| Game Summary: Kentucky | Score: Kentucky 64, Louisville 62 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Reece Gaines (27) Kentucky: Keith Bogans (16) |
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| In what U of L fans feared would be another disgraceful, humiliating loss, U of L fans saw instead an inspired performance and almost another improbable win by the Cards against their archrival Kentucky Wildcats in a game everyone agreed favored UK by a longshot. Although the Cards fell to 4-9, and their losing streak in Freedom Hall stretched to three, there is a lot of hope that can come out of this game. U of L played hard, inspired and tough, three attributes not seen from this Cardinal squad in a long time. |
| As the game started, U of L looked like teams of old and Freedom Hall sounded like the arena of old. The Cards opened the game with a 14-4 run, including two three-pointers. The Cards then hit only one of its next eight shots as UK closed the gap and was able to move into a 29-27 lead at halftime. The Wildcats scored the first eight points of the second half, opening up a 12-point lead. But then U of L was uncharacteristically able to regroup. The Cards held UK to only four points in the game's final 4:21, while sophomore guard Reece Gaines scored 10 of U of L's 12 points in that time span. Gaines hit two straight three-pointers, the last one from 25 feet, to tie the score at 62 with less than a minute left. The Cards played immensely tough defense on UK's next possession, but a foul by Luke Whitehead with two seconds left on the shot clock sent Tayshaun Prince to the line with 26.5 seconds remaining. Prince hit both shots for the final 64-62 lead, then U of L's Erik Brown missed a three-pointer. The Cards retained possession with 2.1 seconds left, but Ellis Myles's inbounds sailed out of bounds. UK inbounded the ball, and the game was over. |
Gaines had his best game of the season, scoring a career-high 27 points on 5-8 three-point shooting to go along with eight rebounds. He looked tough, he led the team, he took and hit clutch shots, and looked like a solid big guard that everyone hoped he could be. He filled out his Cardinal uniform with pride. UK was led by Keith Bogans, who had 16 points, while Prince had 13. UK's big men made their presence felt, with both Marvin Stone and Jason Parker scoring 11. Muhammed Lasege played only eight minutes and did not score. After U of L had pulled within two at 50-48, Stone converted on a three-point play. He hit another shot inside, was fouled, missed the shot, but UK's Gerald Fitch got the rebound and scored to give UK a 57-48 lead. UK's 64 points marked U of L's best defensive effort of the season, a major move in the right direction for the Cards.  |
| Game Preview: Kentucky | Date: Jan. 2, 2001 |
| Site: Freedom Hall | Records: U of L: 4-8, Kentucky: 5-5 |
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| What really is there to say? The Cardinal basketball team is desparate for a sign of life on the basketball court, and to make matters worse, the schedule now gets tough every game out, and first up is our archrival, the UK Wildcats. UK has knocked off by some severe margins both good Cardinal teams and bad. This one looks like another spanking. Rex Chapman might not be on hand, but if UK follows the trends set by U of L's other opponents this season, they will set some sort of record in how bad they beat U of L. And against UK, unfortunately, that actually is a tough task. |
| Strategy for this game usually goes out the window even when it looks to be a competitive match-up. Even still, the Cards are beyond X's and O's and now just worry about whether or not they can function like a team. UK has many weapons in Keith Bogans and Tayshaun Prince and Jason Parker and what not, but, really, it seems if U of L played a scrimmage against itself it would lose. Let's face it. A loss under 20 points would be a blessing, and again, considering the nature of this series, U of L could really get hurt. Considering the last half of basketball the Cards played against UK, and the way things have gone so far this year, it's not even out of possibility for UK to pitch a shut-out for if not the whole game or a half, at least long stretches of time. Count on that as a matter of fact. |
| It would be great to see an intense, inspired performance, but folks, be wary of where the program could be come Wednesday morning. |
| Game Summary: St. Louis | Score: St. Louis 71, Louisville 61 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Marques Maybin (22) St. Louis: Maurice Jeffers (27) |
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| Well, we should have known that this U of L team would not have been able to respond after their fantastic effort against UK (and keep in mind even that fantastic effort wound up in a loss). The Cards got brutalized in the paint, with St. Louis scoring only one, that's right, only field goal, outside of the lane. All of St. Louis's points came from inside the paint or the free throw line, where the Billikens finished 29-37. By contrast, U of L was only 10-16 from the line. SLU coach Lorenzo Romar said after the game that his team was tired after returning from the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii. Yet his squad got layup after layup, dunk after dunk, against a Cardinal team unable to provide any resistance from its frontcourt. SLU had seven dunks yesterday; they had had 21 all season up to this point. How does a team who is jetlagged run circles and embarrass U of L? |
