatever reason that is gone this year. I don't know if it is lasting effects from Sypher-gate and Pitino's 5 months of hiding,or what, but UL plays like a bunch of line bearded individuals.

Great post

[More Cowbell]

:Clap: :Clap: :Clap:

Glad to see the Catamounts did not fall victim to the upset bug that affected many other teams this weekend. :biggrin:

[Aslan]

You're kidding yourself if you think this year's Louisville team is going to overachieve like last years!

Last years team did not overachieve, they had two lottery picks.