Tomorrow night is it, Cats vs. Cards in the round of sixteen in Indianapolis. This game has all the makings of an epic battle between two interstate rivals with the winner moving on to the Elite Eight to face either Michigan or Tennessee.
The Cats and Cards play every year, but when they meet in the NCAA Tournament, things get interesting. It's a game like this that cause family members not to speak for several months afterwards or cause married couples to come to the brink of divorce. The sad part... I'm not joking.
This rivalry is one of if not the greatest in all of college basketball and tomorrow night the nation will see exactly why. With the game being played in Indiana, it will virtually be a home game for both the Cats and the Cards. Each fan base will show up in force, they will take over the city and at 9:45pm tomorrow night, a line will be drawn in the sand as it will be brother against brother in the stands.
Both teams are playing some of their best basketball of the season at just the right time, so predicting this game in next to impossible. I know the experts have made their picks, but trust me, with a rivalry as fierce as this one is, you absolutely CANNOT pick who is going to win as everyone plays on a whole other level when the ball is tipped.
Neither team had a very easy road to reach this point. Louisville had to first face-off against the Manhattan Jaspers, a game in which you seen Rick Pitino square off against a former player/assistant in Steve Masiello. Despite Masiello knowing every move that Pitino was going to make, the Cards outlasted the Jaspers 71-64. Then in the second round, St. Louis put up quite a fight before falling to Louisville by a score of 66-51.
Kentucky's road was a little more difficult as they opened the tournament against a very physical Kansas State team. Despite the Cats not playing their best, Kentucky ended up winning 56-49. In the second round, Kentucky met up with undefeated (35-0) #1 seed, the Wichita State Shockers, a game that nearly EVERYONE had the Cats losing. But, when the game started, what Kentucky fans seen on the floor was something they had hoped and waited for since the season began... a TEAM. For the first time all season, Kentucky was playing as a team and doing it well. They withstood every punch WSU threw their way and gutted out their most impressive win of the season 78-76
Now here we are, a little over 24 hours away from one of the most intense games that the state of Kentucky can handle. For some reason, this game feels more tense than the Final Four match-up between these two in 2012. The Cats come in starting five freshman while the Cards start three seniors, a junior and a sophomore. It will be an interesting match-up to say the least.
Here's some stats to give some idea of what you can expect from the Cards tomorrow night...
(click to enlarge)
The things that the Cats will need to take care of are the same as they have been all season long. They will have to take REALLY good care of the ball and not have so many unforced turnovers. With Louisville averaging 10 steals per contest, that could be a recipe for disaster if the Cats turn the ball over at a very high rate. Kentucky will also have to grab rebounds both offensively and defensively to have a shot in this game. You simply cannot allow Louisville to have second and third chance opportunities to score because they will make you pay. The three point line is going to be very important to watch in this game. If Russ Smith, Montrezl Harrell, Luke Hancock or anyone else gets open looks from outside and they make them, then it's game over. Back in December, Kentucky held Louisville to 23% (6-25) from three point land which is what won them the game. It will take another defensive effort like that tomorrow night for the Cats to have a shot at winning.
This game is going to be insane for lack of a better word. Both fan bases are beyond nervous despite what they might say out loud. Neither of them wanted to see this match-up just for the simple fact of how intense the rivalry is. What if the other team wins, how will you be able to put up with all the trash talk the next day at work and for many months to come? How will you be able to stand sitting through the game without getting physically ill? It's pure agony watching this game, it literally kills your soul. Just the absolute fear that your team may lose and ALL OF THIS is what makes this game and rivalry so great. The passion these two fan bases have is simply unparalleled; no one can match it no matter what other fans or ESPN would like for you to believe.
John Calipari made a comment during Big Blue Madness this year "We don't just play college basketball, we ARE college basketball." I agree with that statement, every single word of it. However, the love for basketball doesn't only come from the Big Blue Nation, the state as a WHOLE has such a passion for college basketball and their respective teams that it borderlines obsession, an obsession that they love and take extreme pride in and don't care to show it.
Tomorrow night is it. Tomorrow night, one fan base is going to be celebrating like they won the National Championship while the other will be figuring out the best way to end the pain. Tomorrow night.... Cats.... Cards...... This is IT...
GO CATS AND BELIEVE IN THE TWEAK!!!!!
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