DFWCards

Louisville - Rutgers Basketball Game Watch (DFW)

The stretch drive for the Big East championship has begun, and the Louisville Cardinals are climbing back up the standings after hitting a rough patch in January. Next up, a home contest this Saturday against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

We invite all local alumni and fans to join the UofL DFW Alumni Club at the first of several Game Watches to be held this month.

Game time is 3:00 PM Central Time and the venue - as always - is Buffalo Wild Wings at 3320 E. Hebron Parkway, Suite 100 in Carrollton, Texas (map).

Be sure to wear your RED and BLACK colors to the game!  GO CARDS!

If you have questions about any of this event or about the UofL DFW Alumni Club, please contact Club President Mitch Matamoros (uofl@verizon.net / 214-348-5325).

We'll see you there!

Louisville to Play NC State in the Belk Bowl

Even though the 2011 University of Louisville Cardinals are officially co-champions of the Big East, the odds against them winning the conference's BCS slot in the Orange Bowl were just too great to overcome.

They lost a three-way tiebreaker to both West Virginia and Cincinnati, and will instead face North Carolina State in the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, N.C., on December 27.

From ESPN.com: 

“We are thrilled to accept an invitation to the Belk Bowl,” coach Charlie Strong said in a statement. “Charlotte is a great city, and I’m so excited to take this team to another great bowl game. I’m so proud of our football team and coaching staff to be 2-4 earlier this season and end the year by winning five of the last six games and become Big East champions. We have fought through a lot of adversity this year and to end the year with a high-quality bowl game versus a tough opponent like NC State is a great way to end the year.” 

The Cardinals finished the regular season 7-5 overall. However, Louisville heads into postseason play as one of the hottest teams in the country, ending the season 5-1. 

Louisville and the Wolfpack will be meeting for the fourth time in series history, with Louisville holding a 3-0 advantage. Louisville defeated the NC State, 27-10, in the last meeting, 2007, at Carter Finley Stadium. 

Louisville is making its 16th postseason trip and second straight under Strong, who is 13-11 in his first two seasons at the helm of the program. Louisville defeated Southern Miss, 31-28, in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl a year ago. 

All-time, the Cardinals are 7-7-1 in postseason play and have won their past two contests.

 

Louisville Athletic Revenues Rank 16th in NCAA, Exceed Those of UK

Talk about eye-opening. 

This is an excerpt from a much larger article that is definitely worth a read. It includes a 10-minute video interview with UofL Athletic Director Tom Jurich, the architect of much of this success.

From last Sunday's Louisville Courier-Journal:

When the U.S. Department of Education released its annual revenue and expense figures for college sports last month, the University of Louisville’s totals lit up the scoreboard.

For the fiscal year that ended in June, U of L reported $87.74 million in athletic revenue, ranking 16th in NCAA Division I, the organization's classification for its largest schools. And for the first time in this government index, which was created to monitor gender equity statistics among schools, U of L’s revenue exceeded that of the University of Kentucky.

More surprising, perhaps, was that U of L’s $40.89 million in reported men’s basketball revenue was nearly $12 million more than the next-closest competitor, Duke, and surpassed the revenues of all but 19 major football programs.

The numbers, which got a minor boost from one-time donations related to the new KFC YUM! Center and Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium expansion, are testimony to the earning potential of new facilities and luxury suites, and clearly put the program into a new financial neighborhood.

In fact, U of L is one of only two programs in the top 20 in revenue that are not a part of the Southeastern, Big 12, Pac-12, Big Ten or Atlantic Coast conferences. The other is Notre Dame, which is independent in football.

 

It's Pretty Simple Now for Louisville

Thanks to South Florida's choke job in their finale against West Virginia last night, the Big East's BCS bowl spot will go to Louisville if Connecticut beats Cincinnati on Saturday, and to West Virginia if Cincinnati wins.

Louisville put themselves in this position by being ill-prepared for their November 12 home loss to Pittsburgh.

Had they taken care of their business and won that game, they would already be the sole champion of the Big East and recipient of the conference's BCS bid.

The UConn-Cincinnati matchup will be televised on ESPN and ESPN3.com at 11AM CT on Saturday.

Go Huskies!

 

How Louisville Can Win The Big East

Andrea Adelson of ESPN.com lays out what needs to occur for the Louisville Cardinals to become the unlikely Big East football champions and win the conference's BCS spot, which would likely mean a trip to the Orange Bowl.

It simply comes down to this. If you're a Cardinals fan, cheer for UConn this weekend.

For the second straight year, the final week of the regular season will determine the Big East representative in the BCS game. 

