The Cardinals win by 10 points! Harrell has 24 points and 7 rebounds. Rozier has 17 points and 14 rebounds. They play the winner of Michigan State and Oklahoma. Thank you for joining me tonight in this ACC clash! Congradulations to the Louisville Cardinals.
2nd (:10) - Barber makes the basket then Harrell is fouled.
2nd (:23) - Snider makes a single free thow and Harrell is fouled
2nd (:38) - NC State has the monster jam but Snider is fouled and makes a single one.
2nd (1) - Rozier makes the fast break lay up an is fouled but falls hard. He makes the free throw though.
2nd (1) - Lacey is fouled and makes both free throws.
2nd (1) - Harrell makes the lay up to make it a 9 point game.
2nd (3) - Rozier makes the free throw as they go 7 unanswered.
2nd (3) - Rozier hits the lay up and is fouled.
2nd (3) - Gill hits the lay up as NC State calls a timeout.
2nd (4) - Gill hits a big 3 for the Cardinals then Turner hits one of his own. Rozier makes both free throws.
2nd (5) - Pitino calls a timeout.
2nd (5) - Gill makes a contested lay up to give them the lead.
2nd (6) - Mathiang is called for an over the back call and a timeout is called.
2nd (7) - Lacey makes a 3 to give the Wolfpack the lead heading into a timeout.
2nd (7) - Freeman makes the lay up as it's a 2 point game.
2nd (8) - Blackshear picks up his 4th foul as NCSU makes a free throw.
2nd (9) - Rozier makes the guarded lay up as he was poked in the eye.
2nd (10) - Snider makes the lay up in the wide open lane.
2nd (10) - Harrell makes the jump shot then Washington makes the jump shot.
2nd (11) - Washington made a single free throw to bring it within one.
2nd (12) - Huge putback by Anya! 2 point game and Washington is headed to the free throw line.
2nd (12) - Washington scores a hook shot that was much needed.
2nd (12) - Blackshear is fouled on the three point attempt. He made two of them.
2nd (14) - Rozier makes a step back jump shot to give Louisville the lead. Snider drains a three and NC State calls a timeout.
2nd (15) - Anya makes a thunderous dunk then Harrell makes a lay up.
2nd (16) - NC State tips the ball out of bounds as we are headed to a timeout. Louisville is pounding the paint and NCSU can't miss a 3.
2nd (16) - Harrell makes a dunk as Snider makes a beautiul pass.
2nd (17) - Harrell hits the floor then makes both free throws.
2nd (17) - Offensive foul as Lacey hits Rozier.
2nd (17) - Mathiang is fouled and made a single one.
2nd (18) - Barber hits another three then Harrell makes a jump shot.
2nd (19) - Barber hits a wide open three.
End of 1st Half: NC State hits two bombs to get the 2 point lead headng into halftime. Harrell has 9 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebound. Rozier has 8 rebounds. Lacey has 12 points and 5 rebounds.
1st (:41) - Lacey hits another long range bomb then Turner hits a 3 then Rozier hits a 3 to end the half.
1st (3) - Blackshear commits the offensive foul as the Cards lead by one headng into a timeout.
1st (3) - NC State makes a dunk to pull within one. Harrell makes a baby hook on the other end. Lacey makes the tip in.
1st (4) - Mathiang is fouled on the shot. He misses both.
1st (4) - Harrell misses the fast break lay up but Washington is fouled on the shot. He makes both free throws.
1st (5) - Harrell scores the basket and gets fouled. He made the free throw.
1st (5) - Harrell throws a nice pass to Snider as he is fouled and made a single free throw.
1st (6) - Washington scores another shot to bring the game within 1 point. Louisville calls a timeout.
1st (6) - Washington scores an easy lay up over Rozier.
1st (7) - Mathiang has a monster swat on the defensive side and we are headed to another timeout.
1st (7) - Turner hits his 2nd 3 of the night but Snider makes a jump shot on the other end.
1st (8) - Mathiang makes a lay up as NC State is struggling.
1st (9) - Abu is fouled by Onuaku as he is headed to the free throw line. He made both free throws.
1st (9) - Blackshear hit another lay up as he is dominating in the middle of the zone.
1st (10) - Blackshear hits a lay up as he already has 6 points.
1st (10) - Abu hits both free throws to come within 2.
1st (10) - Harrell hits a beautiful jump shot at the free throw line.
1st (11) - Blackshear hit both free throws.
1st (11) - Blackshear is fouled on a jump shot and is headed to the free throw line after the timeout.
1st (12) - Snider makes a lay up in the fastbreak to tie the game.
1st (13) - Lacey scores another jumper as he is the best option on offense. Snider hits a small jumper on the other end.
1st (14) - Turner hits a 3 as NC State is hitting shots like it's nothing.
1st (15) - Harrell scores the tough low post lay up.
1st (16) - NC State is up 5-4 after the first timeout. Lacey has scored every point so far for the Wolfpack.
