By Randy Whetstone Jr.–

The Louisville Cardinals will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 23 at home.

Coach Rick Pitino who was recently nominated for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame chalked up his 650th win against South Florida. He has coached 28 collegiate seasons to give him a 650-239 record. Coach Pitino has led Louisville to two NCAA Final Four appearances in 2005 and 2012.

Pitino is the first coach to take three different schools to the Final Four. His successful coaching tactics helped to muster another win for the Cards against the University of South Florida as they get ready for March Madness.

Harmony seems to be the focal point for Louisville men’s basketball. The team steam rolled past South Florida Sunday to improve their record to 21-5 and 9-4 in the Big East.

This is certainly the right time for the team to click on all cylinders with only five games remaining in the regular season.

The team played relentless defense, holding the Bulls to 24.5 percent from the field to go along with 10 steals. The Cardinals flattened the offensive strategy of South Florida in the second half, holding them to only 17 points in total.

Defense then turned into offense; the team had a balanced attack offensively led by junior guard Russ Smith who had 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Chane Behanan and Wayne Blackshear helped carry the scoring load with 12 points apiece.

Louisville was able to distribute the ball effectively, tallying 15 total assists for the contest.

The Cardinals have been battled tested mentally this season. The hope is that the team will be able to use their experiences to endure the trials come tournament time. Louisville has faced some tough tests that have built their team unity, helping them to reach the goals they planned to accomplish.

This victory for Louisville put them 0.5 games behind the lead in the Big East Conference.

The Cardinals will look to continue their winning ways as they host Seton Hall Saturday, Feb. 23 at noon at the KFC Yum! Center.

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Photo by Austin Lassell/The Louisville Cardinal