CHARLOTTE, NC — Louisville basketball is on to the ACC Tournament quarterfinal round after Pat Kelsey’s sixth-seeded Cardinals took care of 11th-seeded SMU on Wednesday afternoon at the Spectrum Center, 62-58.
Up next: a rematch with third-seeded Miami – less than a week after UofL beat the Hurricanes on their home court in the regular-season finale – with a spot in the semifinals on the line. Tipoff is set for approximately 2:30 p.m. Thursday.
Here are three takeaways from the win over the Mustangs:
Vangelis Zougris sparked Louisville’s second-half comeback
Vangelis Zougris’ first basket of the game came with only 6:52 remaining in regulation, but it was the sparkplug.
The 6-foot-8 Greek forward, making only his third start of the season, rattled off six unanswered points to give Louisville a 52-50 lead with 5:38 on the clock – its first since the 17:49 mark of the second half.
Four lead changes followed that spurt. Ryan Conwell put the Cards over the hump for good with less than a minute to spare by knocking down a 3-pointer and a layup on back-to-back possessions.
Louisville basketball leaned on defense early vs. SMU
SMU held Louisville to its lowest first-half total of the season, 26 points, on 29.6% (8 for 27) shooting and a 14.3% (2-for-14) clip from beyond the arc.
Had the Mustangs scorched the net like they did during their 95-85 win over the Cards on Feb. 17 at Moody Coliseum, this one would have gotten ugly quick.
But they didn’t. UofL held Andy Enfield’s team to 26 points on 40.7% (11-for-27) shooting and a 27.3% (3-for-11) clip from deep – forcing nine turnovers that led to 12 points.
Free throws were a difference-maker
Louisville finished +13 at the free-throw line, 14-1.
The Cards took 17 more attempts at the charity stripe than the Mustangs, 20-3.
That’ll do it.
Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball ACC Tournament score, UofL vs Miami up next