Mar 29, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Louisville Cardinals center Gorgui Dieng (10) drives between Oregon Ducks forward Arsalan Kazemi (left) and center Zach Price (25) in the first half during the semifinals of the Midwest regional of the 2013 NCAA tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

It took about 10 minutes of the first half for the Ducks(28-8) to get settled in playing against the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament,  Louisville(31-5). The Cardinals biggest lead was 16 in the first half, but Oregon was able to cut that in half with 8 minutes left. By the end of the first half, Freshman Damyean Dotson and Senior Carlos Emory bot had two fouls and Junior Johnathan Loyd had 3 fouls, the third questionable on a ball steal.  Damyean Dotson was way off and 0-6 from the field in the half for the Ducks. Oregon was 11 for 27 from the field and missing (possibly) needed free throws going 4 for 9.

“We Definitely Thought We Could Have Got This One” – Freshman Dominic Artis

The Cardinals Peyton Siva was in foul trouble early and left after playing the first 5 minutes with two fouls, Russ Smith had 16 for the Cardinals. For the half Louisville shot close to 60 percent. Oregon shot 40 percent.

Louisville had the most points allowed by the Ducks in a first half of play this season, 45-31.

In the second half, Oregon was able to get it to 10. At the 8 minute mark, Louisville had a block against Carlos Emory and then hit a three on the other end. Oregon then went on a 7-0 run. The Ducks then got it to 6 briefly and then it was again extended to 10.

Oregon was not able to keep up with Louisville and the Cardinals made some solid blocks on Defense in the last few minutes of the game. Carlos Emory fouled out with 10 points. E.J. Singler led the Ducks with 15, followed by Dotson and Artis with 12 each.

Louisville’s Russ Smith had 31 points in the Cardinals victory.

Amazing Season for Oregon from being Picked 7th in the Pac 12 to Getting though a lot of adversity to make it to the NCAA Sweet 16. Nothing to be ashamed of. It’s good they had Senior leadership to get them there and now the Freshman will look to lead this team back.

The Cardinals Advance to the Elite 8 to face Duke on Sunday. The teams have not faced each other in the NCAA Tournament since 1989. The coaches were the same. Mike Krzyzewski for Duke and Rick Pitino for Louisville. Two programs that don’t fire their coach for winning Championships.

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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.

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Oregon Basketball Gets Ready for the #1 Overall Seed Louisville and No Respect is Headed Oregon’s Way 

I find you can never know enough about your opponent, especially when it comes to Louisville. Everyone from ESPN to CBS isn’t giving the Ducks the slightest chance against the Cardinals, and I’m sure that’s just the way Oregon wants it. A little added motivation never hurt any. Even the folks in the betting world are giving Louisville about a 10 point edge as of this report.

Louisville is going to be tough for the Ducks, and like Oregon, they have a good mix of players. Many have commented that they wished that the Tournament Committee reseeded the Tournament once it reached the Sweet 16. Well, ESPN has granted that wish. Oregon was seeded 9th overall, placing as a 3 seed for the ‘Sweet 16′.

Oregon Head Coach Dana Altman was on the radio in Portland on Monday talking about Louisville with John Canzano(host of the Bald Faced Truth).

Speaking of Madness, According to Mashable.com, 26 percent of those who watched the first rounds of the NCAA Tournament used their mobile device. Check out some of the other cool stats as well, including what networks spend now for coverage compared to 30 years ago.

Oregon faces off with Louisville on Friday at 4:15pm PT on CBS.

NFL Draft is about a month away. One Mock Draft has Philly Picking the Obvious…

He worked with Chip Kelly when he was Head Coach for Oregon and one mock draft, I’m sure there are several have Philly taking Dion Jordan with the #4 pick. Another post Combine Report says not so fast. However, the  familiarity factor may make this pick too easy to make.

Jan 13, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) warms up before the NFC divisional playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Cal Bears Offer a Surprise at Their Spring Game, Could Ducks do the Same?

It was a pleaseant surprise during the Cal Spring Game on Saturday, as the Bears get set for the 2013 season. Seattle Seahawks Running Back and Cal Alum Marshawn Lynch entered the game on a 4th Down play and scored a touchdown.

It’s the Spring game, so I guess you can do stuff like that. How awesome would it be to see LaMichael at Autzen – it would be worth the price of admission, which is free. The Spring Game for the Ducks is Saturday, April 27th at 11am PT. The game will be broadcast live on the Pac 12 Networks.

Speaking of the Spring game, OregonLive.com looks at Running Back Byron Marshall, and the Register Guard has a look at the ‘language’ of the Oregon Ducks.

Oregon Baseball Sweeps Defending National Champ Arizona, Wildcats Leave Eugene Still in Search of First Pac 12 Win

Oregon was rewarded and moved up three spots in the latest Baseball poll that matters after sweeping Arizona at PK Park. In the Baseball America Poll the Ducks are 12th(from 13th). In the Collegiate Baseball Poll they moved up five spots to 10th. If you average out the five polls the Ducks are ranked in, Oregon places at 10th in the country. (The Oregon State Beavers moved up a spot to 2nd)

 Interview with Oregon Women’s Track and Field Athete Laura Roesler from her Hometown(Fargo, ND) radio station Tuesday Morning

Christopher Gabriel, Host on AM 970 WDAY in Fargo, North Dakota will talk with hometown track athlete Laura Roesler, now a Junior at the University of Oregon. Check out what she has to say on one of the Top Track and Field Programs in the country.

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