For any attempt at an astute analysis of U of L’s 79-70 OT W over West Virginia, I may have to come back to it sometime later when I come down.

No, the truth, I have to get back to you. I’m sure the turkey makes you sleepy thing will help.

Right now, minutes after the Cardinals outlasted, outplayed the strategy, outplayed when it mattered most, and outscored a perfectly fair Mountaineer team, I’m still more than a little despondent.

The victory was winthropic.

That means ugly, highly competitive, kind of a slog, not a classic. Furthermore, this was questionable until Pat Kelsey avoided the action, completed the offense with pass and cut, and put the game in the hands of Chucky Hepburn.

It’s the hair, Seedy, it must be the hair.

* * * * *

I had forgotten it.

I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be so nervous that you change your Cardinal baseball caps at halftime, take out the little Cardinal doll that’s sitting on a bookshelf, and put it next to the TV screen.

I forgot what it was like to have to get up and stretch every time I took a break. To try to stand in the time of crisis and realize that you have to sit down. Trying to sit during crunch time and realizing you have to stand.

Pumping your arm so hard when it’s obvious the Cardinals will survive, your blood pressure, heart rate, and pulse reach the red zone.

To be so happy after the bell rings, all you can do is say to the person you’re talking to on the phone – with tears of joy in your eyes and in your voice: “I LOVE THE LOUISVILLE CARDINALS.”

Friday night at 5:30 p.m., the 5-1 University of Louisville Cardinals will play either Arizona or Oklahoma for the Battle 4 Atlantis title.

Forget that.

* * * * *

For this guy, the key sequence of the game seems to start at 1:49 of the 1st.

Javon Smart – a really good basketball player – hit a stepback trey to extend the Mountaineers’ lead to 28-17.

It seemed terrible to me.

Then, nineteen seconds later, Chucky Hepburn, God bless his heart, responded with a triple. He was fouled connecting and missed the charity shot, but Kasean Pryor rebounded it. Seconds later he hit a deuce.

Then Pryor, the Cards’ alpha dog, used up a few FTs.

This reduced the gap at the break to a manageable 4 points.

* * * * *

The second-half comeback, while not as legendary as the 2005 Elite Eight, was still a tough climb.

With a few ticks more than eight remaining, a Hepburn longball and a second chance with three ticks settled the fight at 50.

The cards made progress.

The Mountaineers went 8-0 and took the lead 60-59 with 2:00 on the clock.

U of L stood firm and forced a shot clock on possession when WVU could have sealed it with nanoseconds left.

Louisville’s D, a big question mark, was key throughout.

U of L never trailed in the OT. Reyne Smith hit a second-chance triple on his first possession.

West Virginia tied it again at 67.

The last hurray of the defeated.

Louisville controlled the rest of the way, making 8/9 of the FTs. The Mountaineers were exhausted. Louisville took advantage.

* * * * *

I would talk about it more. It’s certainly more fun to write about Ws than usual.

But I have to go to Thanksgiving dinner.

It is a blessed day.

– CD Kaplan