If you would’ve told us that Louisville was going to make it to the Elite 8 after the loss of Chris Jones, most would’ve said no way possible. The Cardinals went against all odds and defeated the Wolfpack tonight to advance to Sunday for a Final Four berth opportunity. NC State played a fantastic basketball game but it wasn’t nearly enough to knock off Louisville. Here is the rundown on how Louisville won.

1st Half: The Wolfpack and Lacey were hitting jump shots like they were nothing in the beginning.  NC State just couldn’t contain Louisville in the paint. Harrell was getting any shot he wanted and despite poor shooting, Rozier was dominating the boards. Barber was horrible in the first half as he had no points and 3 assists. Before this game Barber called out the Louisville guards saying, “I’m not a big talker, but he’s got his hands full.” Quentin Snider played a fantastic half and Blackshear was getting into the gaps and attacking. NC State was only up because they hit two long range bombs to go into halftime up by 2 points.

“We don’t want to go home,” said Harrell. “We took our bumps and bruises throughout the season, but we came together at the right time. Everything just gelled at the right time.”

2nd Half: Barber came out and his 2 treys to make the lead 8 points for NC State. Then Louisville just attacked the glass and took over the game. Snider hit a big three then Rozier made a free and one lay ups to make this a game again. But the key point in the game was when Blackshear got his 4th foul called on him with about 5 minutes left. Anton Gill came in the game and was known as the disappointing sharpshooter for Louisville. He came alive and scored 7 points in a 2 and a half minute stretch that gave the Cardinals a comfortable 5 point lead. Rozier ended up taking a nasty fall after converting a fast break layup but seems to be fine for Sunday. The Cardinals went on to cruise to a 10 point victory over NC State.

“That stretch right there, they had some separation right at that point of the game,” Gottfried said. “That’s what the game’s about.”

Louisville 75 NC State 65

Game Notes: Harrell – 24 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists. Rozier – 17 points and 14 rebounds. Snider – 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists. Lacey – 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists. Turner – 12 points and 3 rebounds. Barber – 8 points and 3 rebounds. Louisville had 5 turnovers and NC State had 7 turnovers. Louisville shot 50% and NCST shot 38%. Louisville only went 18-27 at the foul line and NCST went 10-14.

“It’s kind of weird, I didn’t really realize we were playing N.C State,” Gill said. “We’ve been so focused on what we need to do as a team. It’s funny how things work.”

Random Fact: Quentin Snider has only committed 2 turnovers in 109 minutes, as the freshman has really came into his own recently.

The Cardinals play the winner of Michigan State on Sunday.