| SLU shot 14-21 from the field in the first half, as it built a 36-30 halftime lead, then went on to shoot 21-27 from the line in the second period. After St. Louis opened the second period with a 9-2 run, Reece Gaines brought U of L back. He hit a six-footer, a three-pointer, another three-pointer, and just like that the Cards were back in it, trailing 48-40. Two more field goals by Gaines pulled the Cards within four, but two alley-oop baskets by Maurice Jeffers--on the same play--ended U of L's run and the Cards got no closer. A Marques Maybin jumper with 9:47 left pulled the Cards to wihin 53-49, but U of L did not score a field goal in the next 8:07 as SLU built a 67-55 lead to seal the game. Maybin and Gaines combined for 27 of U of L's 31 second-half points. Together, they were 14-31 from the field while the rest of the team was only 8-24. It's indicative of a lack of an inside game on both the offensive and defensive ends. Gaines finished with 17 points, and Maybin led the Cards with 22. All told, U of L shot 7-14 from three-point range, which kept them in the game in the first half, but it wasn't enough. The Cards were outrebounded 35-22, and are last in C-USA in rebounding. |
| U of L played a 3-2 zone, which kept St. Louis from scoring from the outside, but not on the inside. Guard Jeffers scored 27 points, mostly from the line, where he went 15-17 on drive after drive to the hoop. 6-11 center Chris Heinrich nearly doubled his average to finish with 11 points for the Billikens. |
| Game Preview: St. Louis | Date: Jan. 6, 2001 |
| Site: St. Louis, MO | Records: U of L: 4-9, 0-0 St. Louis: 8-6, 0-1 |
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| Yet again this season, the Cards, depsite a terrible won-loss record, have reason to hope as they enter another game. If somehow the Cards can show the same effort and intensity they displayed against UK, the Cards might be able to make something of the fresh start the opening of conference play provides. Of course, that is probably the biggest 'if' one could find for this Cardinal squad. The team seems energized after the seven hour gripe session on New Year's Eve, and their subsequent effort against the Wildcats. The question of the day is how well the Cardinals can keep that feeling going, especially on the road and against teams who aren't U of L's number one rival. |
| If recent history has anything to say about it, this game against St. Louis could be problematic for U of L. The home team has won the past six meetings of the series, including SLU's 52-48 victory in St. Louis last year. A low-scoring, half-court battle is exactly the type of game the Cards don't want. SLU is 8-6 and lost their conference opener to DePaul, so they stand at 0-1 in conference play. SLU started the season at 5-1, then suffered losses to Missouri, Dayton and DePaul. The Billikens are coming off a 76-62 win over St. Bonaventure on Wednesday, and are led by 6-4 senior Maurice Jeffers, who averages 14.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 2.4 apg. |
| Game Summary: Tulane | Score: Louisville 89, Tulane 86 (ot) |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Reece Gaines (28) Tulane: Ledaryl Billingsley (26) |
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| In the first few minutes of the game, U of L gave away eight quick points on three turnovers en route to a horrific 15-2 deficit. A full-court press (remember that, Cards fans?) terrified the Cardinals. Eight minutes into the game, Marques Maybin was out of the game with two fouls, the Cards had six turnovers and trailed 21-8. Tulane shot 51.7% from the field in the first half. But if the Green Wave had any depth, they could have prevented falling to 38% in the second half. And in a tight overtime game, shooting 23-41 (56%) from the line not only didn't help, but cost Tulane the game. |
| The Cards trailed 40-35 at halftime, and with six minutes left in the game, Tulane led by seven. But then Maybin re-entered the game, and in less than a minute hit a three-pointer, drove to the hoop for a dunk, then stole the ball at midcourt and raced in for another dunk. The game was then tied at the five minute mark. Reece Gaines hit a three to tie the game again with 3:20 left, then scored off a lob to tie the score at 71. With 1:20 left, Gaines hit a deep three with the shot clock expiring to give U of L a 74-73 lead, its first lead since 2-0. Tulane's Ledaryl Billingsley, who led the Green Wave with 26 points, hit a free throw to tie the game with 58 seconds left. Gaines missed a jumper and Maybin missed a tip-in with Tulane then getting the ball back with 25 seconds left. Tulane held for one-shot, but missed a 24-footer at the buzzer. |
