Louisville Basketball Survives Scare, Advances

0:00On March 19, Louisville's men's basketball team is back in the NCAA tournament winner circle after nine long years. The sixth seeded cardinals edged out 11th seeded South Florida, 83-79 in the first round in Buffalo. It marked their first advancements since March of 2015. The game got tense late as Louisville blew a 23-point lead and racked up a season-high 22 turnovers. Over the final nine minutes, they coughed it up eight times and took just five shots. But their defense stepped up big, clamping down to keep the bulls from pulling ahead. Fans held their breath through the comeback scare, but key players delivered. Isaac McNeely bounced back with 23 points, sinking seven of ten from three-point range. Sonanda Fru grabbed a double-double with ten points and ten rebounds plus blocks and steals. Ryan Conwell added 18 points despite some miscues. South Florida's Isaiah Nelson heated up for 22 points and nine boards in the second half,

1:02but the Cardinals' perimeter defense shown. They held the bulls to 15 percent from deep on 33 tries and 39 percent overall from the field. Louisville stays perfect as 6-0 against 11 seeds and 4-0 as a sixth seed in openers. They're still dancing, with momentum carrying into the next round.