The Dreaded Dagger

Nothing quite like losing a game on a VERY long-distance jump shot, is there? That one really hurt.

But tell the truth: when Cardinals guard Edgar Sosa kept dribbling, dribbling, dribbling out in no man's land beyond the top of the key, it appeared unlikely that Louisville was even going to get a decent shot off. As the seconds ticked away, it seemed more plausible that the Cats might escape into overtime-- with all of the momentum. Give UK an additional 5 minutes on its loathsome rival's home court, and they probably walk off with the spoils.

Well, apparently Sosa had a plan, and a bit of luck on his side.

Usually a team would prefer to get something going towards the basket in the dying seconds. Get some penetration, hope to create a look for yourself on the way to the rim, or failing that--dump it off to a teammate crashing to the goal, or pitch it out to a spot-up shooter.

So it might not have been the way ol' Rick Pitino drew it up. Sosa threw in an absolute dagger from what, nearly 30 ft? (EDIT: most media sources estimate it at 26) And there isn't a whole lot that a defense can do in that situation. Frankly, I like our chances when you have a player resort to that kind of effort in a last-second situation. How many times out of 10 would he make that shot, even unguarded, and in an empty gym with no pressure?

It just smelled of desperation, honestly. It was practically a prayer. A heave.

And that's what makes the dagger so painful.