Louisville, West Virginia and Cincinnati all have a shot. The scenarios are pretty simple to keep straight:

• The Cardinals are in the clubhouse with at least a share of the Big East title at 5-2 in league play. They need Cincinnati to lose to UConn on Saturday to make it to a BCS game. Louisville lost to the Bearcats 25-16 in their Big East opener back in October.


• West Virginia needs to win at USF on Thursday night, then hope for Cincinnati to beat UConn. Update: West Virginia won the game 30-27. The only shot the Mountaineers have at getting to a BCS game is with a three-way tie atop the standings. The first tiebreaker would be head-to-head among the three. Each would be 1-1 against the other. Next up: BCS standings. West Virginia is the only ranked team at No. 23 this week. If the Mountaineers win, it is reasonable to expect them to remain highest-ranked among the three. Keep in mind that West Virginia has won only once in Tampa, back in 2005. No update yet on the status of USF quarterback B.J. Daniels (shoulder).


• Cincinnati needs West Virginia to lose and must beat UConn to get to the BCS. Update: With the West Virginia win over South Florida, Cincinnati has effectively been eliminated from the race for the BCS bid. Some have speculated that perhaps Cincinnati would not be emotionally invested in the game if West Virginia wins, knowing it would be a long shot to get a BCS bid in the event of a three-way tie. I should hope that the Bearcats would be motivated to win a Big East championship regardless of the BCS implications -- especially on Senior Day at Nippert Stadium.

No matter what happens Thursday night, the BCS spot will not be clinched until Saturday afternoon. Everything hinges on that Cincinnati game.

 

Watch Louisville Stake a Claim to the Big East Title

As the up-and-down University of Louisville football Cardinals prepare for their final regular season game this Friday morning against the University of South Florida, they find themselves in a very interesting position.

By winning in Tampa, they will put themselves squarely in the mix for the 2011 Big East football championship and its automatic bid to the Orange Bowl. They will need some help to get there, but it will be a real possibility.

We invite all Cardinal football fans to take a break from their Black Friday shopping join the UofL DFW Alumni Club for our final 2011 regular season football game watch. Let's watch the Cardinals attempt to stake a claim to the Big East title.

Game time is 10:00 AM Central Time Friday November 25 at a new venue: Mr. Miggs Bar and Grill  at 3427 Trinity Mills Road in Carrollton, Texas (map). You'll find it on the northeast corner of Marsh Lane and Trinity Mills, next to Lifetime Fitness.

Be sure to wear your RED and BLACK colors to the game!  GO CARDS!

If you have questions about any of this event or about the UofL DFW Alumni Club, please contact Club President Mitch Matamoras (uofl@verizon.net / 214-348-5325).

Louisville to the Orange Bowl? Maybe. Maybe Not.

This Friday morning, the University of Louisville Cardinals play their final regular season game at Tampa against the University of South Florida.

If they win, they have a chance to win the 2011 Big East Championship and thus represent the conference in the 2012 Orange Bowl.

But they still need some help. 

If Louisville defeats USF and both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh lose one of their final two games, the Cardinals will win the Big East outright.

However, if they win, and either Cincinnati or Pittsburgh win both of their final two games, it starts getting more complicated.

Here's why:

All references to "rankings" refer to the BCS Poll released after the regular season is completed for all BIG EAST members.

TWO-WAY TIE

The winner of the head to head match-up will represent the BIG EAST in the Bowl Championship Series.

NOTE: Pittsburgh plays West Virginia on Friday evening, so one of those teams will end up with at least three conference losses.

In a two-way tie (at 5-2) with either Rutgers or West Virginia, Louisville wins the tiebreaker and becomes Big East champions.

In a two-way tie with either Cincinnati or Pittsburgh, Louisville loses the tiebreaker due to having lost to each team this season.

THREE-WAY TIE

A "MINI-CONFERENCE" IS CREATED AMONGST THE THREE TIED TEAMS

Scenario I:

All three teams have either a 6-1 or 5-2 record and have each won one game and lost one game against the other tied teams in the mini-conference. In this case, the highest ranked team amongst the three earns the bid. If two of the three teams are tied for the highest ranking, the bid is earned by the team winning the head-to-head match up.

Scenario II:

All three teams have 5-2 records, and within the mini-conference, Team A is 2-0, Team B is 1-1, and Team C is 0-2. Team A earns bid regardless of ranking.

In a three-way tie (at 5-2) with Rutgers and West Virginia, Louisville wins the tiebreaker.

In a three-way tie with Rutgers and Pittsburgh, the Big East Championship would be awarded to the highest ranking team in the final BCS poll. What if the answer was nobody?

