By Gavin Lapaille
The University of Louisville men’s basketball team has been wearing T-shirts with “Believes in We” across the front during the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.
So far, it seems to be working.
The No. 3 seed Cards defeated No. 14 seed Boise State University 79-61 in the first round, then took out the No. 6 seed University of Oklahoma 78-48 in the second, advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005. U of L will take on the No. 2 seed University of Tennessee Thursday.
Entering the tournament on a two-game losing streak, the Cards have shown no signs of trouble early on.
“Obviously, we didn’t finish the Big East season like we wanted to,” senior center David Padgett told NCAAsports.com. “But it’s pretty much a whole new season from this point on. The NCAA tournament is a whole other level and we can’t really dwell on what happened in the past.”
In the first round, the Cards held Broncos’ star guard Reggie Larry without a basket until near the seven minute mark of the first half. Larry, who averaged nearly 20 points per game during the season, finished with 14.
Sophomore forward Earl Clark led all U of L scorers with 15 points while grabbing seven rebounds and blocking two shots. Junior forward Terrence Williams finished with nine points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Going up against a Broncos’ team known for their shooting, the Cards had one of their best three point shooting days this season. Seven different players hit a three for U of L as the team finished 12-for-24 on the night. Sophomore guard Jerry Smith broke out of his recent shooting slump with a 4-for-8 performance behind the arc.
“I think that it kind of showed that nobody had jitters,” Williams told NCAAsports.com about the team’s shooting. “I thought some people would be nervous and scared, but a lot of people didn’t, everybody came out to play. So hopefully that can carry on throughout the tournament.”
In round two, the Cards raced out to an early lead and were never really challenged by the Sooners. With a lead of 44-22 at halftime, U of L didn’t look back, showcasing a balanced offensive attack and another strong shooting performance.
The 30-point win tied a school record for the biggest win in the NCAA tournament. The loss was Oklahoma’s most lopsided ever in the tournament.
Clark led all scorers again with 14 points, while Smith chipped in 12 as the Cards shot 59 percent from the floor, including 9-for-17 from three-point range. U of L again shut down their opponent’s best player, as Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin was held to just eight points before fouling out late in the game.
The Cards will next take on a tough Tennessee squad that will be making their second consecutive trip to the Sweet 16. The Volunteers defeated No. 15 seed American University 72-57 in the first round, and then needed an overtime to take out No. 7 seed Butler University 76-71 in the second to advance. UT head coach Bruce Pearl said after the Butler game there was no question winning these games has built his team’s confidence.
“The one thing about this basketball team, I coached a lot of teams, this has been my most resilient team,” Pearl said. “They do find ways to win and I think it’s because this is a close team, there’s terrific chemistry, we have too many weapons and they count on one another.”
The Cards are 11-7 against the Vols all-time, but won the last four meetings between the schools.
This has been a record-breaking season for Tennessee. The Vols won their first outright Southeastern conference championship since 1966-67 and have won a school record 31 games. The No. 2 seeding in the tournament ties a record for the highest in school history.
The Vols are led by senior guard Chris Lofton, who hails from Maysville, Ky., who leads the team in scoring with nearly 16 points per game, while shooting just under 40 percent from beyond three point range. Lofton broke his own school record against Butler for three pointers in a season with 116 and is also the SEC’s all-time leader in three-pointers made.
The two teams will tip-off at approximately 9:47 p.m., Thursday in Charlotte, N.C. in the semi-finals of the East Region. The winner will take on the winner of the University of North Carolina and Washington State University for the right to advance to play in the Final Four.
