Great Freedom Hall Moments: Cards Comeback Against Dirty Vols

We conclude our look at some of the great moments for Cardinal basketball at Freedom Hall with one of the most incredible comebacks in Louisville basketball history and the first glimpse of the “Pitino Magic” for Cardinal fans.

In his first season as Louisville coach, Rick Pitino had the Cards at 7-1, but they had really not beaten anyone half-decent. Buzz Peterson’s Tennessee Vols came into town, led by Ron Slay and Vincent Yarbrough, and it looked as if they would hand the Cards their second defeat of the season.

With 31.7 seconds left to play, Tennessee’s Thaydeus Holden sank two free throws to give the Vols a 70-64 lead. The Cards had the ball and needed to put a run together, quickly.