1st (16) - Lacey with a long range bomb to put NC State up. Rozier responds with a lay up to pull it within one.
1st (18) - Blackshear makes the lay up and gets fouled but misses the free throw.
1st (18) - Lacey with the iso jumper for the first points of the game.
1st (19) - Mathiang with the traveling violation.
1st (19) - The Wolfpack get the tip as we are under way!
The winner of tonight's game will play the winner of Michigan State and Oklahoma. The tipoff is about 20 minutes game! The Cardinals are a 2.5 point favorite tonight.
Louisville's starters are Snider, Rozier, Blackshear, Harrell, and Mathiang. NC State's starters are Barber, Lacey, Turner, Freeman, and Abu.
The Louisville Cardinals get their rematch with NC State tonight in a Sweet 16 matchup. The Wolfpack got the best of the Cardinals in the regular season for a 9 point victory. Both teams are completely different coming into tonight. Follow this article for a preview, analysis, and live score on tonight’s Sweet 16 ACC clash!
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Coming into the game: Louisville had to defeat UC Irvine and Northern Iowa to make it to the Sweet 16. They only defeated UC Irvine by two points but ran out Northern Iowa by 13 points. The Cardinals have a lot of momentum coming into tonight and will look to continue it against the Wolfpack. NC State defeated LSU on a game winning shot and top seeded Villanova by 3 points to advance to the Sweet 16. NC State has come in clutch this tournament and hopes to keep it close tonight. The Wolfpack defeated the Cardinals by 9 points earlier this season but both teams are much different. Chris Jones had 20 points in that game but now Quentin Snider is the starting point guard for Louisville. Jones couldn’t even contain Cat Barber, so Snider has a big task to keep him in check. NC State also is a lot more confident now that they already defeated them earlier when they weren’t at their best.
Emergence of Quentin Snider: Even though Rozier has dominated this NCAA Tournament, Quentin Snider has been the x-factor for the Cardinals. Most people would think a freshman point guard would crumble under the pressure of the big stage. Snider has scored double digits in both games and has only turned the ball over twice in 72 minutes. He barely got any minutes this season until the dismissal of Chris Jones but he’s shining now on the big stage. Snider will have a tough time guarding Cat Barber, but he won’t get pushed around. He’s going to need another solid scoring performance if the Cardinals hope to knock off the Wolfpack.
2015 NCAA March Madness LIVE
Guard Play: This game will be decided in the guard play because both teams are very talented in that position. Barber and Lacey have been incredible for the Wolfpack as they have been much too quick for teams. Lacey has been the leading scorer and isn’t afraid to shoot from anywhere because he’s so confident that it will go in. Barber is one of the quickest guards in the country since most teams are unable to keep up with him for 40 minutes. Rozier dominated Northern Iowa all night long as he got whatever he wanted scoring wise. He will be the best guard on the court but will need another fantastic scoring performance tonight if he wants the Cardinals to win comfortably. Snider has emerged as a solid guard in this tournament but lacks the speed to keep up with Barber. The overall advantage goes to NC State as they have the more balanced backcourt but don’t be surprised if Rozier takes over this game. Snider and Rozier have to combine for about 30-35 points tonight if they want to keep Barber and Lacey in check.
Key to the Game: Montrezl Harrell hasn’t been his dominant form in the past two games and will have to be tonight. The inside presence of NC State isn’t very strong so he needs to assert himself early. Rozier and Harrell combined for only 14 points last time against the Wolfpack and that needs to about double tonight. It didn’t help either that Rozier fouled out with 5 minutes to go so that will be a factor too if he gets in foul trouble. Blackshear will be the 3rd option on offense but needs to knock down a majority of his open jump shots because they won’t become easy. Barber will need to make Snider uncomfortable throughout the game even though he doesn’t look rattled in the slightest bit on the court. Turner can’t have another 0 point game like he did against Nova because he will need to keep up with the scoring of Blackshear. Anya and Abu did a great job of shutting down Harrell the first game and will need a near perfect performance to do it again. The frontcourt of Louisville and the backcourt of NC State are the keys to the game.
Sweet 16 Scores and Updates
Prediction: The Cardinals will have their hands full with the backcourt of NC State but Snider is a different player right now. Louisville is undefeated against teams they lost to the first time (UNC, Virginia). Head coach Rick Pitino has only lost a single game in the Sweet 16 and won’t plan on losing this one. The Cardinals have another solid shooting night as Harrell goes off early. Don’t be surprised either if Jaylen Johnson gets a good set of minutes to put Harrell at center. If Rozier and Harrell combine for 30 or more points the Cardinals win easily. My prediction is Louisville over NC State 72-66.
Hello and welcome to VAVEL USA's LIVE coverage of the Sweet 16 clash in the East Region of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament between the Louisville Cardinals and the North Carolina State Wolfpack. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:37 PM EST. Keep following along for the latest updates!