BREAKING NEWS: Louisville insider reveals why Louisville’s Furious Comeback Attempt Falls Short Against NC State

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Fresh off a stunning upset at Miami, the Louisville men’s basketball team was nearly able to build on that momentum against NC State, but their last-ditch comeback attempt fell just short, resulting in an 89-83 defeat Saturday at the KFC Yum! Centre. With just over two minutes remaining and down by 14, the Cardinals (6-10, 1-4 ACC) went on a scoring spree, scoring 11 baskets in less than a minute to trim the Wolfpack (12-4, 4-1 ACC) lead to three with 52 seconds remaining. On the next possession, however, D.J. Horne of NC State drove to the rim for a layup, drawing a foul and hitting the resulting free throw.

Louisville’s Skyy Clark answered with a three with 22 seconds remaining, but Horne countered with two more free throws. With five seconds remaining, the Cardinals’ final shot attempt, a three from Ty-Laur Johnson, fell short, and the Wolfpack added one more free throw from Mohamed Diarra. Louisville put on a strong offensive showing. They hit 47.5 percent of their field goal attempts, shot 8-for-15 on three-pointers, were 19-of-25 at the free throw line, had only 10 turnovers, but only 11 of their 28 made baskets were assisted. Despite forcing 15 turnovers, the Cardinals’ defensive efforts left much to be desired. NC State shot 54.2 percent from the field and 10 of 20 from behind the three-point line. The Wolfpack also made 15 of 17 free throws, dominated the rebounding battle 33-30, and had 17 assists on 32 field goals. Five Cardinals scored in double figures, headed by another outstanding performance from Mike James, who finished with a team-high 20 points. Curtis Williams scored 15 points, Ty-Laur Johnson had 14 points and five assists, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield had a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Clark scored 10 points. Louisville got off to a poor start against NC State, as they have in so many of their games this season. In fact, the Wolfpack scored the game’s first 12 points after making four of their first five field goal tries, while the Cardinals didn’t score until 4:19 into the game after missing their first four shots.

Louisville’s offensive attempts improved slightly after a shaky start, but their defensive troubles lingered throughout the half. Despite forcing nine Wolfpack turnovers in the first half, the Cardinals still managed to shoot 48.4 percent. Meanwhile, they had eight turnovers while shooting 40.7 percent in the first half. They did, however, show some fighting near the end of the half. Louisville used a 6-0 run with five minutes left to draw within six points of NC State, then when the Wolfpack replied with a 13-5 run to go up 14, the Cardinals used a 5-0 run in the last minute to go into the locker room down 44-35. Louisville’s momentum from the first half carried over into the second. While NC State scored the first basket after halftime, the Cardinals responded with a 9-0 run to get within two points, tie the game at 12:33, and take a one-point lead at 9:54.

However, after that small lead, the game swiftly unravelled. NC State hit 10 of their next 12 shots, while Louisville hit just two of their next nine, resulting in a 14-point deficit in the last two minutes of the game. Louisville will then return to the road to face North Carolina. The game versus the Tar Heels is set for Wednesday, January 17 at 9:00 p.m. EST.