If you were like me today after watching the first half of the game you were already preparing yourself for not only another loss to North Carolina, but also for an early exit in March. The Cardinals were playing the most uninspired basketball of the season in that first 20 minutes. After the final media time-out of the first half UNC was up 30-18, Louisville was 7 of 14 from the free-throw line, and the Cardinals guards/wings were a combined 3 for 18. At the half UNC led 36-25, had the rebounding advantage 27-16, and had scored 11 second chance points. Things were looking pretty grim…
The start of the second half wasn’t much better and the Tar Heels added to their lead scoring the first seven points. Then at the 17:49 mark Coach Pitino called a time-out and reportedly told his team that if they didn’t start giving more effort they were going to lose by 30. That talk must have registered because they came out of that time-out and never looked back. The Cardinal defense stepped up holding UNC to no second chance points, two offensive rebounds, and their second fewest points in the paint this season. The Cardinals outscored them 28-24 in the paint, scored 17 second chance points themselves and out rebounded the Tar Heels 30 to 17. In the end our Cardinals came back from 18 points down to give them one of their best comeback wins since the miracle on main back in 2011 against Marquette. The final score Louisville 78 North Carolina 68…
I wrote an article earlier this week about the White-Out games. In that article I looked back at some of the White-Out games in the past that had provided some unexpected drama. Now we have a new one to add to that legacy. The Cardinals improve to 6-3 in White-Out games giving Coach Pitino his first win over the Tar Heels in seven tries, and also ended a three game losing streak to the guys in powder blue.
To win this game our big three would have to step up big. Montrezl Harrell had the alley-oop dunk of the year, his 20th career double-double with 22 points, 15 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and no turnovers. He played like an All-American for the first time in weeks. Both coaches called him “possessed” after the game.
Terry Rozier hit some very big shots in the second half with a double-double of his own 22 points, 10 rebounds, two steals, one block, one assist, and three turnovers in 43 minutes.
Chris Jones kept plugging away after several frustrating moments and had 17 points to go along with 5 rebounds.
He has received much criticism this season and some of it earned but Mango always gives his very best and brings energy every time he is on the floor. Today that energy is what sparked the big second half comeback. Mango had 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 blocks and 4 points. Sometimes he makes Cardinal fans pull their hair out but he does a lot of little things that make a difference. Today he made a big difference.
The win today will do a lot for the confidence of this team. It’s just the kind of boost they needed heading into the final months of the season. They still have a lot of things to improve on but all of the intangibles are there. The grit they showed today in this remarkable comeback is something you can’t teach. Teams either have it or they don’t. These Cardinals may not be the most talented group in the country but they are fighters. Looking forward to the home stretch… Go Cards!
(Video Courtesy TheCrunchZone.com and ACC.com)