LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — First the University of Louisville men’s basketball team lost its head coach, Chris Mack.
Then the Cardinals lost their leading scorer after interim coach Mike Pegues suspended Malik Williams, the only U of L player averaging 10 points per game.
On Tuesday night, in a vibrating KFC Yum! Center against North Carolina, the Cardinals lost the game, 90-83 in overtime. Stuff happened. Lots of ... stuff.
But the Cards found something that had been missing for weeks— their competitive gusto.
Get this: The same guys that struggled to remain motivated for their former coach played like they were ready to take on Mike Tyson against the Tar Heels.
"At times when we hit that level of adversity, they had not responded like that," Pegues said. "I saw it all from that group ... the Yum has not sounded that way in a long time."
"We can compete with anybody," said guard El Ellis, after dropping 25 points on the Tar Heels. "The last two games we've shown how good we really are.'
It did not translate into a victory. The Cards are now 11-11, losers in seven of their last eight games.
But it did translate into most of the announced crowd of 13,386 standing and roaring their approval as the players exited into the tunnel -- after they roared their disapproval of the game officials. This one deserves further review. Plenty of it.
On a night when Louisville rallied from 10 down in the final 12 1/2 minutes and again from 3 behind in the final 2 1/2 minutes, the Cardinals could not rally past a pair of calls that went against them and incensed the home fans.
Louisville was nearly assessed a technical foul after debris was thrown on the court after the officials just whistled a technical against forward Jae'Lyn Withers.
Louisville's Matt Cross and Armando Bacot of North Carolina went to the floor after Bacot blocked a shot by Cross at the rim with 1:10 to play and UNC ahead, 84-81. The officials said jump ball. The possession arrow pointed toward Louisville.
Play on?
Hold on.
A second whistle followed when Withers pushed Bacot as the players were separating. Pegues said that Withers' intent was merely to keep players separated. The officials disagreed. UNC guard Caleb Love made a pair of free throws to grow the lead to five.
"In a 3-point game, that's a tough call to make," Pegues said. "Jae'Lyn isn't that kind of kid (to start an altercation)."
That call was tough but debatable. The next whistle against Louisville dreadful and wrong. Again the Cards trailed by three, 86-83. Cross was short on a three-point shot from the top of the lane.
Bacot and U of L's Sydney Curry chased the rebound. Bacot chased it with his left arm wrapped around Curry's neck to push him out of the way. That's what the replay showed. That's not what the officials called. The whistle went against Curry. Pegues was one of thousands to roar his disapproval, but he also pounded the scorer's table.
He earned a technical foul. Love made two more free throws. It was more than Louisville could overcome. The Cards did not score again.
At that point all Louisville could do was send those video clips to the Atlantic Coast Conference office for further review. If the league office sees what the replay board showed, the officials should have some explaining to do.
"I have to control my temper better," Pegues said. "My technical was inexcusable."
Perhaps. But whatever Pegues is saying to the players, they are responding with more grit than Louisville has shown since November.
"We've had a lot of meetings in the last week and a half," Cross said. "We're just trying to bring our own positivity. At this point, there's nothing to lose. Just give it all out on the court."
The box score confirms that Cross did that. He had a season best 15 rebounds as well as 13 points. Ellis scored all 25 of his points in the second half and overtime. Ellis made 5 three-point field goals on a night when Louisville made a season-high 15 shots from distance. He put on a dazzling show -- and enjoyed it considering he grew up within minutes of UNC and never got a single recruiting phone call.
With Williams suspended (and not even on the bench), Pegues shuffled the starting lineup again, going with Cross, Dre Davis, Mason Faulkner, Noah Locke and Sydney Curry.
But Pegues played 10 guys, including Gabe Wiznitzer, and nine Cardinals scored. The only guy who did not score was Wiznitzer. Didn't matter. Pegues and Ellis credited Wiznitzer for his defense, passing and the way he set screens.
"I could not have been more proud of this group after two losses," Pegues said.
Louisville will play its next two games on the road, visiting Syracuse Saturday and Notre Dame on Feb. 9. The Cardinals have three remaining home games, the first against Miami (Florida) Feb. 16.
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