Listless, But Still a Pulse
ORLANDO, Fla. - The N.C.A.A. tournament bracket will show that Louisville advanced with a 66-51 victory over St. Louis. But the body language and mood of the Cardinals seemed to indicate they escaped here Saturday with yet another lackluster performance.
The Cardinals (31-5) were again ragged and lethargic, but they seized control midway through the second half and kept alive their hopes for a second consecutive national championship, moving on to the Midwest Region semifinals next week in Indianapolis.
Fourth-seeded Louisville was led by Luke Hancock with 21 points. Montrezl Harrell added 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Russ Smith scored 11 points and made 7 assists.
Louisville fans at the Amway Center finally appeared to relax with two minutes to go, when Chris Jones stopped in the lane on a fast break and dished the ball to Wayne Blackshear for a dunk and a 13-point lead.
Louisville shook off early struggles and was able to separate from St. Louis with a 9-2 run for a 52-39 lead with 4 minutes 16 seconds remaining. Chris Jones started that stretch with a 3-pointer, followed by a reverse layup high off the backboard.
The Billikens (27-7) caught a sudden burst of energy early in the second half. Jett's driving layup and a 3-point play by Dwayne Evans tied the score at 27-27. When Loe gathered in a deflected pass and finished a fast break, St. Louis led, 29-27, and seemed poised to continue its run.
But the Billikens' momentum was stopped when Rob Loe, a gangly 6-foot-11 senior from New Zealand, picked up his fourth foul and was forced to the bench with 9:13 to play. Loe had 10 points and 5 rebounds. Dwayne Evans scored 16 points and had 10 rebounds. Jordair Jett scored 15 points and had 7 assists.
The St. Louis band launches into a rousing rendition of 'When the Saints Go Marching In' when the team takes the court, but there was nothing upbeat about the Billikens' play in a sloppy first half. They committed 11 turnovers and missed all 6 of their 3-point attempts. Still, the Billikens trailed by only 25-16 at halftime, because Louisville looked as disconnected as it did while struggling against Manhattan on Thursday, committing 10 turnovers.
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