By Noah Allison–

A month ago was very unsure times for Card Nation. The ACC’s leader in steals, one of three U of L’s double-digit scorers and one of U of L’s two seniors was dismissed from the team. With the dismissal of starting point guard Chris Jones, Louisville went from a Final Four contender, to a who-knows what.

In walks Quentin Snider.

A true freshman and hometown hero, the Ballard High School graduate won Mr. Basketball in the state of Kentucky just one year before. But starting as a true freshman point guard in Division I basketball for Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals is tough for anybody, including Mr. Basketball.

Despite only two weeks remaining in the regular season, the quiet and “unflappable” freshman guard got to work on his game, knowing the fate of the season and the city’s beloved Cards was now literally in his hands.

Over the past two games of the tournament, it’s clear that “Q” is winning the approval of every faithful fan in Card Nation.

In the offensively stagnant performance against the upset hungry UC Irvine Anteaters and their 7-foot-6 center Snider had the performance of his lifetime. He had a career high 16 of the Cardinals 57 points to advance to the round of 32.

He carried over the offensive efficiency and cool as a cucumber mentality against the fifth seeded UNI Panthers and scored ten points while adding five rebounds.

Having played meaningful minutes for just about a month now Snider is peaking at the right time and is unquestionably one of the impactful reasons Louisville is in its fourth straight Sweet Sixteen.

“Pretty much I just tried to have confidence in myself,” Snider said. “Come through the game, coming into the game, just have confidence. It is my first NCAA Tournament, you know, just try to be confident.”

Photo by Austin Lassell / The Louisville Cardinal