Recap Keys to Victory: National Champion Edition

What a day to be a Louisville Cardinal basketball fan. Last night the men won the National Championship and tonight the women are talking on the UConn Huskies for the National Championship. The Cards finished the season with a 16 game winning streak to capture the Title 72-68 against the Michigan Wolverines last night. Louisville captured their third Championship in school history and Rick Pitino became the first coach ever to win two Championships with two different schools.

April 7, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Louisville Cardinals celebrates after the semifinals during the 2013 NCAA womens Final Four against the California Golden Bears at the New Orleans Arena. Louisville defeated California 64-57. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s recap the keys to victory from the Final Four and National Championship with grades:

• Full Court Defensive Pressure (B+): The Cards kept up their relentless defensive pressure up all tournament, and that is a main reason for them raising the trophy at the end of the tournament. The back court for Louisville wore down their opponents every game. In the two final games, the Cardinals combined to turn over their opponents 17 turnovers.
• Luuuuukkkkee (A+): Cool Hand Luke was absolutely unbelievable. Just about everything that guy thew up went in, even with people right in his face. Against Whichita State, Luke was 3 for 5 (60%) from the outside and had 20 points in 20 minutes. Against Michigan, it was the Luke MANcock show, a perfect 5 for 5 from downtown and scored 22 points. He put on a show for everyone and made a statement that all Louisville fans were waiting to see. He completely took over the game. Luke Hancock is the only player in NCAA history to win the Most Outstanding Player (MOP) coming off the bench and he deserved it with his play the last two months of the season. There is not enough you can say about this young man and his efforts this whole year.
• Wayne Blackshear (B-): Wayne still has not developed his shot as much as Louisville fans would like, but he does the little things. He was 0 for 1 against Whichita State and only had one rebound, but he was much better against Michigan. Blackshear hit a big three in the first half right before Luke went on his terror. He finished 2 for 3 (67%) from threes and had eight points. He had his hand in almost every category with one rebound, one assist, and one steal. A solid end of the season for Blackshear and something to build on for next year.
• Gorgui Dieng’s Jump Shot (C): It felt like Gorgui and Chane switched places against Whichita State. Dieng did not show up at all and Louisville struggled without him. He was 0 for 1 from the field and threw up the goose egg with zero points. Gorgui played much better in the Championship game and had his hand in virtually every category: eight points, eight rebounds, six assists, and three blocks. A solid line for possibly Dieng’s last game in a Cardinal uniform.
• Chane Behanan? (A): Chane finally came out to play in the last two games of the season and Louisville needed all they could get out of him. Behanan was one rebound short of a double double against Whichita State, ten points and nine rebounds. More importantly, he was a perfect 4 for 4 from the free throw line. Chane had an even better game against Michigan. He played like a man on a mission with 15 points and 12 rebounds. The Behanan, Hancock show was on display last night and hopefully it continues for next year.
• Big Men Bench Play (C+): The two big men in Montrezl Harrell and Steven Van Treese did not play as much in the last two games as they did in the previous games. They combined for a total of 21 minutes against Whichta State, but Harrell made the most of his 11 minutes. He was a prefect 4 for 4 from the field with eight points and grabbed four rebounds. Van Treese contributed with only three rebounds and one block. Against Michigan, Harrell threw down a massive alley-opp dunk from Peyton Siva. At that point, Louisville took complete control of the game and rode that momentum wave all the way to the National Championship victory.
• Kevin Ware (A+): At this point, every one knows the Kevin Ware story and his freak accident. The kid is an absolute fighter and is on a long road to recovery. He was a major emotional leader for the team ever since that accident and the “Win for Ware” chants never got old. Good luck to him and look forward to seeing him on the basketball floor again.

The Louisville Cardinals are the 2013  NCAA Men’s Basketball National Champions, and it is a sweet day. The Cards were a lot of fun to watch this year, and were up and down at times. But at the end of the year, they are the best team in the country. Good luck to the women tonight as they take on the UConn Huskies for the National Championship in New Orleans. Make it two National Championships in less than 24 hours!