LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — There was North Carolina State’s leading scorer on the bench with a hip injury. There was State’s second-best player also on the bench for 16 first-half minutes with foul trouble.
There was University of Louisville guard Skyy Clark shooting the basketball as if he walked out of Steph Curry instructional video. Three-pointer after deep three-pointer after deeper three-pointer, enough to give him 36 spectacular points.
There was the Kenny Payne’s struggling team roaring to 23 points as well as a 12-point lead in the first 7 minutes and 10 seconds.
The Cards hit every spot on the emotional roulette wheel — joy, frustration, hope, determination, dejection, persistence and, ultimately, resignation.
But in the end there was another blast of indigestion, confirmed by a 94-85 NC State victory in the opening round of the 71st Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball tournament at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Tuesday.
North Carolina State guard Jayden Taylor (1) and Louisville guard Tre White (22) collide during the second half of the Atlantic Coast Conference NCAA college basketball tournament Tuesday, March 12, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
It was the 52nd loss in Payne’s 64-game run over the last two seasons as the Cards’ head coach — and many believe it will be his last. Asked if he had been told his future, Payne said, "No, I have not."
U of L athletic director Josh Heird did not attend the game because of his responsibilities as a member of the Selection Committee for the NCAA women’s tournament. Heird drove to Indianapolis Tuesday morning and will be there for the rest of the week.
Heird and Payne talked Saturday night in the KFC Yum! Center after the Cards’ final home game and a public decision about how the final four seasons of Payne’s 6-year contract is expected soon. The Cards finished 8-24 after going 4-28 last season.
Payne gave a spirited defense of his players as well as the work he has invested in the program over the last two years but asked that the focus be on Clark's tremendous performance.
Payne’s players gave a 40-minute blast of energy that demonstrated to all of their critics they had not given up on their coach or their season, especially Clark, who scored his 36 points while making 7 of his 9 three-point field goal attempts.
"What I said to my guys after this game was that I'm proud," Payne said. "I'm proud of the way they handled adversity. I'm proud of the way they fought through all year.
"I'm proud of the fact that through adversity, when it's easy to say I quit, they didn't quit. At times, their words may have said, 'I quit.' They did not quit. And that's hard to do."
But even on a day when Louisville shot better than 55% and made all 11 of its free throws, the Cards could not advance to the second round of the tournament because of the issues that have beaten this team all season.
Too many turnovers. The Cards lost the ball 16 times and the Wolfpack converted those mistakes into 22 points.
Too many personal fouls. The Cards committed 23, 18 in the second half. North Carolina State was in the bonus after 5 minutes and 20 seconds. State made 33 of 40 free throws while the Cards shot 11.
Too many persistent leaks on defense. Way too many leaks on defense, allowing the Wolfpack to shoot nearly 53%.
"It was a shootout," NC State coach Kevin Keatts said. "Neither team played any defense. We just scored 94 points. I thought Louisville came out very, very aggressive."
The Cards played the first 8 minutes about as well as they have played at any point during this season. They made 9 of their first 11 shots. They forced North Carolina State into five quick turnovers.
Clark made a three, a layup, a dunk, a 15-footer and two more threes before he missed.
D.J. Burns, State’s mammoth center, earned two fouls in 18 seconds and sat on the Wolfpack bench for the final 13 1/2 minutes of the first half. With D.J. Horne, State’s leading scorer at nearly 17 points per game, sidelined with an injury, the Cards surged to a 23-11 lead.
Then the Cards started repeating too many of the silly mistakes they have made over the last two seasons.
Turnovers. Soft passes. Forced passes. Forced shots. Forgetting to find Clark. Defensive meltdowns. Refusing to stop N.C. State dribblers from attacking the rim.
More of the same when the second half began. NC State coach Kevin Keatts returned Burns to the lineup. He had a layup and a 3-point play in the first two minutes.
Louisville turned the ball over on four of its first four possessions. Clark had 18 points in the first half — and did not get a field goal attempt in the first 5 1/2 minutes of the second half.
The Cards finally remembered how hot Clark was in the final 7 minutes. He scored 13 points in the final 10 minutes, including back-to-back-to-back shots from distance.
Wasn’t enough.
"I'm proud of the fact that we played a very good team and you know, in this game, they shot 40 free throws," Payne said. "we shot 11.
"In this game, we shot 55% from the field 55% from the three and 100 from the free throw line. We did enough things to win the game.
"Again, I'm proud of my guys and I'm proud of the way they fought to get this win, but they didn't come (up with it). They came up a little short. We all did."
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