| Starting for the first time in four games for U of L was Luke Whitehead, who had a career-high 16 points. He scored four of U of L's first six points in the extra period. Down 86-84, Tulane missed two shots with 25 seconds left; Gaines pulled down a rebound, was fouled and made one of two free throws. Tulane missed an outside jumper, but rebounded and called timeout with 5.1 seconds left. They missed a three-pointer, and U of L pulled the game out. U of L outrebouned Tulane 43-34, while Reece Gaines, who had a career-high 28 points, shot 10-18 from the field, 3-5 from the line and 5-7 from three-point range. Marques Maybin was 7-8 from the line in scoring all 16 of his points in the second half. Muhammed Lasege had his best came, coming off the bench to score eight points on 4-4 shooting with three rebounds. Tulane's Billingsley was 8-11 from the field and pulled down seven rebounds, while forward Linton Johnson had 22 points on 9-12 shooting. |
| Game Preview: Tulane | Date: Jan. 10, 2001 |
| Site: New Orleans, LA | Records: U of L: 4-10, 0-1 Tulane: 7-6, 0-1 |
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| The Cards try to rebound against their loss at St. Louis by continuing their conference road trip, heading to the Big Easy to take on the Tulane Green Wave. Tulane is coming off its conference opener as well, a 98-76 loss at UAB. Tulane has four players averaging in double figures, including 6-1 sophomore guard Brandon Spann, who leads the team in scoring with an 18.4 ppg average. Impressively, he also averages 5.3 apg. Another double-double threat of the Green Wave is 6-7 senior forward Ledaryl Billingsley, who scores 16.4 ppg and pulls down 10.2 rpg. |
| Heading into the game, as noted in the summary of the St. Louis game, in which the Cards got demolished on the inside, U of L is last in the conference in team rebounding, averaging 32.3 rpg (UAB leads the league with 38.1 rpg). Unfortunately, the Cards are also last in the conference in team defense, allowing 79.6 ppg. Fortunately, Tulane is second-to-last, giving up 78.3 ppg. As the torture of this season continues, U of L will hope to gain a conference victory when it seems like such victories will be more than hard to come by. |
| Game Summary: Cincinnati | Score: Cincinnati 72, Louisville 52 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Rashad Brooks (16) Cincinnati: Steve Logan (27) |
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| It was an ugly afternoon for U of L, and its guards. Steve Logan had 27 and Kenny Satterfield had 15 for the Bearcats, while Marques Maybin and Reece Gaines had seven and eight points for U of L, respectively. That's pretty much your ball game. Logan was 7-9 from three-point range; meanwhile, the Bearcats outrebounded the Cards 37-25. |
| U of L missed its first five shots, enabling UC to get a 7-0 lead. Some frontcourt baskets from Ellis Myles and Muhammed Lasage, plus a three-pointer by Bryant Northern tied the game at 9. Rashad Brooks, who led the Cards with a career-high 16 points, hit two three-pointers, and the Cards had built a 17-12 lead. U of L continued hot outside shooting, and led 25-17 with 5:08 left in the first half. But then the Cards missed their next seven shots, Cincinnati made six straight, and the Bearcats led 32-27 at halftime. The Bearcats opened the second half 5-6 from the field to go up 47-37. Although the Cards pulled within six with 12:38 left, the Bearcats dominated the rest of the way, going on a 22-6 run to build a 22-point lead. U of L made only 1-9 three-pointers in the second half. |
| Game Summary: Houston | Score: Louisville 79, Houston 67 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Reece Gaines (20) Houston: Dominic Smith (22) |
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| The 4-10 Houston Cougars provided a great way for the U of L Cardinals to break their four-game losing streak in Freedom Hall. After missing its opening two shots, the Cards went out to make eight of their next nine. Rashad Brooks, who had his second straight game in double figures with 15 points, hit two three-pointers to lead an 11-0 run that gave U of L a 27-16 lead. Dominic Smith, who led all scorers with 22 points on four three-pointers, had 12 points in the first half to pull Houston closer, and at the half U of L's lead was down to 41-36. The Cards, uncharacterstically to say the least, shot 60% from the field in the opening period, and made 6-11 three-pointers. |
| In a Cardinal-like run, Houston went the first five minutes of the second half without scoring a field goal. But six three throws, and one of Smith's threes pulled Houston to within 46-45 at the 14:46 mark. The Cougars actually grabbed the lead at 49-48, but then wore down (a la Tulane) and made only 2-14 shots in the last 12 minutes of the game. Part of the depth problem for Houston was caused by the absence of Alton Ford, who was sat out a game for disciplinary reasons. U of L limited its opponent to only 34.7% shooting, the lowest of any team so far this season. U of L, meanwhile, matched its best performance from the field since its opener against Hawaii by shooting 50.9% (they shot 53.4% against the Rainbows). U of L also matched a season-high with 22 assists, with Reece Gaines, who lead U of L with 20 points, dishing out a career-high eight assists to go along with four rebounds and two steals. Marques Maybin had 13 for U of L, but fouled out of the game with 3:09 left. |
