Aaarghgammdamahshhhgeezamighty, Gorgui.

Why on earth did you have to recover from that hand injury so darned fast?

You got good again quickly. Real good. Better actually than good. Too damn quick for me, I tell ya, Gorgui.

I mean really, couldn’t you have just eased into superstardom? Another off-season with The Rick, honing your skills? You could go to that Big Man Camp everybody talks about, wow the scouts, end up a Top 5 pick after NEXT season?

But nooooooooooooooooooo!!! You lay 20 and 11 on the Irish. On the same day as the Saint Paddy’s Day parade no less. On 8 of 11 shooting. You had to go and show off that 15 foot jumper, didn’t you? The one that had the scouts shaking their heads, saying to themselves, “You know, this kid can play the 4.”

And those five blocks and three steals. Real cute. You had to show up that Cooley kid, right? What a nice gift to give your adoring Cardinal fans on the last day of the regular season. You just had to go and impress the pro scouts, didn’t you? I mean the Cards had the game in hand. Couldn’t you have sandbagged a little bit?

Okay, Gorgui, remember this? Back before the season started, on media day, I asked where you stood in regards to your degree? You saw right through my ploy.

“Why are you asking me about that.” you asked? You knew, of course.

“I’m here to study for four years. I don’t want to hear any more questions like that.”

So, like, hey, Gorgui, what about that?

How about keeping your word, huh?

* * * * *

My buddy, Mr. Bunny, is a major Cardinal fan of long standing.

When the Cardinals get ahead, his mantra is simple, to the point.

“Do not relinquish the lead.”

Well, dude, our Cards went wire to wire yesterday, scoring the first four. Notre Dame pulled within a point three times. Early. Very early. The last time with three quarters of the tilt yet to be contested. The last time the Irish had an offensive possession with a chance to tie came at the 8:32 mark. Of the first half.

In the second half, the visitors thought they had something going. They cut the deficit to 40-45 with 12:42 to play.

Then Ware hit Silent L for a slam. Dieng hit a jumper, then the front of a 1 & 1. He rebounded his miss, which possession ended with two made FTs by Chane. Then Gorgui blocked a shot, missed a shot, but Behanan grabbed the board, and Gorgui finished the possession with a layup. Etc, etc.

After which flurry, the Cards led by 11 with nine minutes plus still to play. Notre Dame never cut the lead to single digits.

For good measure, Russ hit Ware on an alley oop.

Don’t bother knockin’, the Yum! was rockin’. (And I’m not talking about Pink singing while hanging from the rafters.)

* * * * *

On a day when the Cardinals’ leading scorer, the ever enigmatic Russ Smith had a throwaway game, Louisville had its nemesis measured from the get go. From the opening tip, it was obvious U of L’s post game ceremony wouldn’t be bittersweet like, say, that of the school across the river and up the road.

Smith still had four assists and a steal against a single turnover.

The Cards got 18 from the SF slot, 10 from Luuuuuuuuuke, 8 from Blackshear.

Behanan tallied 7 with three nifty assists. Ware produced a solid 8 and 3 off the pine.

And Peyton Siva, his family in the house, had 13 points, five assists, four boards and his coach’s heart. Let’s hope we’ve seen the last of those vexing tom tom turnovers he comes up with too often.

Nobody got in foul trouble. The Cards hit 51% from the field (26/51), a Bridgeman/ Murphy Era kind of stat. Louisville was 15/19 at the charity stripe, including Behanan’s 3/4.

* * * * *

You knew the Cardinals had come to play when Chane Behanan went strong and fought for an offensive rebound, then scored, on the second possession.

It really was a commanding performance.

Unusual for sure when Notre Dame’s the opponent. Eight of the previous 13 tilts with the Irish went to OT, 5 of the last 6.

In the last five meetings, when the Cards have been ranked, ND won four times.

* * * * *

The head scratching aspect of this game, as it was during that five OT affair in South Bend, was the play of Garrick Sherman.

The lumbering pivotman scored four points in Notre Dame’s four outings prior to yesterday, hitting like 2/12 from the field.

Yesterday he was 7/9.

Go figure.

* * * * *

The Cards wore red unis at home.

I’m sure it’s not the first time, but it is unusual. I can’t remember the last time it happened.

Darrell Griffith was honored during a second half timeout, at a juncture when Notre Dame had cut the Cards lead to 6.

“I’d suit him up and put him in right now,” I mused.

To which my cohort, Bill Doolittle responded, “Oh yeah, absolutely.”

* * * * *

The Senior Day ceremonies were about as heartwarming as they come.

The gold standard remains the one after Westley Unseld’s last home game.

The Freedom Hall crowd would have stood and clapped all night. As it was, the standing O went on for what seemed like 10-15 minutes at least. People milled around the court for a long while afterward, eating pieces of a big celebratory cake.

* * * * *

Next tip: 7:00 pm Thursday in the Gahhhhden. (Thank you, Marty Glickman.)

Would love a rematch with Nova.

– Seedy K