It was a very emotionally charged day at the Yum Center and I was really impressed with how our guys came out and responded to it. They never once seemed like they were playing tight and were in attack mode for the whole game. As Coach Pitino said in his post-game this team has reached its potential. They have battled through adversity, taken their lumps and appear to be headed into the post season with a new found energy.
Beating the #2 team in the country is no small task. Virginia is very well coached and those guys don’t stop playing for a second. I said in my pre-game break down that I felt that the guys on the bench would all have to start being a factor for this Louisville team to be successful. Today they take down the future NCAA #1 Seed with Anton, Shaqquan, Anas, and Jaylen all coming into the game and making some kind of positive impact. And Mango ended up hitting the game winner. Here is a guy that pretty much epitomizes what this team is about. He has struggled more than any player on the team and hasn’t had many positive moments this season. He continues to practice hard and today it paid off.
I really feel like Coach Pitino simplifying things has really paid off and will continue to pay off as the Cards move forward. With the win over Virginia they will get that double bye in the ACC Tourney next week and really could work their way up to a 2 or 3 seed if they win a few games.
Montrezl Harrell and Wayne Blackshear got to go out on a winning note and they both played a big part in this victory. Quentin Snider and Terry Rozier also played very solid games. These guys along with Chinanu Onuaku have become a very solid starting unit. They have found cohesiveness with the extra practice time and I think they will continue to gel.
It really was an awesome day and one that I’ll remember for a long time. I’m proud of this team for not folding under the pressure and for the way they have continued to fight. It says a lot about the kind of guys they are. I hope they have a great run in the post season.
Below is some video and photos from the Cardinals big win on Senior Day.
Special Senior Day post-game Video:
Louisville Senior Day Ceremonies:
Louisville Senior Day Starting Line-up Intros
Mango hits the Game Winner and the celebration is on:
Wayne and Montrezl say good-bye on Senior Day:
Montrezl Post Game:
Wayne Post Game:
Terry Post Game:
Mango Post Game:
