most will call it a “choke job”, and I must confess that I said it myself several times last night. However, I think some explanation might at least provide some understanding.

Mack arrived at UL just in time to watch 4 out of 5 starters leaving the Belknap Campus. While that happens at a lot of schools ............ it seldom occurs with an ACC team under a first year coach who is replacing another first year HC (Padgett), who had zero experience. Not only faced with competing in the ACC, Mack was burdened with playing 4 out-of-conference teams rated in the top 10. Mack found immediate help at the critical Point Guard position in grad transfers Cunningham & Fore, who were about as good as one could expect given the time and availability. Unfortunately, in addition to never having played with each other, they had to figure out how to blend with 3 other first year players, along with the balance of the roster who had little or no real experience playing with each other.

Anyone who has ever played or coached basketball will appreciate that beating a 2-2-1 press requires 5 players being on the same page, not just the 2 or 3 Guards who are on the court. Confining all of the blame and responsibility on the ball handling Guards is misplaced ........... it takes all 5 on the floor to participate, so the double and triple teams on the ball result in clear open passing lanes. The FSU loss provided a live rehearsal for Coach K who initiated the 2-2-1 press in the last 10 minutes; I was only shocked that he waited so late. FSU and Duke both have experienced coaches with deep athletic players who can execute pressure defense that can force inexperienced and ill-prepared teams into the havoc that we witnessed these last two games.

Bottom line ............. no first year coach under these circumstances could be expected to take this patch-work of players and have them adequately prepared for this much pressure when they were challenged with absorbing an entirely new half court offensive & defensive system. With that said, I expect that by Saturday, Mack will have both Williams & Enoch integrated into the “positioning, catching & passing” contribution when on the floor with any of the combinations of Nwora, Sutton, Cunningham, Perry, Fore and McMahan. It will not be perfect, but at least this group is far enough along with their understanding of the half court sets, that Mack can spend practice time on implementing the strategy against full court zone trap and the full court man-to-man press.

No need to thank me... WARNING: CJ LINK

Why is Louisville basketball attendance down? Pricing is among the woes

Tim Sullivan, Louisville Courier Journal Published 6:40 a.m. ET Jan. 15, 2019 | Updated 9:51 p.m. ET Jan. 15, 2019

Louisville handed UNC its worst home loss in 16 seasons. Now the Cardinals put themselves in a great position to make the NCAA Tournament Dominique Yates, Courier Journal, Louisville Courier Journal

Vince Tyra is looking for an antidote to apathy. With men’s basketball attendance in steep decline, the University of Louisville’s athletic director has implemented several initiatives and continues to solicit suggestions.

Chris Mack, meanwhile, says the solution is simple.

“I’m no dummy,” the Cardinals’ coach said. “If you win games, people come.”

Hard on the (Tar) heels of Saturday’s stunning upset of North Carolina, Mack’s attendance assumptions will be tested Wednesday night when U of L returns to the KFC Yum Center for a 7 p.m. game against Boston College. The Cardinals come home with an 11-5 record, only one spot removed from the Associated Press Top 25, but are averaging 26 percent fewer fans than they drew during their 2013 NCAA Championship season.

Just two years after Rick Pitino’s last U of L team averaged announced crowds of 20,846 at home, Mack’s first season has produced an average of 15,816 through 10 home games.

Courier Journal readers have responded to Tyra’s search for answers with a variety of ideas, complaints and concerns. Predictably, many of them center on pricing.

“To put it in a nutshell, the ticket prices are exorbitant,” Mark Clark said via email. “Combine that with the number of basketball games along with the fact that most games are televised, as well as the incidental costs of attending i.e., parking, high concession prices and you see why attendance is down.”

Prices, plainly, have risen, in part because of a facility fee imposed to cover the cost of arena lease concessions. Season tickets that cost $880 for a 19-game schedule in 2015-16 ($46.31 per game) were priced at $1,042 for this season’s 20-game home schedule ($52.10 per game).

“Offer lower ticket prices for the really bad seats,” suggested Steve Fitts of Jeffersonville, Indiana. "I paid $85 for a ticket in the nosebleed section of the UK-U of L football game in November and $90 for a ticket in the nosebleed section of the UK-U of L basketball game in December. I can see charging these prices for the good seats, but for the bad seats, it seems a bit excessive to me.”

