SPORTS

Ask Me Anything: U of L's life after Blakeney?

Jeff Greer
@jeffgreer_cj
Anotnio Blakeney drives to the basket during the National Basketball Players Association Top 100 Camp at the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville Virginia.

So ... anything happen in sports this week?

You know, weeks like this are really tough for sports writers. Just nothing to really write about or discuss. It's a tough gig, but somebody's gotta -- *editor whispers in ear*. Oh.

(That's one of those "it was funny in my head" moments. Carry on.)

Anyway, if you are unfamiliar with AMA, at least with the ones we do here on the University of Louisville beat, why don't I try to explain 'em in 140 characters:

You ask me questions about anything, from Louisville and other sports-related topics to random, weird stuff, and I answer them.

You can send me your questions on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj) or email me at jgreer@courier-journal.com.

We had quite a few good questions this week, so let's get started, shall we?

@DAHelderman: Any contact/word from the men's basketball staff since the Blakeney news? Opinion on their chances to get Dozier or another top-tier guy?

Jeff: With the NFL's tire fire occupying national headlines, Blakeney's decommitment from Louisville certainly got the most attention here. A few different people told me yesterday morning, rather bluntly, that Louisville is done with Antonio Blakeney.

Without Blakeney in the mix, they'll turn their full attention to PJ Dozier. They'd withdrawn from the race for him once Blakeney committed, but because Blakeney decommitted after 11 days, it's not like the lines have frozen over. Dozier originally planned to visit Louisville on Oct. 3, but that trip was canceled. His dad told the CJ's Steve Jones that Dozier was open to Louisville re-entering the fray. He will be their top priority now, though from everything I've read, North Carolina is the team to beat for Dozier.

@Free_Burge: What do you see Louisville's record as this year? Are 10 wins possible?

Jeff: Jeremy asked me this right after Louisville beat Miami, so I apologize for it running a couple weeks late. At the time, it seemed very much like 10 wins would be possible, but that was under the assumption that the Cardinals' passing game would be better. It's regressed since that Miami game. They'll have two fine-tune games against FIU and Wake Forest to get everything in order.

Before the same I predicted 9-3, which I do think is still attainable because of how good Louisville's defense has been, but the Virginia loss makes seven more wins a little bit of a challenge. If I could re-pick the final nine games, I'd project an 8-4 record.

@Bordeni: If Charlie Strong were still at Louisville and Petrino was at Texas, would both teams be better right now?

Jeff: No. I mean that's an interesting proposition, but I don't think so. Charlie Strong's trying to implement his style at Texas, but he's hit a few walls with players misbehaving, his quarterback retiring from football, etc. I've maintained in this space that I think Strong will be fine at Texas, and I'll stick to that. He's not off to the best start, though, is he?

As for Petrino, he might have the same problems there that he has here. There's talent in a lot of places, but the quarterback play and pass protection has to be better.

OK, lots of weird questions for rapid fire, so let's get to those before finishing with one more Louisville question:

@MarkEnnis: On a scale of 1-10, how much do you love Dave Wannstedt?

Jeff: 3,875,291,293,201,576,280,284,657,827

@J680Anderson: On a scale of 1-10, how much do you love a great mustachioed man?

Jeff: 3,875,291,293,201,576,280,284,657,827

@MichaelGrant_CJ: Which two Louisville athletes would you cast in a buddy-cop film with Jim Calhoun as the stressed out police captain?

Jeff: You'd have Russ Smith as the comic relief and Stephan Van Treese would play the straight man.

@acewing: If you could have a shoe deal, would you go for loafers, shoelaces or velcro?

Jeff: I'm a big shoelaces guy myself.

@ZMPayne: What's your favorite place to eat in Louisville?

Jeff: Hammerheads. All day, every day.

@wwpky: How long could you ride a panther, rodeo style?

Jeff: The panther statue at Pitt is stationary, so I would be on there until I got bored. As for a real panther, I'll say two seconds before a really gruesome end to the ride. For the panther.

@CardDude25: Favorite ingredient in your favorite burrito?

Jeff: Sour cream and white rice in a dead heat into the final turn.

@bg_mahoney: What historical period would you like to live in?

Jeff: This is a really good question. I like to think I could've made something of myself if I lived in the 1800s, but there's also a 49-percent chance I'd be overcome by some awful Oregon Trail disease.

@_NickBurch: In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America is not the Winter Soldier. Who teaches punctuation in Hollywood?

Jeff: The same people who somehow through Slumdog Millionaire was better than The Wrestler.

@JonKYSportsco: What if Boeheim, Coach K and Calipari were picked to live in a house and things started getting real?

Jeff: I don't know about you, Jon, but I'd watch the hell out of that Real World.

@katchak: I live in Prospect. If I catch one of these deer, could I make it my pet?

Jeff: Just, uh, don't let it near your driveway. Or any roads, for that matter.

@_ChrisHatfield: Chipotle or Qdoba?

Jeff: I'm a Chipotle man and I toe that line.

@bradf28: What's in the box?

Jeff: Let me know if it's a doughnut.

Dennis: What's your favorite doughnut?

Jeff: Glazed.

@robinsonandrew: How come your boss, Neil, keeps getting stuck at the railroad tracks on his commute home?

Jeff: I will tell you this much -- I might rank "stuck at a train crossing" as my No. 2 rage-inducing reasons for delays, just behind heavy highway traffic because of ... nope, no reason, just a car on the shoulder or a slight drizzle.

@jffrythmpsn: Do you blow dry your hair, towel dry, or let it dry in its own? Have you ever owned a Barenaked Ladies CD?

Jeff: Important questions, both. Glad someone recognizes this top-flight lettuce. I'm a big air dry kind of guy. And I actually do think I owned a Barenaked Ladies album when I was, like, 12, and that had that one song about watching X-Files with no lights on. I also listed "Walking on the Sun" by Smash Mouth as my favorite song in the sixth-grade yearbook. YOLO.

Ken: Who should Louisville fans root for in Clemson-Florida State?

Jeff: At this point, probably Clemson. Of those two, Clemson's seems more beatable, though both are uphill challenges for Louisville. The Virginia loss really stings in the ACC standings, though.

See y'all next week.