For the first time in 3,289 days, the Louisville men’s basketball team has advanced in the NCAA Tournament.
It wasn’t easy. Certainly not as easy as it looked like it was going to be when the Cardinals led by as many as 23 points in the second half.
U of L narrowly avoided being on the wrong end of the second largest comeback victory in tournament history, holding off 11th-seeded South Florida, 83-79, in Buffalo.
The Cardinal lead dwindled to uncomfortable margins in the game’s closing moments thanks
mostly to a season-high 22 turnovers committed by Louisville. Over the game’s final nine minutes, U of L committed eight turnovers and attempted only five field goals.
The Cards counter-balanced that with arguably their most complete defensive effort of the season, limiting South Florida to just 5-of-33 (15%) shooting from beyond the arc and just 39% shooting from the field overall.
Issac McKneely bounced back from a rough end of the ACC Tournament to match a season-high with 23 points. He hit 7-of-10 three-point attempts and was the biggest reason Louisville finished the afternoon 13-of-25 from deep.
Also helping to save the day was Sananda Fru, who produced his first double-double since January with a 10-point, 10-rebound effort. He also played tremendous on the defensive end, blocking a pair of shots and recording a steal. Ryan Conwell scored 18 points, but committed six turnovers and was just 2-of-7 from three. J’Vonne Hadley added 10 points as well.
American Conference Player of the Year Izaiyah Nelson was mostly held in check in the first half, but consistently turned defense into offense over the game’s final 20 minutes to finish with 22 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Wes Enis, USF’s leading scorer, went just 2-of-15 from the field and 0-for-11 from three.
Hate to see it.
With the win, Louisville improved to 6-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament games against 11-seeds, and 4-0 in first round games when playing as a 6-seed.
It’s been nine absurdly long years since the last time we had the chance to say this, so you knew it was never going to be easy, but … STILL DANCING.
