Louisville basketball secured a berth in the ACC Tournament semifinals as the Cardinals defeated Stanford 75-73.
The Cardinals have won 10 straight games and 20 of their last 21, earning the program's first-ever berth in the ACC Tournament semifinals. Thanks to a Chucky Hepburn buzzer-beater shot, Louisville will go up against Clemson in the ACC semifinals tonight.
Chucky Hepburn finished with 20 points and eight assists and has clearly become a vocal leader for this Cardinals program. The First-Team All-ACC point guard is one of the best two-way guards in the nation as he averages 16.3 points, 5.9 assists, and 2.4 steals, and he was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
Well, after his historic game-winning shot, Hepburn gave a fiery message to the Louisville faithful that they should be confident that this Pat Kelsey team is destined to win the program's first-ever ACC Tournament Championship.
Louisville basketball's star's fiery message will send them to ACC Tournament finals
Chucky Hepburn went on ESPN 2 after the game and was interviewed about his historic shot and the Cardinals' team win. Hepburn stated the team was in a huddle when the Cardinals were down 15, and the team had no doubt they would find a way to win the game.
"We were in a timeout, and we just all looked at each other and said we are going to win this game," Hepburn stated. "That is what I love about this team. It is a player-led program. The coaches didn't even speak in the huddle during that media timeout."
This is exactly what the fans want to hear. This short and sweet message sends the fans all the confidence in the world. It is always great to hear that this team plays with no fear, and even when down 15 in the second half, Louisville basketball had all the confidence in themselves to pull off the comeback win.
Hepburn would then be asked about his mentality going into every game and how he was able to help change the Cadinals' culture and bring this program back to life. His answer was simple, and one that will fire this fan base up.
"The mentality is win." Hepburn stated in his fiery message.
"The mentality is win." @LouisvilleMBB's Chucky Hepburn after his game-winning buzzer-beater.pic.twitter.com/8nZLY95bKw
— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) March 14, 2025
Hepburn's four-word message is all that fans want to hear. The Cardinals are winning, and they are winning at a level nobody expected. They have broken multiple program records, and Hepburn has been a primary reason for that.
Louisville has shown that they can win in close games but can also blow the doors off opponents. This team has the strength to shoot lights out, but if they need to play scrappy and secure a tight win, they have the skill set to do that as well. Their rotation may not be profound, but they know exactly what they will get out of the eight players who will touch the court.
Louisville basketball will look to win tonight against Clemson in an epic top 15 clash at 9:30 p.m. local time in the ACC Tournament semifinals. The winner will meet either Duke or North Carolina in the ACC Tournament finals.