Louisville basketball makes history yet again. The Cardinals defeated Stanford in an absolute battle, 75-73.
Louisville basketball was down as much as 15 points with about 13 minutes remaining but showed no sign of quitting. The Cardinals rallied on a 16-3 run to jump right back into the game and would end up securing a win on a Chucky Hepburn buzzer-beater jumper.
The Cardinals secured a spot in the ACC semifinals for the first time in program history. This wasn't the cleanest game, but a win is a win.
5 massive observations from the Louisville basketball win over the Stanford Cardinal
Louisville has a lot to improve on if they want to beat Clemson, but before we jump to that game, let's recap how the Cardinals made history. Here are five massive observations from the Louisville basketball win over Stanford.
5. The Cardinals need Reyne Smith
The Cardinals played last night's game without their sharpshooter, Reyne Smith. Louisville's senior guard has made 104 threes this season and averages 3.5 threes a game, and his absence was clear as day in last night's victory.
Lousiville's chemistry was all over the place early in the game, and the Cardinal's shooting got off to a cold start. Louisville was led by Noah Waterman and Terrence Edwards Jr. in the first half and missed their sharpshooter tremendously on the outside. The Cardinals will hope he is available for tonight's matchup.
The Cardinals made just eight threes this game, and the shooting from the outside from their sharpshooter was deeply missed. Smith provides spacing, and opens up the floor for Hepburn, Edwards and Hadley. The Cardinals need Smith back on the floor immediatley.
4. Louisville found their bench star
The Cardinals desperately need their bench piece, but they might have seen it in last night's win. Noah Waterman started for Pat Kelsey in Reyne Smith's absence and stepped up big time.
The senior forward scored the Cardinal's first six points of the game and shot an impressive 3-5 from downtown. The Cardinals need this shooting to continue deep into March. If Waterman can keep this hot shooting streak going, he will become a valuable bench piece for Pat Kelsey, not only tonight but also for the NCAA Tournament.
3. The Cardinals X-factor must step it up
J'Vonne Hadley was not himself tonight. The Cardinals' guard averages nearly 13 points a game while playing aggressive basketball, but he was not even close to that in tonight's matchup. He scored just four points while shooting 2-8 from the field.
He seemed out of it tonight and didn't get many touches in the post. While the Cardinals secured the win, if Lousiville wants to secure a spot in the ACC Tournament, Hadley will have to play as he did in the Cardinals and Tigers matchup in the regular season.
Hadley is known to be the Cardinal's X-factor, and he must step up and be that third option for the Cardinal's offense. Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards Jr. are going to get a lot of eyes, and that will leave Hadley to play aggressively and in his style of basketball, and that is what Pat Kelsey needs from him.
2. Terrence Edwards continues to impress
Terrence Edwards has stepped up repeatedly in the past month. The Cardinals struggled immensely in the first half, but Edwards secured multiple buckets that kept this team in the game.
Edwards hit a couple of threes and had a beautiful drive to the basket, and before fans knew it, he had 10 points at the half. Edwards would finish the game with a game-high 25 points while shooting 9/14 from the field and 40 percent from downtown.
Edwards has solidified himself as a spectacular guard in this league and a great offensive option for Pat Kelsey when he needs to get a bucket.
1. Louisville basketball's culture
Wow. The Cardinals looked dead, but they never quit, and a lot has to do with this culture Pat Kelsey built. Everyone was turning the game off, mad on social media, and ready to call it quits—everyone except the actual team. The Cardinals were down 15 points in the second half and possibly played the worst game so far.
However, they just didn't quit and kept chipping away at that deficit, eventually bringing the lead back to under five minutes. Lousiville showed resilience and determination—something this fan base hasn't seen in a year. According to ESPN, Stanford was given a 92 percent chance to win, but that didn't matter. The Cardinals were going to give their 110% and find a way to win, and that is precisely what they did.
Also, Chucky Hepburn is memorable. He played poorly and was not up to his standards, but when it mattered the most, he was at the right place at the right time and swished the game-winning bucket to punch the Cardinals' ticket to the ACC semifinals.