By Harrison Plank

No. 20 Louisville got the bad taste of a 31-point loss to Duke out of their mouth after rallying late to defeat SMU.

After suffering an undisclosed illness and missing practice time this week, Mikel Brown Jr. started on the bench for the first time in his college career.

Can’t keep the beat

Even though the Cards won the opening tip, squandered offensive opportunities allowed SMU to take the lead.

While Louisville couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn, the Mustangs were on fire from deep. Corey Washington hit the Mustangs fifth team three and pushed SMU ahead 17-7.

Pat Kelsey called a timeout after going down by 10, and out of the break, Ali Khalifa found the bottom of the net and got the Cards their first triple of the game.

The Cards’ defensive adjustments led to fast-break opportunities and kept them in the fight.

After subbing in, Brown Jr. attempted to become the primary facilitator for Louisville’s offense. This would not go as planned, though, as four early turnovers put the Cards in the hole by 11.

A much-needed run by the Cards kicked off, and Ryan Conwell did it all himself with a driving layup, making the score 29-22. Louisville found a rhythm in the paint, but shots from beyond the arc continued to elude the entire team.

Conwell finally melted the ice off his long shot, hitting his first three of the game on just seven attempts, but it would freeze over again. He would go on to miss two more in the half and not drill another for the rest of the game.

Shots went back and forth, but SMU turned the ball over, giving Louisville a golden opportunity. Khani Rooths seized the moment on the fast break and slammed it home to get the fans on their feet. 

Despite trailing by as much as 12 throughout the half, Louisville’s defensive pressure the lead to only three. However, for every shot the Cards had, SMU seemed to have an answer. The Cards three point shooting prowess did not show up with them to this game.

The Mustangs led the Cards 47-44 at halftime.

Brown Jr. started the second half hitting his second three of the game, cutting SMU’s lead to one. A flagrant gave Sananda Fru the chance tie it up 49-49.

Neither team seized the opportunity to take the lead. The score remained deadlocked while both teams sputtered and struggled to get anything going.

Finally, Boopie Miller hit a tough midrange off the glass that swung the lead back in SMU’s direction, but Louisville still had more fight in them. The Cards bounced back and matched SMU shot for shot, somehow getting shots to land every time they took a lead.

Kobe Rodgers had a fastbreak opportunity and cashed in on it. He elegantly finished over two defenders and gave the Cards their first lead of the game 55-53. An Isaac McKneeley three tacked afterwards forced SMU to call a time out and rethink their second half gameplan.

SMU center Same Yigitoglu’s showed off his size and power in the paint, but he alone could not keep up with Louisville.

The Cardinals went on a 14-5 run and continued to lay it on the Mustangs as the time dwindled.

Louisville beat SMU 88-74.

Best way out is through

Despite the Cards starting this game with a large deficit and an inability to consistently hit threes, they somehow found a way to win.

Late adjustments from Pat Kelsey put the pressure on SMU and gave playmakers like Mikel Brown Jr. and Kobe Rodgers chances to facilitate. After the halftime break the team looked like they were playing with more energy as a unit than in the first.

Mikel Brown Jr turned his day around after a slow start, finishing with 20 points while remaining efficient from the field. Sometimes a halftime break is all you need, and that was the case for Brown. after recording a team leading five turnovers in the first half, he did not commit another one for the rest of the game.

In his first game back from injury Khani Rooths was a spark plug for Louisville. Many of his 12 points and 10 rebounds came at crucial times late in the game and really swung the momentum in Louisvilles favor.

The Louisville Cardinals improve to 15-6 on the season and 5-4 in the Conference.

Photo By Eloy Sarmiento / The Louisville Cardinal