| Game Preview: Southern Mississippi | Date: Jan. 21, 2001 |
| Site: Hattiesburg, MS | Records: U of L: 6-11, 2-2 S. Mississippi: 13-3, 3-1 |
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| While the newspapers and columnists and commentators run wild in expressing their thoughts about the Cardinal program, the Cardinals prepare for what it is a very significant conference game. Southern Miss leads the National Division, and is 13-3 overall. Their only losses of the season so far are to Iowa State, Auburn and South Florida. Meanwhile, U of L, which has in fact won two of their last three, now faces a much stiffer challenge on the road against a squad more talented than the ones they've beaten in the last week and a half. |
| If U of L is going to take an opportunity to turn the season around, this is their chance. A win would give U of L a 3-2 C-USA record, well within striking distance of doing some positive things within the conference. It would certainly psychologically have an immense benefit to the team. Naturally, it won't be easy. Southern Miss is a far better unit than Tulane and Houston, and the Cards will have to move up in quality of play. Southern Miss is lead by 6-5 senior guard David Wall, who averages 15.9 ppg. 6-9 senior center Vandarel Jones scores 11.3 ppg and is the team's leading rebounder with 6.5 rpg. Heading into the game, the Cardinals lead C-USA in three-point field goal percentage at 38.7%. Southern Mississippi is second in the league, shooting 37.3% from behind the arc. The Cards are also third in the league in assists with an average of 15.1 apg. |
| For the Cards, Marques Maybin continues to lead the team in scoring with 18.1 ppg, while Reece Gaines is averaging 15.9 ppg. The Cards' leading rebounder, and let's give it up for the hard-working fellow, is Ellis Myles, who pulls down 6.7 rpg. |
| Game Summary: Southern Mississippi | Score: Southern Miss 69, Louisville 60 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Marques Maybin (17) S. Mississippi: Vandarel Jones (17) |
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| Not to wax to literary about a college basketball game, but for the U of L Cardinals against Southern Miss, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Literally. The first half was everything Cardinal basketball can be and should be. The second half was everything Cardinal basketball is and continues to be. From the get-go, the Cards came out on fire. Marques Maybin, who led the Cards with 17 points, scored U of L's first eight to help the Cards to a five-point lead, then passed the torch to Reece Gaines, who scored the Cards next eight to give U of L a 16-13 lead. Two baskets from Luke Whitehead and two straight three-pointers from Rashad Brooks later and U of L found itself up 28-18. U of L led by eight at the half, 36-28. It was the first time Southern Miss trailed at the half at home this season. U of L's defense, rotating from a man-to-man and match-up zone, kept Southern Miss off-balance as the Golden Eagles shot only 36% from the field in the first half and shot only 2-9 from three-point range. Meanwhile, the Cards shot 4-8 from three-point range and shot 58% from the field in the opening period. |
| After intermission, however, it was lights out for the Cardinals. U of L did score two quick baskets to open the period, but then Southern Miss held the Cards without a field goal for the next 7:26. That propelled Southern Miss to a 16-1 run and a 50-41 lead and pretty much sealed up the game. The Cards pulled only as close as five the rest of the way. A huge difference in the game was rebounding. After each team had 14 rebounds at halftime, Southern Miss wound up winning the battle of the boards 39-23. U of L made only 7-22 shots in the second half, while Southern Miss took even more advantage of its inside play by going to center Vandarel Jones, who finished with a team-high 17 points on 7-10 shooting plus 12 rebounds. In scoring, David Wall came off the bench for USM to finish with 15 points, while Reece Gaines had 14 for the Cards before suffering from back spasms. Brooks and Whitehead each finished with 10 points. |
| Game Summary: Cincinnati | Score: Louisville 63, Cincinnati 54 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Marques Maybin (19) Cincinnati: Steve Logan (17) |
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| Well, all season long we've been saying that if U of L played a full 40-minute game, the Cards would be competitive and might even pull a game out here and there. Well, they were, and they did, in the most surprising of circumstances. The Cardinals ended their eight-game losing streak to Cincinnati, and snapped the Bearcats' 34-game home winning streak against C-USA opponents. And to imagine they did it with starting guard Reece Gaines playing only three minutes due to back spasms makes it even more hard to believe. But the Cards played with tenacity, and when UC made their run, the Cards did not back down. |
