By Harry Barsan
Louisville blew out yet another struggling ACC foe, the victim this time being the Wolfpack of NC State.
Who let the Wolves out?
After missing a game due to a groin injury, Chucky Hepburn wasted no time getting back in the flow of things by scoring on the game’s first possession.
He remained active early on, racking up three assists before the 11 minute mark. That third dime came off a Terrence Edwards Jr. three-pointer that made it a 15-point lead early for the Cards, forcing a timeout.
It was only at the 10-minute mark that NC State eclipsed double-digits, and the surging Cards didn’t stop there..
Hepburn picked up his fourth and fifth dimes on buckets from a masked James Scott and Aboubacar Traore as the Cards still held a comfortable 16-point lead.
NC State seemed to turn the tides, drawing within nine before Hepburn picked their pockets and found an easy layup.
As the clock wound down, the Pack put up a rushed three and the Cards hauled in the board. Louisville wasted no time out of a timeout getting Reyne Smith a great look as he sunk a wide open three.
Louisville held a 41-27 lead at the half.
Pack it up, boys
After a productive 12-point first half, Smith matched an early Wolfpack three with one of his own to get on the board.
From that point on, the game was essentially over.
As NC State struggled from the field, making only three field goals in the first seven minutes, the Cards easily ballooned their lead to 25.
Later on, things almost went sour when the Wolfpack’s Paul McNeil fell onto J’Vonne Hadley on a loose ball, but the refs were quick to clear things up.
While the Pack responded with a pair of threes, a circus reverse lay-up from Hepburn set things straight.
While NC State continued to bleed out, Louisville continued to put on a show. Khani Rooths got a wide-open lane on a fast-break and slammed it down. Smith one-upped him on the very next play off a Rooths dime to rack up his fourth three.
Scott finally got some action and caught a wide-open lob from Edwards as he finally scored his first points of the half.
The game eventually slowed to a merciless halt as the Cards grabbed a 91-66 victory.
Share the Love
Louisville continues to dominate the majority of their conference-mates.
The Cards continued their streak of having held a 10-plus-point lead in 15 straight conference games. The Cards have also picked up their fifth road-win of 20-plus points, the most in a single season in program history.
The Cards also raked up big individual nights on their way to the most points scored on NC State’s home court this season. The previous high was Florida State with 74 points scored in overtime.
Each of Smith, Hadley, Hepburn and Edwards reached 15 points, getting there in their own unique ways.
Smith led the team with 5-of-9 from three for his 21 points, while Edwards tied him with a perfect 4-of-4 from three en route to his own 21-piece.
Hadley was a rebound shy of a double-double as he saw 17 points and nine boards. Hepburn’s 15 points and six dimes rounded out the bunch.
Scott, donning a black, Hannibal Lector-esque face mask, made the most of his time on defense, racking up two blocks but demanding a lot more of respect defensively than can be displayed numerically.
The Cards were not so generous with their love to the Wolfpack as they racked up nine steals and had 21 fast break points.
The now 19-6 Cards pick up their 12th conference win. On Sunday they’ll head to South Bend, Indiana to play the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.
Photo Courtesy // Mallory Peak, Louisville Athletics
