Louisville pulls away from NC State to get back to Elite Eight
Louisville is off to the Elite Eight for the third time in the last four years after defeating NC State 75-65 on Friday night.
A back-and-forth game saw the two squads locked in a dead heat for the majority of the contest. However, a late run by the Cardinals allowed them to pull away and earn head coach Rick Pitino yet another trip to the Elite Eight. In his last 20 seasons as a college coach, Pinito has led his teams to the regional final 11 times.
The victory was a bit of revenge for the Cardinals after dropping a 74-65 decision to NC State at home earlier this season on Valentine's Day.
The Wolfpack led 54-53 with under seven minutes to go, but Louisville closed the game on a 22-11 run, with Terry Rozier and Montrezl Harrell combining to score 13 of the Cardinals' points during that stretch.
Harrell led the way with 24 points on an efficient 9-of-12 shooting after scoring only seven points the first time the teams met. Rozier kicked in his third double-double of the season with 17 points and 14 rebounds, a ridiculous number of boards for a 6-foot-2 guard.
Trevor Lacey had a team-high 18 points for the Wolfpack while Ralston Turner had 12 and Kyle Washington chipped in 11 off the bench. NC State actually had success from long range, connecting on 9-of-20 3-pointers, but struggled inside, going 14-of-40 on two-point buckets.
Next up Louisville will take on Michigan State on Sunday with a trip to the Final Four on the line.