| U of L continued its recent solid first-half play to help set the tone. After UC took the early lead at 6-5, the Cards held Cincinnati scoreless for the next 5:03 while scoring ten straight points. After the under-8-minute TV timeout, the teams traded scoring on four straight possessions each, and the Cards held onto a six-point lead. But with U of L up 30-24 with 24 seconds left in the first half, Marques Maybin, who lead all scorers with 19 points, got a steal and was fouled driving to the basket. He then missed both free throws, and was called for a touch foul against UC's Steve Logan with only four seconds remaining in the period. Maybin reacted a bit too much for the officials, was called for a technical foul, and Steve Logan made all four free throws to trim U of L's halftime lead to 30-28. It was the third time in four games the Cards have led at the break. |
| Instead of snapping, though, U of L played its best second half of the season. U of L shot 58% from the field in the second period, finishing the game at 50% and 7-14 from three-point range. U of L took its biggest lead of the game at 44-34 on a break-away dunk by Rashad Brooks with 14:08 to go. But then the Cards hit some rough seas. Steve Logan, who torched U of L for 27 points in the first meeting of the season and led the Bearcats in this game with 17, scored on two drives then nailed a crazy 25-foot three-pointer to complete a 12-2 run that tied the game at 46. At this point, though, the Cards stood up and did not back down. After a U of L timeout, Erik Brown, who finished with a career-high 16 points, scored on a goaltending call. Joseph N'Sima, who also finished with a career-high nine points in what was his best game of the season, scored on a 15-footer to give U of L a four-point lead. Brown scored on a putback the next trip down to give U of L a six-point lead. Brown and N'Sima combined for nine of U of L's final 17 points. With U of L leading 53-50 with 5:45 left, Bryant Northern hit a three from a pass by N'Sima as the shot clock ran down, and the Cards led by eight after N'Sima hit another 15-footer. To top it all off, the Cards held UC to only field goal in the final 5:45, and on the boards, the Cards won, believe it or not, 31-26. |
| The health status of Reece Gaines remains undetermined, but hallelujah, the Cards won and looked like a team of old. At least it felt that way, knocking off the Bearcats on their home floor. Ahhh, sweet joy!!
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| Game Preview: DePaul | Date: Jan. 27, 2001 |
| Site: Freedom Hall | Records: U of L: 7-12, 3-3; DePaul: 9-9, 1-5 |
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| The match-up vs. DePaul comes at an interesting for the Cards. Three days after their upset win at Cincinnati, and two days after a meeting between head coach Denny Crum and AD Tom Jurich about Crum's future, the Cards take on a struggling conference opponent in a game that could give U of L a winning record in conference action. But it won't be easy, for three primary reasons. First, the Cards will have to show they can handle success. The win over the Bearcats was huge, but now it's another day, and the team has to play another 40 minutes. Handling succeess has been a problem for U of L of late; they'll get tested in this realm again today. |
| Another important factor in the game will be the absence of guard Reece Gaines, who continues to suffer from back spasms. The Courier-Journal reported that X-rays and MRIs were negative, but that Gaines has not practiced in the last few days and is doubtful for the game. Although U of L beat UC with Gaines playing only three minutes, it is unlikely the Cards can maintain continued success without Gaines in the lineup. And speaking of lineups, one look at DePaul's will show why the Cards might have a tough time today. DePaul has a very strong frontline. 6-7 junior forward Bobby Simmons leads the Blue Demons with both 17.6 ppg and 9.4 rpg. The Blue Demons also expect the return of 6-9 Lance Williams, who averages 12.4 ppg and 6.4 rpg. Williams has missed the last few games due to a torn calf muscle. And to top it off, DePaul boasts 7-foot center Steven Hunter, who averages 11.6 ppg and is tied for second in C-USA in blocked shots. |
| There's no question that a win today will help keep U of L's momentum going, and maybe provide the foundation for a turning point in the season. But with Gaines out, and DePaul having a strong frontcourt, we are both missing our strenth and facing a team that can exploit our weakness. |
| Game Summary: DePaul | Score: Louisville 73, DePaul 63 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Marques Maybin (30) DePaul: Bobby Simmons (17) |
