Posts Tagged "big blue nation"

2013 NCAA Tournament Predictions

The last few weeks have been extremely eventful with U of L clinching the number one seed in the 2013 NCAA tournament and UK failing to make the Big Dance, then losing to Robert Morris in the opening round of the NIT!

If the early rounds of the 2013 NCAA Tournament are as crazy as the opening round of the NIT, things are about to get crazy. UK losing to Robert Who?! Louisville fans are NEVER going to let Big Blue Nation forget about that defeat, considering the hell that was dished out following Louisville’s loss to Morehead State in the 2011 tournament!

Trash talk aside, here at Red V. Blue we are buzzing about the prospect of back-to-back championships: 2012 for UK and 2013 for U of L (fingers crossed). Last year we were in the Big Easy for the Final Four, and this year we will be in ATL, provided that the Cards keep up their end of the bargain!

And if Louisville does cut down the nets this year at the 2013 NCAA tournament, imagine the drama of the next rivalry game at Rupp Arena this December. It would be one of the biggest clashes ever, hands down. Also, considering the talent of UK’s incoming class, there could potentially be back-to-back-to-back championships at stake!

Below is Red V. Blue director Rory Owen Delaney’s picks for the 2013 NCAA tournament. What are your predictions? To subscribe to the newsletter for our one-of-a-kind basketball movie, please visit our homepage.

Boxing Brouhaha

At the Louisville Legends Amateur Boxing Club we met with boxer Earl Heyman and his trainer James Doolin. Heyman attended Ballard High School and played as a defensive tackle for the University of Louisville from 2005-2007. Today he is training to become a professional boxer. Doolin expects Earl to make his professional fighting debut sometime in 2013, a debut that Heyman hopes to make in Louisville, KY. Ironically, Heyman’s trainer James Doolin is an outspoken, diehard Kentucky Wildcats fan despite attending the University of Louisville. The two rib each other in good humor for the cameras as Earl does sit-ups and shadow boxes. Red V. Blue weaves slice-of-life stories with interviews of former coaches and players to highlight the extraordinary circumstances that helped create and sustain one of the nation’s fiercest college rivalries.

Matt Jones, Mike Rutherford, Pat Forde, the 101 Club & More

Check out some production stills from our interviews with Matt Jones, Mike Rutherford, Pat Forde and UK superfan Ken Curlas. Ken is a member of the 101 club, a service organization which dedicates itself to furthering the University of Kentucky. Members of the 101 club are instantly recognizable by their distinct blue blazers, and you’ll see them at every UK home game sprinkled around Rupp Arena. Ken is an alumnus of the University of Kentucky and has an entire wing of his house decorated in Wildcats memorabilia. Ken was kind enough to invite us into his home where he spoke about the old days of Memorial Coliseum, the transition from Adolf Rupp to Joe B. Hall, the 101 club, and the 2012 national championship, among other topics.

Dueling Barbers

In Louisville, KY, our cameras go inside WAG’s barbershop, a “divided” establishment where UK and Louisville fans once sat side by side. Boone clipped the Wildcat fans, and Mark Wagner and Mark Wagner Jr. clipped the Cardinals supporters. You may remember them from Adam Lefkoe’s “The Rivalry” YouTube channel.

After the 2012 UK national championship, the barbers butted heads, and Boone struck out on his own. “Designed by Miracles” was the result, a barbershop with an interior painted entirely blue and white about twenty blocks east of WAG’s on Broadway Avenue in downtown Louisville. For Red V. Blue we check in with Boone and the Wagner family before reuniting the barbers for a passionate debate on UK-UofL basketball.