Cats should be confident in second matchup with Cards
March 28, 2014
By David Schuh | Basketball columnist
Over the last month, there have been few reasons to believe UK had a chance to advance very far in the NCAA Tournament. With the team regressing rather than peaking, Cats fans would have feared a potential matchup with the University of Louisville in March.
But that was before the SEC Tournament. Whatever UK figured out that week stuck, and the Cats enter the Sweet 16 this weekend riding a wave of momentum.
For three reasons they should have a ton of confidence in Indianapolis on Friday night:
Size advantage:
UK outrebounded Louisville by eight in December, a number that is far from the Cats’ best this season. But the Cardinals’ leading rebounder that day, Chane Behanan, was dismissed from the team shortly thereafter.
Even with Behanan, Louisville had a serious size disadvantage. Without him in the game, the Cats have an even bigger disparity in length at every position.
And it isn’t just in the frontcourt. UK freshman guards Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison and James Young are all 6 feet 6 inches, much taller than Louisville guards Chris Jones and Russ Smith, who stand five or more inches shorter.
And when Jones and Smith implore the Cardinals’ typical frenetic full-court press, UK’s guards should have little trouble using their size to go through and over the Louisville defense.
Cardinals’ stumbles:
Entering the NCAA Tournament, Louisville was everyone’s darling and for the right reason.
The Cardinals had won 14 of their last 15 and were not just winning, but obliterating teams on their way to the American Athletic Conference Championship.
But in two NCAA Tournament games, Louisville has looked beatable. First, 13-seed Manhattan College not only hung with the Cardinals, but actually held a three-point lead with less than four minutes to go.
Louisville snuck out the win late, but again didn’t start well in its third-round game against Saint Louis University. Again, the Cardinals turned it on late, but UK’s play won’t vary as much as those first two opponents’ did.
If Louisville starts the way it did last week, the Cats could build a lead that won’t be so easy to overcome.
Cats surging:
The biggest reason for UK’s confidence should be its own sudden momentum. While it clicked later than expected, the Cats’ potential may finally have been reached. The result has been four wins in five games, the only loss coming by one point against the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament.
UK is playing its best basketball of the season, and after beating previously undefeated Wichita State University in the round of 32, the Cats’ self-belief is as high as it has ever been this year.
This is a rivalry game, one with much more on the line than usual. Louisville has the experience; UK has the talented youth.
But given their own momentum, physical advantages and the knowledge that they beat the Cardinals three months ago, the Cats should take the floor Friday with unbridled confidence.
