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Everyone knows about Charlie Strong and how great he is so early in his head coaching career.  I thought for the sake of this post I would give a little credit to the overly energetic Defensive Coordinator for the Cards' Vance Bedford.  We all know the offense is what sells tickets but at the end of the day I feel the defensive unit of this Cardinals team will be what could (and hopefully will) make 2012  a very special season for your Louisville Cardinals.

Here is the story by Andrea Adelson on the BIG EAST post-spring power rankings.

Here is the description of the Cards by Adelson:

1. Louisville: Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater looked better than ever this spring, giving me renewed confidence the Cardinals are going to be the preseason favorite in the league. The secondary should be exceptionally strong, and the offensive line should be better. Questions remain at running back and with depth in the front seven. But of all the teams in the league, I think the Cardinals have the most stability headed into the season. Plus, it hugely helps to have Charlie Strong entering Year 3.

Elvis Dumervil named #68 overall player by www.nfl.com for the 2012 season. Here is the list that has been released so far.

Here is Elvis's player profile from nfl.com. Dumervil recorded 42 tackles and 9.5 sacks in 2011 during an impressive comeback season after missing the entire 2010 season due to a torn pectoral muscle during a Broncos practice.

In case you haven't seen it before here is a 2 minute compilation of Dumervil when he registered 4 sacks against Tyler Bloyd's favorite NFL team, the Cleveland Browns.

        Anton Gill continues to have an impressive spring in AAU basketball. Scout.com took notice and moved the 2013 Louisville commit from the 37th best player in the class to the number 32. Gill has recently made plans to transfer to Hargrove Military School for his final year. He is currently the 7th-ranked shooting guard in his class.

Anton Gill (Ravenscroft School) Raleigh, NC

6-4/180

Committed to Louisville

Other Louisville 2013 recruits rankings from Scout.com : Enitre List

Former Louisville Cardinal commit Ryan Taylor who was originally from Lawrence North in Indianapolis, IN went to Western High School in Louisville as part of his plan to play for the Louisville Cardinals as part of a Freshman class alongside Zach Price, Wayne Blackshear, Chane Behanan and Michael Chandler. This was before Taylor had some academic issues which resulted in him transferring to Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia for a year of prep school. 

Over the past couple years, Taylor had hinted that he still wanted to play for the Louisville Cardinals but eventually landed at Marshall. Cardinal nation wishes Taylor the best while with the Thundering Herd in conference USA.

Here is the article from www.herdzone.com

   LUKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I get more and more excited about Mr. Luke Hancock as the basketball season gets closer. Hancock is continuing to do rehab on his shoulder after he had to have surgery when he hurt it in a pick-up game.

     Yahoo! Sports listed Hancock as one of the Top 8 newcomers to the Big East. The list includes the players who need to make an immediate impact for their team. For the complete list go HERE.

 8. Louisville SF Luke Hancock
Particulars: 6-6/200, Jr.; transfer from George Mason, preceded by Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy
Buzz: Hancock should be a solid veteran addition to a loaded Louisville roster. Hancock is a heady player who doesn't necessarily do anything great but does everything well, especially pass. He has 3-point range but probably is most effective in a sort of point forward role. He can be an effective perimeter defender but can be overpowered by bigger forwards in the paint.

      SportingNews.com has been releasing analysis of the 2013 football recruiting class. Kyle Bolin was mentioned as one of the best pro-style quarterbacks in the class. Bolin has been getting a lot of recognition since he committed to Louisville as a junior. The Lexington Catholic QB has also become a great recruiter for other top players in the class. For the complete article go here.

Excerpt:

Kyle Bolin

Lexington Catholic (Lexington, Ky.)

• - Peyton Siva was named one of the Top 25 players in college basketball for the 2012-2013 season. Link to complete list here. 
• Excerpt:
  

Notable 2011-12 Stats: 9 PPG (fifth for team), 6 APG (led team)

Returning for his senior season, big-shot point guard Peyton Siva made his name known around the country following his top-notch play in both the Big East Conference and NCAA Tournament. Taking over the leadership role for the Cardinals next year, head coach Rick Pitino has to be excited about the prospect of Siva taking Louisville to new heights.

A disappointing Final Four loss to in-state rival Kentucky will be the driving force behind this Cardinal program as it heads in to the 2012-13 season.

- Peyton Siva was on CSN with Jeff Goodman and Robbie Hummel, LINK

         Yahoo! Sports has released preseason best players by classes for the 2012-2013 season. Gorgui Dieng was named a starter in the All-Junior Team and Chane Behanan was placed on the bench for the All-Sophomore Team. For the complete list of teams go here.

C Gorgui Dieng, Louisville
Key 2011-12 stats: 32.8 mpg, 9.1 ppg, 52.5 FG%, 9.1 rpg, 3.2 bpg, 1.2 spg
Buzz: He has a chance to be the biggest defensive difference-maker in the nation next season. Dieng never is going to be a smooth offensive player and his offensive ceiling is limited, but he more than makes up for it on the boards and on defense. He is athletic and runs the floor well, too.

F Chane Behanan, Louisville
Key 2011-12 stats: 26.0 mpg, 9.5 ppg, 51.0 FG%, 7.5 rpg
Buzz: Behanan is a burly guy (6-6/245) who came on strong down the stretch this past season. He has the strength to get off a shot against almost anyone in the lane, which makes it puzzling that he attempted 36 3-pointers (hitting just six). He and Gorgui Dieng should make for a tough frontcourt duo next season. Behanan does a nice job getting to the line, but needs to work on his free throws (just 56.0 percent this past season).

      Rick Pitino announced in his new blog that Michael Baffour has joined the Louisville Cardinal's basketball team as a walk-on. Baffour is a 6'2 160 lbs. guard from Bryan Station High School. His brother Tony Baffour is on the track and field team for UofL. Read about Tony HERE.

       Apparently Russ Smith has given the new walk-on the nickname of "Dark Slime." Not sure why, but I am sure it will stick as all of Russ's nicknames do. Rick Pitino said he wasn't sure what position Baffour would be playing yet.

          Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

  Rick Pitino the blogger has returned and he's better then ever. Pitino released his first masterpiece of the off-season today, mostly reviewing last season's final four run. He did announce a new walk-on to replace Elisha Justice, Michael Baffour from Lexington. For Pitino's complete blog go HERE.

       According to Josh Looney of KCChiefs.com, Josh Bellamy (#8 in the picture) had a very good rookie minicamp for the Kansas City Chiefs. Bellamy was picked up as a free agent by the Chiefs after not being drafted. Dexter Heyman, former UofL linebacker was also picked up as a free agent by the Chiefs. To read the complete article go HERE.

Excerpt:

Bellamy Stands Out

Of the 15 undrafted rookies participating in this weekend’s minicamp, Louisville WR Josh Bellamywas able to differentiate himself in the eyes of Romeo Crennel.

       After beating Notre Dame Saturday, the UofL softball team was selected as a 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament. UofL was also selected as a host site for the regional games. The Cards (53-3) will face Valparaiso (42-17) Friday at 7 p.m. with Kentucky (29-28) and Michigan (39-15) meeting at 4:30 p.m. Friday. All Louisville Regional games will be carried on ESPN2 or ESPN3.

Louisville Regional - May 18-20 in Louisville, Ky.
No. 15 seed Louisville* (53-3) vs. Valparaiso (42-17)
Kentucky (29-28) vs. Michigan (39-15)

     Happy Mother's Day to all the Cardinal mothers out there. The picture above is of Teddy Bridgewater's mom (Rose Murphy) getting some love from Teddy and his good friend Eli Rogers.

  Congratulations to Kyle Kuric for getting engaged to his longtime girlfriend  Taraneh  Momeni. King Kuric proposed as Taraneh walked up to the stage during her graduation from University of Louisville School of Dentistry. 

Kyle interrupted the ceremony while walking on stage and said, "Sorry to interrupt, but me and her have been dating for about 2 1/2 years, and I love her more than anything, and definitely want to be with her for the rest of my life. I love her very much," said Kuric just before getting down on one knee.

        People were shocked when Quentin Snider committed to Louisville during his sophomore year. There was so much unknown about him other then he had great potential. Snider has continued to improve under former Louisville star Ellis Myles as he plays AAU basketball for the Louisville Magic. Adam Lefkoe of WHAS 11 did a great story about the young Ballard High School point guard:

          Skylar Lacy, a 6'8 300 lbs. made his commitment to Louisville after his visit today. Lacy had made several visits to see Charlie Strong and the Cardinals. Lacy is junior from Greenwood, IN. and had offers from Louisville, Cincinnati, Western Michigan and Ball State.

     According to ESPN's Andy Katz, Uofl's athletic director Tom Jurich has told the Big East Board of Directors he plans on taking Louisville to another conference. This is not surprising news; Jurich has been shopping for a new conference for the past couple of years. But after John Marinatto resigned as Big East commissioner last week, it is not surprising to see Juirch jump the Big East ship. Jurich was close to Marinatto, and so was Rick Pitino. Both Pitino and Jurich backed Marinatto as he tried to make the Big East strong again after West Virginia left for the Big 12 and Syracuse and Pitt jumped to the ACC. 

