Louisville Basketball Snaps NCAA Tournament Drought

0:00On March 19th, Louisville basketball finally ended a drought of over nine years without an NCAA tournament win, beating South Florida 83-2, 79 in the first round in Buffalo. The Cardinals built a 23-point lead in the second half, but got sloppy with 22 turnovers and nine missed free throws, letting the bulls close the gap late before holding on. Coach Pat Kelsey called it a gritty battle, marking his first tournament victory after going zero and five previously, a big step after last year's opening round loss as an eighth seed. Standout play came from Isaac McNeely with 23 points, including seven of ten from three-point range while Ryan Conwell added eighteen points and six assists. Now sitting at 24 wins and ten losses, Louisville faces the Michigan State North Dakota State winner on Saturday with momentum carrying them forward.