Louisville Basketball: 10 Reasons To Celebrate The Cards' Win Over UK
We take a look at ten different reasons why Louisville basketball fans should be celebrating the Cards’ 3-point win over sixth ranked Kentucky.
The Louisville basketball team played their best game of the 2016-2017 season, as they were able to knock off the sixth ranked Kentucky Wildcats on Wednesday night. It was a game that could have turned in either team’s favor, but it was the Cards that came out victorious.
Cardinals fans should be thrilled with how their guys played against the Wildcats. They never quit and they never backed down.
With that being said, here are ten reasons why you should celebrate the win over Kentucky:
Nov 25, 2016; Paradise Island, BAHAMAS; Louisville Cardinals forward Deng Adel (22) and Baylor Bears forward Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. (0) battle for the ball during the second half in the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis championship game in the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
10. Deng Adel Had The Breakout Game That We Have All Been Waiting For
I don’t think I can put into words how proud I am of Deng Adel after his performance against Kentucky. There is no way on Earth that the Cards could have beaten the Wildcats without his scoring and rebounding throughout the game.
The best part, was that he always hit a shot when the Cards needed a boost. Not to mention, I never felt like he ever was totally out of control on offense either.
His 18 points and 6 rebounds will be something that we will remember for a very long time. We have finally seen his potential materialize on the court and it was in the biggest game he has ever played in as a Louisville Cardinal.
Well done Deng Adel, well done indeed.
Nov 25, 2016; Paradise Island, BAHAMAS; Baylor Bears forward Johnathan Motley (5) shoots as Louisville Cardinals guard David Levitch (23) defends during the first half in the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis championship game in the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
9. Levitch Played An Unexpected 12 Minutes and The Cards Still Won
I can tell you right now that I never thought we would see Levitch for more than a couple minutes against Kentucky on Wednesday night. Maybe Rick Pitino would bring him in for some relief, but I never thought he would be guarding Malik Monk in crucial moments of the second half.
We learned that David Levitch can be counted on in big games this season. This Louisville basketball team’s bench is truly deep and that was proven on Wednesday by the Goshen, Kentucky kid against the sixth ranked Wildcats.
He didn’t score and only had one rebound, but he didn’t make any huge mistakes on Wednesday night either.
It should give all of us extreme confidence in his ability to pickup some minutes throughout conference play this year.
Dec 21, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Edrice Adebayo (3) battles Louisville Cardinals forward Mangok Mathiang (12) for a rebound during the first half at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
8. Louisville Dominated Kentucky On The Boards
Going into this game, the one of the main worries from Louisville fans was how they were going to match-up with Kentucky’s forwards in the paint. The Cards have rebounded well all season long, but rebounding against the Cats is a completely different challenge.
This is a stat that should make every Louisville fan very proud of their team: 9 out of the 10 Cardinals that saw minutes against Kentucky had at least one rebound. Not to mention, 5 different players also had five rebounds.
This limited Kentucky on second-chance points throughout the entire basketball game. The Cards’ defense already was forcing them to take low-percentage shots, but not getting the rebound underneath ultimately sank the Kentucky basketball team.
Oh well, maybe next year Kentucky?
Dec 21, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats players react from the bench during the first half against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
7. At Least One Team Was Clutch Hitting Free Throws Down The Stretch
Everyone knew after halftime that this game between Kentucky and Louisville was going to come down to free throw shooting. The Cards haven’t been the best at making their free throws this season, while at the same time, Kentucky does an amazing job of driving the lane and getting to the line.
It could have been a disaster for Louisville, but it turned out to be the opposite.
Donovan Mitchell had struggles hitting his free throws all game, until he came to the line with the Cardinals only up by one with under 30 seconds to go. He proceeded to make two shots in-a-row, which ended up being the nail in the coffin of Kentucky’s comeback chances.
In the last 2:34 of the game, the Wildcats actually ended up missing four shots from the line. That type of performance in the clutch will simply not get the job done. It doesn’t matter what school you’re playing for.
Dec 17, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino (R) talks with guard Tony Hicks (1) during the second half against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels at KFC Yum! Center. The Cardinals won 87-56. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
6. Louisville Hit One More Three-Pointer Than Kentucky and Won 73-70
One of the biggest criticisms we have had of this Louisville basketball team was that they couldn’t consistently make shots. To our surprise, they not only shot better than Kentucky on Wednesday night, but hit one more three than the hot-shooting Cats.
