Louisville men’s Basketball has historic night against North Carolina State, Comes away with 118-77 Victory

By Justin Taylor

Louisville Men’s Basketball Rolled past North Carolina State with ease, coming away with a 118-77 victory.

The No. 24 Louisville Cardinals made it look easy on Monday night against one of the hottest teams in the ACC.

Dominant start

Isaac McKneely cracked the game open with a corner 3 and Louisville got out to a 7-0 run, leading 14-4.

As the pace picked up the wolfpack showed some resistance, with Tre Hollman and star man Quadir Copeland punishing the cards in transition with a bankshot three and layup, respectively.

Louisville widened the gap with a J’vonne Hadley layup but North Carolina State forward Darrion Williams made sure to keep it close. He and Mikel Brown Jr. traded three point bombs before a media timeout. Louisville led 38-28.

The cards were firing on all cylinders; they dominated both inside and out. Khani Rooths solidified the lead with a layup in the paint off an Aly Khalifa dime. They had their largest lead of the game at 22 but a late Wolfpack bucket cut it to an even 20.

Louisville led at the half 56-36.

Blazing in the backcourt

The Cardinals came out of the tunnel playing like the score was still 0-0.  Ccards hsd absolute control over the next twenty minutes. As their lead grew, they continued to hustle harder for loose balls and dig deeper into their defensive stances than anyone in NC State’s red and black.

Louisville’s backcourt continued to show out in the second half. Ryan Conwell and Brown Jr. had over half of Louisville’s total points for the game, draining three after three, leaving the opposition deflated.

Ven-Allen Lubin let what last gasp of air his Wolfpack had out with a mid range jumper and layup. His teammates Holloman and Terrance Arceneaux attacked the glass as well but this effort was quickly followed by a Conwell three.

Pat Kelsey kept Brown in late to break the men’s record for most points in a game by a Freshman. He smashed the record at the free throw line after being fouled while attempting a three.

After making another pullup jumper, he was taken off the court and comforted by his coach, to roaring pleasure.

Walk-on Cole Sherman nailed the last three to seal the deal. Louisville won with ease 118-77.

Catching stride just in time

Tonight we saw Pat Kelsey’s three point centric project at its peak. It felt like nearly every time the ball went up it was going in as Louisville made 18 of its 30 attempted three pointers.

Mikel Brown Jr. showed just why he is the No. 6 on ESPN’s 2026 NBA Mock Draft. Coming off a back injury that held him out eight games, he was shooting an abysmal 32% from the field and 27% from three. However, his cool streak just might be broken. He went for 45 points on 14-23 shooting, while dicing up the defense. His historic night tied Wes Unseld’s single game scoring record for Louisville and broke the ACC freshman single game record previously held by Dukes Cooper Flagg.

Ryan Conwell also chipped in with 31 points on 10-14 shooting. He bounced back from a rough patch which saw him shoot 36% from the field and 24% from three over his last four games.

As they enter the final games before conference play it’s a welcome sight to see two stars getting back in rhythm.

Louisville is now 18-6 on the season and 8-4 in conference play. They will travel next to Texas to face Baylor on Saturday, Feb 14.