Cards Bring the Pain in 2nd Half, Defeat ‘Nova 69-55; Rolf’s Recapsulation

The 5th ranked Louisville Cardinals overcame an eight point halftime deficit to bounce the Villanova Wildcats from the Big East tournament 69-55. For some reason, the Cardinals decided to play one on one offense during the first half. All that did was produce a 34-26 lead for Villanova after the first twenty minutes of play. During his halftime interview with Doris Burke, Slick Rick specifically mentioned his veteran players when talking about his disappointment with his team’s play.

However, from the get go in the second half, it was evident his squad got the message. Louisville relentlessly dogged Villanova defensively and within two minutes of action in the second half, the Cardinals found themselves within two at 34-32.  After a Villanova timeout, Louisville quickly took the lead and never looked back.

Jerry Smith fired up after hitting a big three pointer in the second half

Earl Clark led Louisville with 17 points 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. But it was the play of Jerry Smith that sparked the Cardinals. Smith contributed 16 points, including 4-7 from three point range, as well as playing tough defense against the guards of Villanova. T-Will still did not find his scoring only pitching in 5 points, but did his normal stat stuffing with 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals.

Louisville bench celebrating as time winds down

The Cardinals advanced to the Big East tournament final for the first time in school history (only fourth season in the league, but still historic) and will face the winner of Syracuse and West Virginia Saturday at 9:00 pm on the ESPN. The Cardinals defeated Syracuse in Syracuse and won both their games against West Virginia. Onto the honors:

The Good -  Three point shooting. The Cardinals connected on 13-28 three point attempts, good for 46%. Louisville used crisp passing and great team rotation to find open looks. And when they got their open looks, specifically in the second half, they buried them. Also, special mention to Andre McGee for his spectacular defense on Scottie Reynolds.

The Bad – Free throw shooting. 6-12, 50%. I can’t talk about it anymore.

The Ari Wolfe – So easy, its of course referee Jim Burr. No need to go into detail, he’s horrendous and grotesque to look at. There, I’m done.