Quentin Snider obviously had the game of his life, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t play like that ever again. This type of game should give him and Deng Adel some major confidence going into these next few weeks against Virginia, Indiana, and Notre Dame.
This is not only a shout-out to Louisville’s shooting, but to their perimeter defense as well. The Cards were able to close in on Kentucky’s shooters all evening, which forced them to take bad shots.
All that matters is that Louisville hit one more three pointer than Kentucky.
Dec 21, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell (45) scrambles past Kentucky Wildcats forward Wenyen Gabriel (32) for a loose ball during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville defeated Kentucky 73-70. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
5. Louisville’s Effort And Hustle Was Simply Remarkable
We all know how important this Louisville and Kentucky rivalry is to all of us fans. However, it can be easy to wonder why certain teams won’t give the type of effort against a rival that they should.
I am not saying there has ever been a Louisville team to do that, but it was extremely satisfying to watch these guys give it their all on Wednesday night.
The entire country knew how much more talented Kentucky was coming into the basketball game, but that never slowed Louisville down. The Cards fought from beginning to the end, and deserved this win 100 percent.
I don’t know if there is another win, other than the National Championship, where I have been more proud of the overall team effort from a Louisville Cardinals basketball team.
Nov 23, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Malik Monk (5) goes up for a dunk against the Cleveland State Vikings in the second half at Rupp Arena. Kentucky defeated Cleveland State 101-70. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
4. The Cards Shut Red-Hot Shooting Malik Monk Down
My goodness this Malik Monk guy was on fire against North Carolina last weekend, as he had a career-high 47 points in Kentucky’s slim victory over the Tar Heels. It was going to be imperative that the Cards play him close because if they didn’t, Monk was going to be the difference-maker in a close game.
He ended up making a huge three to make it close again late, but ultimately couldn’t hit the game-tying shot with a couple seconds left in the game.
Monk had to sit for most of the first half, which is why he only scored 16 points. However, Louisville did a great job of not giving him an easy looks in this game.
Any points that Monk scored against Louisville were well-earned.
Dec 21, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard De
3. We Just Witnessed Quentin Snider Become The Hometown Legend
I guarantee that you will never forget this performance by Quentin Snider in Louisville’s three-point victory over sixth ranked Kentucky. He has been the leader of this team, but now he is the main reason why Louisville has a chance to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament.
Snider simply outplayed the famous De’Aaron Fox on Wednesday night in the KFC Yum Center. Snider had 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, which all were higher than Fox’s totals.
To win this basketball game, the Cardinals needed someone to step up and the be guy who would take it over.
It was clear from the start who that was going to be and who that will be going forward.
Dec 21, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Mychal Mulder (11) battles Louisville Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell (45) for a rebound during the first half at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
2. The Cards’ 4-Game Losing Streak To Kentucky Is Finally Over
Louisville came into this game against the Wildcats having lost their last four games to the team from the East. Not to mention, they lost by two last year, eight the year before, and blew a seven point lead in the NCAA Tournament a year or so before that.
This Kentucky vs. Louisville basketball series was definitely getting out of hand.
I surely didn’t think that this would be this team that would ultimately end the streak, but hey, we all have the bragging rights now.
It seems like Kentucky’ game-winning field goal last month is long gone and a new, bright future is in store for this current basketball team.
With that being said, this was a huge weight off of many people’s shoulders. Rick Pitino is happy, Tom Jurich is happy, and I know that every Cardinals fan is still celebrating as this time.
Dec 21, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari reacts to a call during the first half against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
1. Kentucky Fans Have To Respect This Louisville Team That Beat The Cats
This last month has been a brutal one, since the football team couldn’t extend their winning streak over Kentucky. That last minute field-goal by the Cats last month will forever be a bragging point of Kentucky fans, but at least we don’t have to hear about this team anymore right?
It has been terrible and exhausting to watch the Louisville basketball team play Kentucky so close over the years, but only to lose in the final minutes. I’m sure most of us were wondering if they would ever beat a John Calipari team ever again.
Not to mention, listening to UK fans bash on the Cards hasn’t been fun either.
Enjoy this win Louisville basketball fans, you deserve it because the streak is finally over.
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