While financial considerations are always a factor in ticket sales, recently exacerbated by tax reform that has eliminated the deductibility of seat donations, viewing U of L’s attendance decline in a dollar-dominated vacuum is to ignore national trends affecting numerous sports and certain off-the-court problems peculiar to U of L’s basketball program.

Consider: Though the University of Kentucky’s basketball attendance decline has been less steep than Louisville’s, the Wildcats are drawing 12 percent fewer fans at Rupp Arena so far this season than they did two years ago. And that’s without all the background noise that has permeated U of L’s program: a stripper scandal, the alleged bribery scheme behind Brian Bowen’s recruitment, FBI and NCAA investigations, the friction arising from the firings of Rick Pitino and Tom Jurich, etc.

“The U of L administration is getting what it deserves,” wrote Rick Barrack, a former Louisvillian now of Short Hills, New Jersey. “You can’t decide to put U of L sports ‘in its place’ and then complain about attendance. ... Attendance is down because they unjustly fired Pitino/Jurich and brought in a no-name unproven coach. Haven’t watched a single game or press conference since the school rushed to judgment.”

To Paul Murray of Lexington, Indiana, the attendance decline has less to do with spectator backlash than with an aging audience.

“U of L's core fan base is the baby boomer who grew up with Denny Crum and matured with Pitino,” Murray said. “The transition group from Peck Hickman to Crum (were) the boomers' parents who raised their kids on U of L sports, primarily basketball. Pitino's shenanigans didn't help, but the demographic of those who will pay unquestioningly today's outrageous prices is shrinking and shrinking fast. Many haven't merely dropped out; they're in the graveyard.

“Today's Gen-Xers and the Millennials have less interest in sports in general, much less in attending live at enormous cost and inconvenience, when it all can be streamed on demand. As Mr. (Aldous) Huxley said, it's a brave new world.”

U of L spokesman Kenny Klein says fan feedback indicates the attendance issues are largely attributable to temporary conditions like tax reform and scandal fatigue and that culture change, fan outreach and reviving the basketball program’s competitiveness should lead to larger crowds.

Shorter-term, a Cards Rewards loyalty program encourages repeat business with prizes and in-game experiences. Fans who have tickets scanned to at least 15 home games are also eligible for rewards and discounts on future season ticket packages.

To eliminate the need for in-person transactions, a GO CARDS application enables fans to sell, transfer or donate tickets from a cell phone.

Technology, of course, has its limits. So long as there are quasi-captive audiences, there will be customers complaining about the price of food and beverages.

“The concession prices are outrageous,” wrote Brock Roberts, an assistant football coach at Collins High School in Shelbyville. “Just to go to a game and enjoy yourself you are going to spend an arm & leg. I am not sure the cure for this epidemic, but it is much easier to watch from my recliner. I also have a better view and beer is much cheaper.”

The NFL’s Atlanta Falcons found that cutting concession prices by 50 percent in moving to Mercedes-Benz Stadium resulted in a 16 percent increase in food and beverage sales. With attendance in decline in many major sports, though, trading per-item profit for increased volume can make for a complex calculation.

“The pricing’s difficult because it’s not cheap for (Centerplate) either,” Klein said. “Everything goes up (including) their costs for the people they hire. They’ve made an investment in the arena with all the equipment that they’ve put in.

“You’re trying to find a happy medium for everybody. It’s not to gouge anybody by any stretch.”

Doug Dukes, who has held season tickets since 1981, objects to concession prices, to the advertising onslaught that leaves him feeling as if “I was in the middle of a video game,” and to season ticket holders “getting hosed” by prime non-conference games being played at neutral sites.

“If Chris Mack hadn’t come on board, I would have given up my season tickets this year,” Dukes wrote. “... In spite of my rambling on about the state of affairs, I can’t help but look forward to Coach Mack bringing in that great crop of recruits next year.”

Therein lies an antidote to apathy: anticipation.

Tim Sullivan: 502-582-4650, tsullivan@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @TimSullivan714. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/tims.

Whoever is the mop guy at the end where CC slipped should have to run suicides tomorrow at practice. Zion “fell” to the floor totally out of control after a no call foul and then left a puddle there for CC to slip and fall. That turnover was the back breaker. I believe Cards were up 5 at that time. Unbelievable.

On the FB recruits here for the Duke game?

