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I consider LSU a cinderalla team although Rick is a legend. Watch out for my prediction this week.

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- Vinnie Iyer SportintNews.
There's more than 3s in the Cards' deck
Posted: March 28, 2005


Louisville can run and gun with anyone and score in a flurry on long-range shots. But a couple of 245-pound heavyweights are just as crucial to the Cardinals as their perimeter prowess. To borrow from the city's most famous native lip, Muhammad Ali, these Cardinals do a lot more than float like butterflies and sting with 3s.

Roommates Ellis Myles and Juan Palacios give the Cardinals plenty of inside muscle. Coach Rick Pitino says the Cardinals' NCAA Tournament run has gotten the daunting duo noticed.

"The more you win, the more people realize who Ellis is and how he's the key to the team and the more they realize what a terrific freshman (Palacios) is," he says.

Myles, a senior, realizes that now is his time to take charge. "Establishing a physical presence opens up everything else we do," he says. "Every team needs that, and that's what I do."

He also has helped teach Palacios to play more physically. Palacios admits he wasn't taking full advantage of his size and strength early in the season, when he was adjusting from being a high school star who simply was taller than everyone else. "At the beginning, I saw I wasn't playing as strong as Ellis was playing," he says. "He taught me how to use my body."

When Myles or Palacios isn't in the game, 6-8 senior forward Otis George can provide a key rebound, block, screen or pick. His contributions have solidified the Cardinals' inside rotation and helped intimidate opponents.

"It looks like they're fullbacks or linebackers out there," says West Virginia forward Mike Gansey, whose team lost to Louisville in the regional final. "When there's a shot up and you don't put a body on them, they are going to get it back every time."

The Cardinals' improved aggressiveness and rugged play have allowed them to make progress on the boards -- an area Pitino challenged the team to shore up in the tournament. "(The rebounding) really picked up, and it's really enabled us to be a good defensive team," Pitino says.

The Cardinals' offensive star, swingman Francisco Garcia, appreciates the dirty work that helps him, Taquan Dean and Larry O'Bannon get such consistently favorable looks from behind the 3-point line. If Myles and Palacios aren't in position to make easy baskets when opponents focus their defense on the outside, both have the big, soft hands needed to catch the ball and deliver it back to open shooters.

"You look at those guys; they're such smart players," Garcia says. "They do the right things away from the rim. We have confidence in what they do inside, and they're also important to our offense with their passing ability."

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This is the one you've been waiting for and talking about all season. And so have I. If you check out ol' Terry's Yahoo! Sports archive, you'll see I predicted Texas to make it back to the Rose Bowl – and win it again – on Aug. 16 (assuming it won at Ohio State).

A lot of you laughed at me. I've still got the emails from folks ripping me for my faith in Vince Young.

But I'm not off the hook. Now I have to explain why I picked Texas to win this game 4½ months ago. And after having seen USC's last seven games, I have a hard time seeing how the Trojans are going to lose.

There's a reason some people are calling this the most anticipated game ever. It features some of the best matchups in recent memory. For starters, we have the last two Heisman Trophy winners and this year's runner-up, not to mention a lot of future NFL stars.

These are by far the two best offenses in the country. Both average at least 50 points per game. That's almost illegal.

However, as I (and others) have said and written countless times, defense wins championships. Texas clearly will have the best defense on this field, and that will be the difference.

USC has not played anybody nearly as strong on defense as the Longhorns. California was ranked 26th in the nation in scoring defense and held the Trojans to 35. Texas ranks fifth (USC is 27th).

As you know, I have been wrong before. And if I am this time, it will be because of the other key statistic (besides scoring defense) that often determines champions – turnover margin. And guess who leads the nation in that? USC.

But the way I look at it Texas is going to hold the Trojans in the low 30s, while at the same time putting up a couple of more points on offense. I know it sounds strange to say "hold them to 32 points," but with these two offenses it's a fair statement.

Texas should close this thing out at around 35-32, winning with a late touchdown or field goal.

And it will be the classic everyone is hoping for.

Pick: Longhorns 35, Trojans 32


Terry Bowden is Yahoo! Sports' college football analyst. Send him a question or comment for potential use in a future column.

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These are by far the two best offenses in the country. Both average at least 50 points per game.

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Texas clearly will have the best defense on this field, and that will be the difference.

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Originally posted by Wacko:
I cannot believe your obsession with men running with the ball, being told to run by a coach who is outside the pitch. The ball is not even round.

Real men play football. Soccer to you yanks!

BTW; I will root for the skins tonight (it is on sky at 21:00 GMT here) lest my friend kills me, problem is how do I know that the skins have scored?

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Hahahahahahahahaha. I know how you feel. Your best bet would be to watch for any sign of excitement from the Redskins players or their fans.

Well, the simple aim of this sport is for one team to move that pigskin(ball) to their opponent's backfield. This area is clearly marked. You would normally see the hometeam's name on that portion of the field. For this game, you will see the word "Seahawks" on the endzone/backfield/touchdown area for both teams.

There are two main ways of scoring. There is the touchdown and the field goal. If a Skins player manages to carry/run the ball to the Seahawks' backfield(endzone) without getting forcefully tackled, dragged down, pushed out of bounds or stopped through whatever acceptable 'violent' method, then that Skins player would have scored a touchdown. That will give them 6 points on the board. They get an ooportunity to kick the ball through the uprights at the end of their opponent's endzone for an additional point, or try to repeat the same touchdown move for an additional 2 points.

Sometimes, the opposing team is so strong that they can't allow you to get to their endzone. By the way, the sole aim of the opposing team is to stop you from running that ball into their endzone. As you already know, that can make for some really violent activity. If you are unable to put the ball in the endzone after 3 spikes or attempts, the coaching staff or the quarterback (the ma