La-Lafayette-Louisville Preview
March 16, 2005 | Men's Basketball
March 16, 2005
GAME: No. 13 Louisiana-Lafayette (20-10) vs. No. 4 Louisville (29-4).
REGIONAL: Albuquerque, first round.
TIME: Friday, 7:10 p.m. EST.
SITE: Gaylord Entertainment Center, Nashville, Tenn.
Rick Pitino's Louisville squad is on a season-high nine-game win streak - and has a roster that reminds him of some of his most formidable NCAA tournament teams.
Pitino hopes he has the players to make another deep run in the tournament as the Cardinals get set to face No. 13 Louisiana-Lafayette in the first round.
With 18 wins in their last 19 games, the Cardinals are rolling as they make their 32nd appearance in the NCAA tournament after capturing their second Conference USA tournament title in three years.
"This year, I think we're the real deal," Pitino said. "We're a legitimate team and I haven't felt that way with any team I've coached at Louisville."
Especially since last season's squad lost nine of its last 13 games before falling 80-70 to Xavier in the second round of the NCAAs.
Though this season's group is deep in perimeter talent, it's power forward Ellis Myles that Pitino says stands out. Louisville's coach compares him to Antoine Walker, who helped lead Pitino to his only national title at Kentucky in 1995-96.
"Antoine Walker did so many things for us at Kentucky with his ball-handling and his passing," said Pitino, who's made four Final Four appearances. "Ellis is doing the same things for us at Louisville. We know what he's all about."
Myles' inside play is crucial to Louisville's success, but the athleticism of forward Francisco Garcia and guards Taquan Dean and Larry O'Bannon was just as important as the Cardinals won 29 games and earned a No. 4 seed - a spot that some observers criticized as being too low.
While confident in his team's ability, Pitino is also aware of the difficult task that lies ahead, and has plenty of respect for the Ragin' Cajuns. The Cardinals were sixth in the country in scoring at 81.2 points per game, but Louisiana-Lafayette hammered three foes by a combined 44 points to claim a second straight Sun Belt conference tournament and NCAA berth.
"We have ourselves a very difficult opening-round game," Pitino said. "(But) they're talented and (we've got) to be ready for them."
Louisiana-Lafayette also enters the tournament playing very well, with wins in 14 of its last 17 games. Tiras Wade averages 20.4 points per game to lead four Ragin' Cajuns starters averaging in double figures.
The Cajuns lost 61-52 to North Carolina State in the first round last season, and that experience has coach Robert Lee expecting more from his team this time around.
"Last year it was an exciting feeling to get in," Lee said. "Now we're focused on winning games, then we can celebrate after it's all said and done. We need to keep our focus on winning. The team that focuses longer will be the one that wins the championship."
Louisville has won all six meetings with Louisiana-Lafayette, previously known as Southwestern Louisiana, dating to 1966. The teams last met in 1991.
Friday's winner will face No. 5 Georgia Tech or 12th-seeded George Washington on Sunday.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Louisiana-Lafayette - F Brian Hamilton (13.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg) C Chris Cameron (8.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg), G Orien Greene (11.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 4.1 apg), G Wade (20.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.4 spg), G Dwayne Mitchell (10.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg). Louisville - F Juan Palacios (9.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg), F Garcia (15.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg), F Myles (10.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg), G Dean (14.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg), G O'Bannon (14.9, 3.3 rpg).
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Louisiana-Lafayette - Automatic bid, Sun Belt Conference tournament champion. Louisville - Automatic bid, Conference USA tournament champion.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Louisiana-Lafayette - 4-9, 8 years. Louisville - 49-33, 31 years.