    I trust Jurich to do what's best for the University of Louisville; he is the best at what he does. For the complete Andy Katz's article go HERE.

Excerpt from article:

There remains a desire among some member schools to leave. Multiple sources with direct knowledge of their situations told ESPN.com that Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich told the Big East board of directors that the Cardinals want to be in the Big 12 or the ACC, opting for transparency by making members aware of his school's true intentions.

       CollegeFootballNews.com released their 2012 Post Spring Rankings Tuesday. According to CFN, part of the rankings are based on talent and potential, and part of them are based on schedules and what the teams might do.The Louisville Cardinals find them selves projected as the 14th best team in the country with a record of 10-2. For complete rankings go here.

Excerpt:

14. Louisville
(2011 Record: 7-6, 2012 Roughly Projected Record: 10-2)

The record will be better than the team, but the team will be really, really good, too. The defense that turned into such a powerhouse last year should be even better getting all four starters back in the secondary to go along with a loaded defensive front. Thanks to rising star QB Teddy Bridgewater, the offense should be fantastic with four starters returning to the line and a nice-looking receiving corps to work with. The schedule works out almost perfectly with Kentucky and North Carolina winnable non-conference home games and the one rough stretch of three straight road games against FIU, Southern Miss, and Pitt – with two weeks off before facing the Panthers – not that bad. Cincinnati and South Florida both have to come to Louisville, but going to Rutgers on a Thursday night to end the regular season just five days after playing UConn could be the make-or-break moment for a truly special year.

    The expectations for Louisville football continue to be high for the 2012 season. The Orlando Sentinel is projecting Louisville to be one of five teams that will be a surprise next season. For the entire article go HERE.

Excerpt from article:

Buzz: After back-to-back 7-6 seasons, Louisville appears ready to make the leap back to big time football in 2012. To do that, the Cardinals must hope for the continued development of superstar quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Highly-touted, Bridgewater didn’t disappoint when he finally got his chance to play for the Cardinals. He quickly earned the starting nod and helped lead the team to a share of the Big East title. He finished the season throwing for 2,129 yards and 14 touchdowns, good enough to earn him Big East Freshman of the Year honors. As you would expect, the strength of Charlie Strong’s team was its defense. The Cardinals finished the season ranked 23^rd in the nation in total defense and 10^th in rushing defense. Strong and his staff will need to replace linebacker Dexter Heyman, who was the team’s leading tackler but look for cornerback Adrian Bushell and safety Hakeem Smith to play a big part this season.  Their schedule opens with three straight at home including two huge games against rival Kentucky and North Carolina. Back-to-back-back road games at FIU, at Southern Miss and at Pittsburgh could play crucial rolls for this team’s success. With West Virginia no longer in the Big East and Cincinnati retooling, the time is right for Louisville to make a move in the conference.

       Peyton Siva had an up and down season productively last season as a junior, but the world saw what he is capable of in the NCAA tournament. His senior year is expected to be amazing according to SportingNews.Com who ranked him as the number 2 best point guard for next season behind Ohio State's Aaron Craft. Murray States Isaiah Canaan is ranked the 4th best point guard for the 2012-2013 season. For the complete list go HERE.

2. Peyton Siva, Louisville

Too many people have focused for too long on Siva’s flaws. Including Siva. He allowed himself to slip into a midseason funk as a junior while struggling with how he was being defended and what he brought to the team. When he focuses on his strength and imposes them on opponents, however, what happens is—Louisville wins.

Siva was named MVP of the Big East Tournament after driving the Cards, quite literally, to four consecutive victories. He made only two 3-point shots in the entire NCAA Tournament, and yet the Cards reached the 2012 Final Four.

    Charlie Strong continues to build the University of Louisville's football program. Athlon Sports is expecting Strong's best season yet with the Cardinals picking them to win the Big East and ranking them the 23rd best team in the nation. Full article HERE.

OFFENSE

Charlie Strong made his reputation on defense, but in two seasons he’s built a dynamic offense driven by young and athletic playmakers. Start with Teddy Bridgewater, recognized as one of the nation’s best true freshman quarterbacks after completing 64.5 percent of his throws for 14 touchdowns and also running for four more scores. Bridgewater is big, tenacious and poised.

Bridgewater’s biggest challenge will be settling on a favorite receiver. Strong went young at that position, too, last season. Three prime targets emerged — Eli Rogers, Michaelee Harris and DeVante Parker. Rogers is the most elusive, a threat to get past defensive backs on every route. Harris is Mr. Good Hands. Parker, at 6'3", is a prime target near the goal line with an amazing ability to grab the ball in crowds; six of his 18 receptions were for scores. Don’t forget possession receiver Scott Radcliff, who led the spring game with nine catches for 119 yards.