Mar 25, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Darius Miller (1) cuts down the net after defeating the Baylor Bears in the finals of the south region of the 2012 NCAA men

Some of the Louisville and Kentucky players are actually friends. MKG, Anthony Davis and Marquis Teague got especially close at the McDonalds All American Game last year. Terrence Jones and Peyton Siva share a West Coast connection. But today, none of that matters. It’s not personal, it’s business. And nobody knows that more than Darius Miller:

We’re not here to have fun or party or anything like that. We’re trying to win a championship.

The above picture is from the 1984 Mideast Regional Semifinals against the Louisville Cardinals at Rupp Arena. That was the fourth and last time that the Wildcats and Cardinals have met in the NCAA Tournament. Until 6:09 p.m. EDT tonight on CBS. In quite possibly the biggest sporting event in the history of this great Commonwealth of ours, Kentucky, #1 in the AP Poll and the 1 seed from the South Region, will battle hated intrastate rival Louisville, #17 in the AP Poll and the 4 seed from the West Region, for a berth into the national championship game. The stakes have never been higher for this rivalry and the winner of the game will have bragging rights for decades to come. This will also be the 44th meeting all-time between the two schools. Without further ado, here are some numbers and facts of interest headed into tonight’s game:

Mar 15, 2012; Louisville, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Terrence Jones (3) pulls down a rebound from Western Kentucky Hilltoppers guard T.J. Price (52) and guard Jamal Crook (14) during the second half in the second round of the 2012 NCAA men

We are getting so close to game day we can taste it.  Tomorrow marks the biggest game in the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s history, so let’s get some match-ups and see who will have the advantage.

Marquis Teague: 10 points, 4.8 assists 2.8 turnovers

v

Peyton Siva: 9.1 points, 5.6 assists, 3.5 turnovers

Both point guards are playing extremely well in the NCAA Tournament and both teams really drive their teams, so whoever wins this match-up will play a key factor in who will win the game.  Siva has played well since the start of the Big East Tournament but is turnover prone, and that is one thing that cannot happen to him for UL to win this game.  He also hasn’t played well against UK in any of his previous three games.  Teague has improved all year and will need to take care of the basketball against a suffocating UL defense.   Teague has played really well lately and is distributing the ball much better than he was earlier in the season.

Advantage: Even

]]> http://wildcatbluenation.com/2012/03/30/kentucky-wildcats-basketball-kentucky-vs-louisville-match-ups/feed/ 0 http://wildcatbluenation.com/2012/03/29/why-the-cinderella-image-does-not-work-for-the-louisville-cardinals/ http://wildcatbluenation.com/2012/03/29/why-the-cinderella-image-does-not-work-for-the-louisville-cardinals/#comments Thu, 29 Mar 2012 05:30:56 +0000 James Streble http://wildcatbluenation.com/?p=12045 The Louisville Cardinals are playing the part of Cinderella, you know, the team that wasn’t supposed to make it to the Final Four, but somehow they magically waltzed their way onto dance floor with the other beauties. The head coach, the players and the fans are almost giddy with excitement, talking about “shocking the world” [...]

Kentucky Wildcat Basketball: Why the “Cinderella” persona does not fit the Louisville Cardinals - Wildcat Blue Nation - Wildcat Blue Nation - A University of Kentucky Wildcats Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

The Louisville Cardinals are playing the part of Cinderella, you know, the team that wasn’t supposed to make it to the Final Four, but somehow they magically waltzed their way onto dance floor with the other beauties. The head coach, the players and the fans are almost giddy with excitement, talking about “shocking the world” and how they “aren’t supposed to be here.” It’s truly a special time for those in Cardinal land.

Put on the brakes. Louisville isn’t Cinderella. They are more like one of her ugly step-sisters. The “Cinderella Status” is usually reserved for those teams that are mid-majors that truly shock everyone by defeating the big boys. Butler, VCU, George Mason, Northern Iowa and Creighton are all teams that fit this description quite nicely.

Louisville, on the other hand? I don’t think so.

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Mar 25, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats fans react against the Baylor Bears during the finals of the south region of the 2012 NCAA men

The moment the Louisville Cardinals defeated Florida and punched their ticket to the Final Four, the pressure increased ten fold for the Kentucky Wildcats. As soon as their arch-rival advanced to the next round, it was imperative to do the same. To even fathom the idea that Kentucky would be sitting at home for the final two games of the tournament while Louisville continued to play on was not an option. Kentucky had to win. Not only to advance, but to make sure that the Cardinals didn’t have supreme bragging rights.

All of the pressure I am speaking of was not pressure felt by the team or the coaches. It was pressure felt by the fans. I doubt Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, Anthony Davis and the rest of the Wildcats were sitting in their hotel rooms Saturday night saying, “Louisville is going to the Final Four. That means we HAVE to win now!”

The players were more than likely focused on Baylor and Baylor alone. While the fan base of Kentucky looked ahead, the players remained focused on the task at hand.

Mar 25, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats celebrate with the trophy after defeating the Baylor Bears 82-70 in the finals of the south region of the 2012 NCAA men

The Final Four is set and the Kentucky Wildcats are a part of it for the second straight year. The Wildcats are the only team in the Final Four that have won every single tournament game by double digits. Their smallest margin of victory was 12 points. They defeated Indiana and Baylor both by 12, but the Baylor game was never close. John Calipari joked after the game that he stupidly told his team to let off the gas a little near the end of the contest.

Mar 23, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Darius Miller (1) smiles with teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (14) late in the game during the semifinals of the south region of the 2012 NCAA men

Two Final Four teams have already been set. Louisville will face the winner of Kentucky vs. Baylor and Ohio State will face the winner of North Carolina vs. Kansas. Kentucky and UNC are the two one seeds left and both are favored to win their games. Wildcats by seven over the Bears and the Tar Heels by two over the Jayhawks are what the boys in Las Vegas are telling us.

As I had predicted before the tournament started, all of the teams left are teams that were in the top 10 at some point during the season. There were no Cinderellas crashing the main stage like there has been in the previous years. Besides Baylor, every team left has a national championship banner hanging in their gym.

Mar 23, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Darius Miller (1) smiles with teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (14) late in the game during the semifinals of the south region of the 2012 NCAA men

By now we have all celebrated the epic NBA style game between the ‘Cats and the Hoosiers. Revenge was achieved, not it’s time for a quick turnaround in order to refocus. Instead of treating last night’s game as the end all be all, much like the IU fans did after December 10th, let’s just go ahead and move on.

The Baylor Bears are the next challenge for the Wildcats. Baylor’s road to the Elite Eight looks as if it was much easier for them seeding wise than it was for UK. The Wildcats have faced two single digit seeds (Iowa-9, IU-4) while the Bears have yet to do so (S Dakota State-14, Colorado-11, Xavier-10). It will be interesting to see how they deal with playing a team with more talent than them for the first time in the tournament thus far.

Mar 23, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Darius Miller (1) lays the ball up past Indiana Hoosiers forward Will Sheehey (10) and Cody Zeller (40) in the second half during the semifinals of the south region of the 2012 NCAA men

Remember when unhappy fans used to call Darius Miler “Disappearius” Miller? Remember when some Kentucky fans used to fret and wring their hands and wonder WHEN Darius Miller would start to play up to his potential? Remember when national pundits used to unmercifully attack John Calipari’s teams and deride the lack of leadership? Not any more on all three counts as Darius Miller has truly come into his own in this NCAA Tournament.