Yes, Cards fans love E5. His performance against Ole Miss explains why a grown man in town with a red Mini Cooper would name it for his favorite current Card, so designated with “Earl” displayed on front and back bumpers. Okay, guilty as charged. Blush.

The playah with a sixth grade voice and a manly man’s game went for 25 and 16 with 5 blocks. And 4 assists.

It was an odd win. The Cards blew an 18 point first half lead. But when they fell behind in the second half they hung tough. This team has a long way to go. The lack of mature leadership issue is still to be addressed.

Samardo Samuels got a big taste of what lies ahead. If he thinks it was tough against Ole Miss, wait until he battles Cincy and Pitt and UConn and the ‘Cuse. Which is not to mention returning conference MVP, that Harangody kid at Notre Dame. He let his scoring problems affect his usually stalwart free throw shooting and his defense. But he did hit the boards for 15. It will be interesting to see how he reacts to his performance. I recall Pervis Ellison’s frosh year. The fascinating thing is PE never made the same mistake twice. He was learning and improving each game. Let’s hope the same for Mardo.

Edgar Sosa continues to mystify. He hit some big FTs, and a big three. But he lost the ball several times in key situations, driving into trouble in the paint. The Rick apparently feels Sosa is the go to PG at crunch time. Let’s hope he’s correct.

Jerry Smith continues to struggle to get his shot off. Such a slow release, that fellow has.

All in all, a bittersweet evening. Rebounding was stalwart. Winning is a good thing. Blowing big leads against outmanned opponents, shooting in the 30s with a lot of those shots at point blank range, not so hot. Another test tomorrow against well-coached Minnesota with little or no rest for the weary travelers.

– Seedy K