Cardinal Sports Insider: Syracuse film session and Pat Kelsey rewards Zougris

This is one of my favorite Insider's up until this point in the season. Watching the first half against Syracuse felt like a breath of fresh air. Not only did Louisville make one of the largest changes of the Pat Kelsey era, but the Cardinals also defended their butts off, a stark change from what we saw in the Cards' two-game losing streak at North Carolina and Clemson. Starting Vangelis Zougris seemed like a message to Kelsey's team: against the Orange, they would embrace the nasty and gritty play with an immediate boost in effort. Not that Zougris was fantastic in the opening minutes, but he did set the bar in terms of intensity that his teammates seemed to follow over the first 20 minutes. It was needed, not only because the Cardinals were without freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr (back), who missed his first game in a month, but also because Louisville was searching for momentum heading into tournament play next week. Bracketology: What they're saying about Louisville basketball in March Now, with a confidence-building win over Syracuse, one where the Cards defended about as well as they had all year, Louisville has the chance to pick up a resume-defining win at Miami tomorrow.