Never Too High, Never Too Low has been one of my mantra's for this Cards Roundball Team. Another has been Live by the Three, die by the Three! Where do the Cards go from here?? How does this Team respond to such adversity? Two games in a row that we let slip thru our hands! Oh what could have been for this team, if we had just finished, made one more shot, or one less TO!

Let me say this it's tough to say anything positive about what happened last night. Only the bad meltdown occupies the minds of most fans. Let's hope that Coach Mack can rally this team to rebound! Schedule gives us a good breather ( 3 days) to lick our wounds get ready for a critical match up Saturday against an improving Clemson squad!

Let's be honest most of us including myself were NOT expecting a win last night against Duke. It was NOT a must win in order to reach our revised realistic expectations for this team Post Season Hopes/Goals. That said let's move past this game , on to Clemson, which IMO is a MUST WIN if we are to reach that goal of a viable Post Season Run.

Realistic expectation for me has always been a 12-6 or 13-5. Part of that thinking was a win in 1 of three against, against Duke, and Virginia twice. After watching that game last night I am convinced that is possible, and very doable. Zion Williamson is not on the Roster at UVA. Anybody who does not believe that Zion is that the difference between UL's, and UVA's rosters, is not watching these teams very closely. That said we should get that one win against UVA. Would think it would be at home. Must take of care business in the games where we will be favored against teams not named UVA. Possible second loss besides UVA on the road, would be Cuse on the road. Win at Cuse again 13-5 , pretty dam good. Lose at Cuse and 12-6 is also pretty dam good!

Starts with Clemson on Saturday. Can't let Duke beat you twice on Saturday against a Clemson team that you should beat! One game at a time. Team needs to buy into the fact that if they take care of business, they we get another look at Duke. That will be a chance for Redemption in a game that REALLY MATTERS in the ACC Tourney!! Go Cards!!

This kid must be the second coming of Zion...



LINK

** Louisville vs. Duke Game Thread ** ESPN 790

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Duke is going to smash the Cards Tuesday nite.

Cards aren't mentally tough enough despite being the 25th game.

And it is a BLACKOUT GAME.

Can't wait for all the Cards fans in White, grey or Red........

I really had no realistic feelings the Cards would beat Duke last night. I hoped they would play a good game and not get hammered. They didn’t get hammered so that’s good. Obviously we are all disappointed in how they fell apart but now that my anger has subsided I think focusing on what this team is capable of takes away some of that pain.

Epic collapse. Not the history I was hoping for last night. Some random thoughts sifting through the carnage of last night's game:

-- My Personal Top 5 Worst U of L Hoops Losses

5 -- Gave away a big lead against Marquette in Freedom Hall, when Ellis Myles ripped up his knee.
4 -- Notre Dame in 2013, 5 OT game. Many on this forum were cursing Russ Smith that night.
3 -- Duke last night.
2 -- Virginia 2018, 4 point lead with 2 seconds left. And we lost.
1 -- Kentucky, NCAA Tourney, 2014. Mango misses a chippy put back with Cards up 7, or 8. We win that, we roll to another title.

Honorable Mentions -- Wake Forest NCAA Tourney loss in 1996; Michigan State Regional Final loss in Indy (TWill's last year); Michigan State Regional Final in 2015, we were a 4 seed, MSU was a 7. Wayne Blackshear went off for 28 points. And we lost in OT.



-- I suspect that we will get better at handling the press. I bet Coach Mack has us running that in practice a lot this week, because I expect that everyone we play from here on out will throw a press at us at some point. If they DON'T, those coaches should be fired.

-- I have tried to justify things by saying "well, if someone had asked me before the game, that we would lose by 2, with a chance to win or tie at the end of regulation, would you take it?" I expected we would get rolled. So I should feel ok with this. But ... being up 23, with 9 minutes and change left ... there's no finding a way to make that feel better.

-- If the maxim is true, that pressing teams don't like to get pressed, shouldn't that mean we should be pressing other teams?

-- Zion Williamson is freakin' good.

-- Jordan Nwora is freakin' good too.

-- The crowd last night was awesome. Kudos to all who attended.


And lastly ...

-- In 6 of our 8 losses ....

Tennessee
Marquette
Indiana
Pittsburgh
Florida State
Duke

... we have had the lead after the 4 minute mark, the last TV timeout.