In a three-way tie with Rutgers and Cincinnati, the Big East Championship would be awarded to the highest ranking team in the final BCS poll. Couldn't tell you if that could be Louisville.

In a three-way tie with Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, Cincinnati wins the tiebreaker.

In a three-way tie with West Virginia and Cincinnati, the Big East Championship would be awarded to the highest ranking team in the final BCS poll. Again, I couldn't tell you.

In a three-way tie with West Virginia and Rutgers, Louisville wins the tiebreaker.

FOUR-WAY TIE

A "MINI-CONFERENCE" IS CREATED AMONGST THE FOUR TIED TEAMS

Scenario I:

In the mini-conference, Teams A & B are 2-1, and Teams C & D are 1-2. The higher ranked of the 2-1 teams earns the bid. If the 2-1 teams tie for the highest ranking, the bid goes to the team that won the head-to-head match up.

Scenario II:

In the mini-conference, Team A is 3-0, Team B is 2-1, Team C is 1-2, and Team D is 0-3. Team A earns bid regardless of ranking.

In a four-way tie with Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers, the tiebreaker goes to the higher ranked of Cincinnati or Rutgers (Louisville is 1-2 against that "mini-conference)."

In a four-way tie with Cincinnati, West Virginia, and Rutgers, the tiebreaker goes to the higher ranked of Louisville or West Virginia. If neither team is ranked in the final BCS poll, the tiebreaker would then go to Louisville by virtue of their head-to-head win over WVU.

The upshot is that MUCH more has to happen than a Louisville win over South Florida this Friday for the Cardinals to go BCS bowling in January, but it all starts there.

Cardinal Great Lenny Lyles Has Died

Last summer, University of Louisville football coach Charlie Strong brought some former U of L players to Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. One alumnus, Lenny Lyles, was surprised to see his image on a mural. Strong told Lyles that he deserved to be there for “what he’s done for this program.”

Lyles, the former U of L football and track star, died on Sunday at the age of 75.

On Monday, many who knew him recalled him as a leader, a mentor, a role model and an influential figure in Louisville athletics. Strong described Lyles as “an unbelievable person.” A statue of Lyles stands in Cardinal Park.

Lyles, a Central High School graduate, paved the way for integration by being one of the first African-Americans to play for U of L (1954-57). Known as “The Fastest Man in Football,” he rushed for a school-record 43 touchdowns and scored 50 overall. He remains the program’s all-time scoring leader for a non-kicker with 300 points.

Lyles, a four-year starter, became the first U of L player to surpass 1,000 yards rushing in a season and left as the program's all-time rushing leader (2,786 yards). He is currently third behind Walter Peacock (3,204) and Nathan Poole (2,903).

via www.courier-journal.com

TCU Joining the Big East? Not Happening.

Remember how excited you were as a Dallas-Ft. Worth resident and UofL fan when you heard that TCU was going to join the Big East Conference in 2012?

That meant we would have annual opportunities to see Cardinal football and basketball games - along with non-revenue sports contests - in the Lone Star State for the first time since Louisville left Conference USA in 2005.

Well, forget that. Not happening.

Today, the Big 12 voted to invite TCU as the league’s 10th member, replacing Texas A&M, which is headed for the SEC next summer. See the article below from Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman.

Big 12 invites TCU, reaches agreement on UT network

By Kirk Bohls | Thursday, October 6, 2011, 10:09 AM

Big 12 presidents and chancellors voted Thursday morning to invite TCU as the league’s 10th member, two sources close to Texas told the American-Statesman. The deal should be finalized in the next few days.

The Big 12 remains unaware of Missouri’s plans, but most Big 12 administrators do not think Missouri has an invite from the SEC or even any assurances that it will get one. The league decided not to wait and was taking immediate action to strengthen the league.

One Big 12 source told me he didn’t think TCU would be liable for big financial damages for leaving the Big East because the Fort Worth school hadn’t yet joined and could make the legal case that it was not the same league that it had agreed to join because Syracuse and Pittsburgh have announced they are headed to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds told me TCU was invited because of “good academics, the nice job with APRs (graduation rates). It’s pro-active with facilities, has a good budget with strong financial backing, have had good results on the (football) field, (sit) in a good TV market and is very travel-friendly” for other Big 12 teams.

via www.statesman.com

Have You Seen Louisville Basketball Great Junior Bridgeman's Commercial?

Former University of Louisville basketball star Junior Bridgeman owns 165 Wendy's restaurants across five states. In this long-form video (a shortened version has been airing during recent NFL games) hear how GE Capital helped make the growth of his business possible.