Louisville 87 Notre Dame 73 in OT; Rolf’s Recapsulation

How did the Louisville Cardinals defeat No. 13 Notre Dame 87 – 73 in OT last night?

You could say it was Earl Clark and his 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 1 unforgettable dunk.  Slicing left, and then somehow contorting and willing his momentum back to the right, Earl threw down a two handed jam strait into Harangody’s Norm Peterson face.  Clark also gave Louisville the lead for good with a 3-pointer from the corner that put Louisville up 76-73 on the first score of overtime.

Could be Terrence Williams and his beastly performance. T-Will had 24 points, 16 rebounds and 8 assists, looking every bit the All-American, and as Jay Bilas made sure we knew “the best player on the court.” 

There could be a compelling case made for the Samardo Samuels and Terrence Jennings combination. Sam Sam and T.J. combined for 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 blocks while holding reigning Big East player of the year Luke Harangody to 28 points and 13 rebounds, but none over the last 11 minutes.

Another strong case could be made for the pit bull like defense played by Andre McGee and Preston Knowles. They hounded Irish sharpshooter Kyle McAlarney and made sure he could not see the basket late in the game.

The point is, the entire team brought it. This kind of team effort, energy, and attitude is what turns good teams into great teams. We all thought this team could be great and if last night is any indication, then they will be. Now, onto the Good, the Bad, and the Ari Wolfe:

The Good – Again, many possibilities here, but I’ll go with the superb play off the bench by Terrence Jennings. Slick Rick said prior to the season that T.J. would be the key to success and it appears to be the case. While he will not produce the scoring Sam Sam will, T.J. is a long defender with great shot blocking ability. He pitched Harangody / Norm on three occasions and altered his shot several more times. It looks like the light has turned on for T.J. and its great to see.

The Bad – Luke Harangody fouling Andre McGee with under five seconds to play. Norm, what were you thinking? I think Norm is a spectacular player, but his grab of McGee was weak sauce. It looked like Norm wanted to get out of the game for several minutes, but he couldn’t wait another five seconds? C’mon Norm, you’re better than that.

The Ari Wolfe – Referee Jim Burr. Not because of the controversial backcourt violation he called with less than a second left, but just because I despise the man. It really might be hate.

However, I will not let those feeling taint a great win by the Cardinals. It doesn’t get any easier with the no. 1 ranked Fighting Jamie Dixons coming into town on Saturday, but for now let’s all enjoy a great game and fantastic win.