Having said that ... I still trust Coach Mack to get the team ready to play. And to find a way to overcome these late game collapses.

I’m a huge CC fan, I also was a huge “Q” fan. Both are doing and did their best. BUT, neither was elite and we haven’t had an elite point guard in forever.

While there’s plenty of basketball to watch I can’t help but have one eye on the future as well. Mack has signed an exceptional class for next season but I’m not sure we have the point guard spot covered. An elite point guard guides you through the choppy waters and gives you a chance of a deep tourney run in March. Without one your basically just pissing in the wind.

Let's Go Cards!

Tonight the focus of the city (and most of college basketball nation) will be on the Louisville vs. Duke game at 9pm. Despite this star studded show, I'm told Louisville football felt the need to up the ante by bringing in some star power of their own for a visit tonight.

Who are they expecting? Well, check this talent out...

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Lazy passes
Picking up the dribble in bad spots
Need a slasher who can break people down and get to the rim
Stop hanging out around the 3 point line and get to the boards

Not many teams sport a pair of NBA draft picks in their back court like Duke.

The matchup of our 5th year SR's vs those guys was pretty glaring. The only thing that seemed odd was it took Duke 30 minutes to fully exploit that advantage.

CC and Fore are both nice under-sized guards that are better suited as role players coming off the bench at this level - but given the circumstance at UofL they found a nice landing ground to extensive minutes. Don't get me wrong I full appreciate and embrace their effort - but the last couple of games have really highlighted the Cards major weakness.

Their inability to make passes and beat a press isn't so much a product of being lazy, it's just putting the spotlight on their limitations and not being big and/or athletic enough. Or quick enough to beat the press on the dribble comfortably on their own. They are just limited overall.

One could argue CC can cut it, the team certainly gets worse without him. That said, he still has limitations and looked completely over matched in the 2nd half last night and against the FSU press too.

Fans will see a meltdown and that is part of the story. Why can't a big help out vs the press? Etc, I get all those talking points. The other part to the meltdown is - these guys aren't that good to begin with. Doesn't mean they aren't beloved and supported. They are.

He should be getting all kinds of accolades today. Only 1 Turnover and was putting shots in Zion's face. What a shame.

It comes down to a replay showing it was offensive goal tending against LSU in the UK game but the rules say it can't be used.

UK loses by 2 at home.

It comes down to a replay showing McMahan was in the circle against Duke but the rules say you can use it.

UofL loses by 2 at home.

Looks like something had it in for the two power teams in the state.

Make those it's ballgame. Pathetic

We lost because every player lost their confidence. Wasn’t x’s and o’s, wasn’t officiating, wasn’t Duke’s god-like talent, it came down to the basic quality that all winners must have: confidence.

I’ve never witnessed a team’s confidence peak and then disappear as quickly. It was like witnessing a sports psychology experiment. I don’t know what CCM could have done to prevent the 2nd half collapse, but the team needs to develop a killer instinct fast.

We don’t have one. CC is good until the game pressure comes around the 7:00 minute mark. It’s almost like clock work. The panic hits and we don’t have the floor General to calm things down. A player like Milt Wagner or Peyton Siva. Sorry but CC isn’t it.

Nuff said

TERRIBLE LOSS.
This will leave a mark !!

Yep, choke. No other way to put it. Up by 23 under 10 and you lose.

This team has no guard play against pressure. This was a repeat, actually worse, than the FSU loss. At least 13 second half TOs and Duke scored on a bunch of them. Had no idea what to do against that 2-2-1 press.

I have to keep reminding myself this team is still wayyy better than pre-season expectations but these last 2 losses were very hard to take. Do we have any ball handlers coming in next year?

Peace

We just don't have a real shooting guard. We have three short point guards having to play shooting guard. None are strong with the ball. This is why we can't finish off wins against the top teams.

Sutton although only 6'5, is not a shooting guard. He's a undersized small forward. He's not very good with his handle, especially with the left hand. So there's no one left to help CC when teams pressure us.

We need that 6'4 guard with handle and shooting. We have a very good frontcourt that all can shoot the 3. CC is a good point guard and a excellent leader but he's limited due to his size. He had that same shot in the paint several times and he never looked to shoot until that final shot.

Oh well, I guess we will have that next season. It's a shame though. This team could have been one for the ages. You never know, it still may be. Coach Mack has to come up with something else on breaking the press.