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| For only the second time this season, the U of L Cardinals have won back-to-back games, and for the first time this season, U of L has a winning record in conference play at 4-3. The Cards avoid a letdown after the win against Cincinnati and turn in another fine defensive and rebounding effort to beat DePaul for the ninth straight time. Guard Reece Gaines played for U of L, but only 15 minutes and contiued to be bothered by back spasms. His future status remains undetermined. The game featured U of L's best come-from-behind effort of the year, and the first time this season that the Cards were able to win a game after trailing with less than six minutes to play. |
| The ending belonged to the Cards, but not the beginning. DePaul opened the game by making eight of its first 11 shots and jumped to an 18-10 lead. The Blue Demons shot only 37% from the field the rest of the way, and wound up shooting 46% for the game. With three minutes left in the first half, DePaul still led by eight, but Bryant Northern, who finished with 10 points and did not miss a shot or free throw, hit a three-pointer. Eric Brown, who finished with his second-straight career-high with 20 points on 7-11 shooting from the field, a 4-4 effort from the line and eight rebounds, then hit two free throws. Marques Maybin, who tied a career-high in leading all scorers with 30 points, hit a three to tie the game with 18 seconds left in the half, but DePaul's Imari Sawyer hit a basket with two seconds left to give DePaul a 37-35 halftime lead. |
| Things looked bleak for U of L at the start of the second half. DePaul opened with a 10-2 run, and Gaines left the game for good at the 17:02 mark. Bobby Simmons, who led DePaul with 17 points, hit a three with 13:45 left, but the Cards held the Blue Demons without a field goal until the 6:39 mark. U of L trailed 52-51 with 7:13 left, then Maybin turned it on. He scored U of L's next 12 points, including four shots in a row, and 16 of its last 20. |
| Maybin hit a three at the 7:16 mark to give U of L a 54-52 lead. After DePaul regained the lead at 57-56, the Cards moved out in front 63-57 with 3:55 left. DePaul's Lance Williams hit a free throw to pull DePaul within five, but Brown scored on a drive with 1:48 left. Williams scored inside a few moments later to cut the lead to five again, but Joseph N'Sima blocked a Bobby Simmons drive with 40 seconds left. N'Sima finished with nine rebounds and four blocks in a superb defensive effort, and the Cards went 8-8 from the free throw line in the final 38 seconds to ice the game.
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| U of L outrebounded DePaul 31-30 and matched a season-low with only nine turnovers. U of L has now held their last four opponents to under 50% shooting, and have outrebounded their last two opponents. They scored 19 points off turnovers compared to DePaul's five, had a 16-12 edge in second-chance points and saw its bench outscore DePaul's 36-17.
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| Game Summary: South Florida | Score: South Florida 73, Louisville 67 |
| Leading Scorers: U of L: Marques Maybin (28) South Florida: Cedric Smith (18) |
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| It was a rough night for the Cardinals in Tampa. Even though USF was playing without one of their best players, B.B. Waldon, the Cards were unable to take advantage of the opportunity. The absence of Reece Gaines, who continues to suffer from lower back spasms, certainly didn't help, as U of L fell behind by as many as 21 points before making a second half run to make the game closer. The Cards fell too far behind, and simply couldn't make up that kind of deficit. |
| U of L started out to an 8-5 lead, but after South Florida employed their 1-3-1 zone trap, the Cards fell apart. Ellis Myles scored to pull U of L to within 12-10, but it was all downhill from there. U of L then missed its next five shots and fell behind 20-10. U of L got another hoop at the 8:08 mark, but then the Bulls made six straight shots, including three three-pointers, to take a dominating 35-18 lead. The Cards committed 12 first half turnovers and were outrebounded 21-11 in the opening period, all of which led to a 39-22 halftime deficit. |
| After USF extended their lead to 21 points, U of L finally got on track. Marques Maybin, who led all scorers with 28, Bryant Northern and Rashad Brooks each hit three-pointers as U of L cut the lead to nine with 9:47 left. USF went back ahead by 14 before the Cards made another run. The Cards trimmed South Florida's lead to 68-61 with two minutes to go, then pulled to within five with less than a minute left. Erik Brown missed a free throw with 43 seconds left that would have pulled U of L to within four, and then the Cards got no closer the rest of the way. |
| U of L made seven threes in the second half and shot 53% in the second period, compared to only 36% in the first half. Erik Brown had 12 points and six rebounds in starting for the injured Gaines, while center Muhammed Lasege contributed eight points and four rebounds. Maybin had nine rebounds to go with his 28 points, and shot 4-10 from three-point range.
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