By Staff–

Every year there are games that are fun to watch no matter who you root for. The passion of college sports is what makes this level of competition untouched by any other form. Let’s take a look back at the best games from the last academic year.

Women’s basketball vs. Kentucky – Dalton Ray

Jeff Walz’s team lost to their rivals down the road in the last four match-ups. The Cardinals finally removed the thorn by their side last December by defeating the Wildcats.

Tied late in the fourth, Louisville’s defense forced a turnover but the Cardinals couldn’t inbound the ball, giving the ball back to UK. The last-second heave for the Cats missed and the game went into overtime.

Late offensive rebounds from Jazmine Jones gave Louisville a four-point lead with under 15 seconds to play. Kentucky responded by hitting a three with 9.8 seconds left to cut the lead to one. Trailing by two with four seconds left, UK couldn’t get off a final shot and U of L held on.

Football vs. Clemson – Jeff Milby

Facing off against Clemson, stakes were never higher for football, and a better game has seldom been played. It was a back-and-forth affair with Louisville overcoming an 18-point deficit. With the Cards driving into the red zone with victory in their grasp, James Quick fell yard short of the first down, and Clemson came away victorious on their way to national championship glory in January.

Men’s tennis vs. Notre Dame – Conner Farrell

Men’s tennis beat Notre Dame 4-3, clinching the game with the final match.

Sophomore George Hedley surrendered the first set 7-0, but came back in the second to tie the match at one-all. Trailing 5-4 in the final set with his opponent serving, Hedley overcame the deficit and won in a tiebreaker.

Hedley’s late match heroics and the close outcomes from the other matches, make this match-up the game of the year worthy.

Football vs. Florida State – Micah Brown and Mike Gilpatrick

In ESPN’s College Gameday’s first-ever visit to Louisville, football beat No. 2 Florida State, proving that Lamar Jackson was more than capable of living up to his hype.

After blowing past Charlotte in the season opener, Jackson put his name in the Heisman ballot by leaping over a defender for a touchdown in the Cards’ next game against Syracuse. With the hype surrounding the Louisville quarterback, many questioned if he was capable of producing the same video-game numbers against the second best team in the nation. Jackson rushed for four touchdowns and threw for one as the Cards blasted the Seminoles 63-20.

Men’s basketball vs. Kentucky – Matt Bradshaw

Then-No. 10 Louisville defeated rival Kentucky 73-70 after UK winning the last four meetings. U of L out-rebounded Kentucky, shot over 40 percent from the field and Quentin Snider had a career-high 22 points. The Cards shut down Malik Monk as well, who had just dropped 47 points in a win against eventual National Champion North Carolina.

Men’s soccer vs. Notre Dame – Jordan Shim

After a 7-9-3 season, men’s soccer was expected to be the bottom feeders of the ACC. No. 1 Notre Dame would gauge how good this Louisville team was. In a tight defensive contest with nine combined shots, Mohamed Thiaw burst onto the scene with a goal from midfield to upset the Fighting Irish. The Cardinals held off the late barrage from ND, winning 1-0.

Honorable mentions:

Field hockey vs. North Carolina – Erin McCrudden lifts the Cardinals past No. 3 Tar Heels with a second-half goal

Women’s tennis vs. Georgia State – Louisville can’t close against the Tigers and fall 4-3

Women’s soccer vs. Notre Dame – U of L’s upset hopes are ended by the Irish’s cross in overtime