LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville, these days, is closing like Pedro Martinez. Like Aroldis Chapman. The problem for the Cardinals is that they don't always throw out a good starter.
If you were looking for Louisville to follow up its upset win at Duke with a convincing, message-sending thumping of Georgia Tech, or even just hoping for the Cardinals to cover a certain Vegas-originated number, you were disappointed.
But you can continue to say this about the team, too: It didn't fall prey to an upset against an upset-minded opponent, ranked or not, in a 68-64 victory.
"We're not this juggernaut," Louisville coach Chris Mack said. "We're trying to get there, but it's not who we are."
After trailing by 10 early in the second half, No. 6-ranked Louisville found some defensive answers, outscoring Georgia Tech 27-9 over an 8 1/2-minute span, then held on as it went the final 5:15 without a field goal.
Georgia Tech had lost three of its past four coming in but had been competitive with Virginia, Notre Dame and Duke. It was more than competitive with Louisville, claiming an early lead and hanging onto it.
The Yellowjacks shot a sweltering 61.9% in the first half, while out rebounding Louisville and outscoring the Cardinals in the paint.
"I said it before we played them, they've got two of the better guards in the league, and the completely controlled the game in the first half," Mack said. ". . . And after we offered so little resistance early, why wouldn't you gain confidence, not that they need any confidence. ... Our defensive energy was completely different in the second half. You're going to ask me why, and I'm going to tell you I have no idea."
A couple of early fouls for Jordan Nwora and freshman David Johnson soon after coming in off the bench didn't help the Cardinals. But they regrouped early in the second half and built an 11-point lead with an 8-0 spurt with five minutes to play.
Then Georgia Tech stabilized, scoring 10 straight points to pull within one, with the ball and a minute to play. That's when Jose Alvado missed a baseline runner, and Moses Wright missed a putback try.
"I think we just couldn't score (once getting the lead)," Mack said. "I give Georgia Tech a lot of credit. We ran a couple of things, thought we had decent looks. And then our defense eroded for about two or three possessions. . . . Man, at some point, I've got to get some older guys resembling older guys."
Malik Williams did resemble an older guy. He played plays throughout down the stretch, made free throws, grabbed big rebounds, and he was the one who claimed a rebound and was fouled with 23.2 seconds left. He made one of two to put Louisville up two, and with eight seconds left, Tech's Michael Devoe missed a three, and Williams grabbed the rebound and was fouled, making both free throws to seal the win.
Williams and Steven Enoch led Louisville with 13 points each. Jordan Nwora and Johnson added 10 each for the Cardinals, who won their fifth straight.
"With Malik, I feel like a broken record," Mack said. "He's one of the best defensive players in the league. He made some big plays offensively and made some big free throws, really big ones. Defensively, his greatest attribute is his mind. He sees things develop. He certainly has great versatility."
Louisville outscored Georgia Tech 32-0 in bench points and got 17 turnovers, which it turned into 13 points. It outscored the Yellowjackets 15-9 on second-chance points, despite being outrebounded.
"I think they're a really good basketball team and very, very well-coached," Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner said of Louisville. ". . . I said back in the preseason before ACC Media Day that I think they have a chance, I would actually be surprised, if they don't get to Atlanta (to the Final Four)."
Louisville, which improved to 16-3 overall, 7-1 in the ACC returns to action Saturday at 2 p.m. against Clemson.
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