The Louisville basketball program thrives in March. These five performances of the last decade show just that.
One of the best things about being a Louisville basketball fan (and the list runs long) is how many beloved players we’ve seen in a Cardinal uniform, be able to provide memorable performances in the month which is truly maddening and beautiful at the same time.
March.
The win-or-go-home tournament-format is what leads average sports fans around the country, and even the office IT guy, to be glued to their TV’s for three weeks lost in the overwhelming, intoxicating finale to the college basketball season.
Francisco Garcia, Larry O’Bannon, Earl Clark, Peyton Siva, and Luke Hancock are just a few Louisville legends who have allowed us fans the opportunity to witness the ecstasy of advancing in the tournament and given us a sense of pride in wearing our shades of red and black when going grocery shopping, dropping the kids off at school or any given chance we may get to don our Cardinal gear.
March Madness tips off in a few weeks, and hopefully, Team 106 can deliver some more memorable March moments. Here are the five best March performances in the last decade (conference and NCAA tournaments included) for the Louisville basketball program.
Honorable Mention:
- March 10th, 2011 – Mike Marra – Big East Tournament – 22 points, 6/10 from 3-pt range vs Marquette
- March 24th, 2012 – Russ Smith – Elite Eight – 19 points, 5 rebs off the bench to spark comeback win vs 7-seed Florida
- March 16th, 2013 – Montrezl Harrell – Big East Championship – 20 points, 7 rebs off the bench vs #19 Syracuse
- March 23rd, 2013 – Russ Smith – Round of 32 – 27 points vs Colorado State that earned a tweet from the King himself, LeBron James
- March 5th, 2014 – Russ Smith – 26 points, 6 rebs, 5 assists, 6/6 from 3-pt range at #18 SMU
- March 22nd, 2015 – Terry Rozier – Round of 32 – 25 points, 7 assists, 5 rebs vs 5-seed Northern Iowa