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.