We know plenty about the Pac 12. Louisville in in the Big East, along with Syracuse among other teams. I turned to Cam Newton, writer for Fansided Louisville’s Big Red Louie to dispense some knowledge about the Cardinals.

Mar 21, 2013; Lexington , KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals center Gorgui Dieng (10) ; Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

We know they like to press on Defense and that they have some stars on offense, Newton explains, “Louisville’s defense is, as most know and as you said, incredibly strong; by most standards, it is the best defense in the country.  Something they aren’t as prolifically known for is their offense.  Louisville is a classic Rick Pitino team.  It’s a team built around a strong defense.  One so strong that, even if their offense is looking atrocious throughout the course of a game, they can still pull out the victory, as was the case earlier in the year where the Cards beat Syracuse in the Carrier Dome after shooting only 30%.  Luckily, it hasn’t come to that much this season.”

Oregon has shot between 30-45 percent in a good deal of it’s games this year, this is a similarity with the Cardinals as Newton continues, “As an added fact, Louisville ranks OUTSIDE of the top 100 in FG % this year, at about 45%.  But they still have 31 wins.  This all goes right back to that defensive efficiency that’s based around that strong backcourt tandem of Smith and Siva.”

As the Ducks have had their playmakers this season, so has Louisville, “There’s no doubt who the offensive catalyst is for this team-Russ Smith, the guard who is never afraid to have the ball in his hands.  Without Russ, it’s questionable as to how well this team would have been this season.  Gorgui and Siva are both great all-around, but neither have quite the shooting abilities that Russ has.  He is THE playmaker and the player Oregon will have to watch most.  With his hands and quickness, he will run up and snatch the ball, rush down court, and score before you can even bat an eye.  You can blink and he’d already have 20 points and 5+ steals on you.  He’s just that quick.  Oregon will need to try their hardest to contain him. That’s easier said than done.  He’s only been held under 10 points 3 times this season, one of those being the loss @ Villanova.  Oregon will need to try and use his quickness and steal attempts to their advantage by getting him in foul trouble and trying to make him play so quickly offensively that he turns the ball over.  But that’s the bad thing about playing Louisville.” 

Mar 16, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Russ Smith (2)  Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Similar to the Ducks, Louisville is solid on the bench, “You get one guard in foul trouble and there’s another one right there that’s equally as talented.  Siva can’t quite shoot as well as Russ, but he’s just as nasty and quick defensively and is the obvious floor general for this team, dishing out assists, calling plays, etc.”

Where does Newton see the focus for the Ducks? “Oregon needs to keep their focus on this backcourt.  Although, even if they do that, Gorgui and Chane are always in the post ready to throw it down and make the tough plays.  Just a hard team to play against due to the all-around talent.”

There are a lot of similarities to these two teams as you are beginning to see. Another area is injuries, as Oregon was without Freshman Dominic Artis for a month of the Pac 12 Season, Louisville was also without key players this season, on was an ACL injury to Guard Mike Marra last season, who was attempting a comeback and reinjured his ACL going into his senior year before it even started. The other injury was more serious for the team. Defensive Player of the Year Gurgui Dieng broke a bone in his wrist and was out 4-6 weeks. However other players were able to step in and step up. Newton explains,  ” Ultimately, Dieng missed 4-6 weeks, including the championship game of that tourney (which they lost to Duke).  In that time frame of Gorgui’s absence, Louisville lost to Duke and had some very close calls against Illinois State and Memphis, ultimately winning both.  In the time during Gorgui’s injury, Louisville Forwards Stephan Van Treese and Montrezl Harrell saw a significant rise in their playing time, and made up for the loss of Louisville’s star center by providing an excellent post presence, rebounding the ball very well.”

March 23, 2013; San Jose, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Damyean Dotson (21) celebrates with guard Dominic Artis (1)  Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Going into Friday’s Tournament Game, Oregon is on a roll.  Damyean Dotson scored 23 against St Louis, his first five 3 point attempts were good. Louisville is built for defense, but there is a player to watch that will impact the game.

Newton says, “I think it goes without saying that Russ Smith is on fire at the moment.  After scoring 23 and 27 points in the first two games of the NCAA tournament and hitting 4-7 from three point land in the game against Colorado State, Russ Smith has just been on.  This is something that is very pleasing to see, considering the fact that he isn’t always the best at shooting for the Cards.  If he gets too trigger-happy on a night that he’s not hitting, the Cards could very well be sent home.”

Cam Newton writes for Fansided’s BigRedLouie(Louisville Cardinals) site.

Oregon Ducks This Week: 

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Jan 19, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Dominic Artis (1) drives past UCLA Bruins forward Travis Wear (24) during the game at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

In his first meeting with Oregon Reporters on Wednesday, Freshman Guard Dominic Artis said his injured foot is feeling better and he’s ready to go.

“Definitely conditioning was an issue, but I’ve been going real hard at that, just working out in a pool and stuff and trying to get my heart rate up. Definitely ready for this game tomorrow.” Artis on his injury

Playing in San Jose will be a homecoming for Artis, since his high school is in nearby Richmond, California. We can only hope that his homecoming comes as successful as teammate Johnathan Loyd’s in Las Vegas during the Pac 12 Tournament. He was a big part of the Ducks winning the Pac 12 Championship against UCLA last week.

Dana Altman’s team has been busy getting ready for Oklahoma State on Thursday in San Jose. He spoke on Wednesday with Jim Rome about the NCAA Tournament, Artis and his injury and the season.

Tipoff is scheduled for 1:40 PM, Pacific Time on Thursday. The game will be broadcast on TNT. If you have a computer, you can watch for free – go to MarchMadness.com and simply enter your cable/satellite provider to get access for the game.

Oregon Ducks This Week:

LinkedUp: Bracketology 101, Don’t Be A Moron And The Oregon 1939 Championship Revisited

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From JimRome.com here were some of the topics discussed and a link to the interview:

March 16, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman cuts the net after the championship game of the Pac 12 tournament against the UCLA Bruins at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Oregon defeated UCLA 78-69. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Reaction to the #12 Seed they received in the NCAA Tournament | Marcus Smart and Oklahoma State | UCLA | They’re going to have a problem with Smart | Smart being a big guard | E.J. Singler | Losing Dominic Artis in midseason for a while | Artis trying to carry the team too much sense he’s returned | Players needing to play within themselves | The first 8 minutes against Oklahoma State will be critical | CYT | Coach Your Team  | His career | Winning 600 games | Has had the opportunity to coach a lot of great kids | Mitch Richmond | No coach is any good without good players |

Dana on the #12 seed they received from the NCAA Committee for the Tournament:

“Little surprised but it’s just a number.”

Radio Interview Link: http://jimrome.com/2013/03/20/dana-altman/

Oregon Ducks This Week:

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