Louisville rolls past Jacksonville St in return to tourney

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Louisville had a full weekend planned for its return to the NCAA Tournament.

It may have taken a little longer and little more work than expected, but eventually they got the job done Friday. Now they'll have to do it all over again Sunday.

Mangok Mathiang scored 18 points, Deng Adel and Quentin Snider each had 16 and the second-seeded Cardinals pulled away from Jacksonville State 78-63 in the first round of the Midwest Regional.

"We created a lot of turnovers off our press," Snider said. "Once we got on our breaks, that's when we did our best."

Clearly, they learned some lessons from last week's one-and-done experience at the ACC Tournament.

They avoided foul trouble. They kept their foot on the gas. And when they were challenged, the Cardinals kept finding answers that got the mostly red-and-black clad crowd on its feet.

Louisville took full advantage of its opportunities, outscoring the Gamecocks 44-14 in the paint, 24-3 on second-chance points and 11-0 edge on fast-break points. That was more than enough to ensure the Cardinals, who had lost three of their previous five, of their fifth consecutive opening-round win.

They sat out last season's tourney because of school-imposed postseason ban for alleged recruiting violations.

"The game was determined by our inability to rebound the ball. It wasn't because of a lack of effort," Jacksonville State coach Ray Harper. "Their length and their athleticism caused us some problems."

It sure wasn't as easy as most expected, though.

Louisville (25-8) gave up the first eight points and trailed for the first 13 minutes.

When the Cardinals got their defense fixed and Jacksonville State (20-15) flummoxed — the devastating combination quickly turned an interesting contest into a decidedly one-sided affair.

Jacksonville State came into the game full of confidence after four straight wins.

And 7-foot center Norbertas Giga played did everything he could to keep the Ohio Valley Conference tourney champs close. He had a career-high 30 points, nine rebounds and was 11 of 13 from the field and 5 of 5 on 3-pointers. Malcolm Drumwright added 12 points and Greg Tucker had 11.

But it wasn't nearly enough to pull the upset.

Louisville flipped the game with an 8-2 run late in the first half to take its first lead. The Cardinals closed the half on a 9-4 run to make it 38-31 and opened the second half on a 10-2 run to make it 48-33.

Jacksonville State cut the deficit to 10 midway through the second half, then got within 61-52 with 6:53 to go before running out of steam.

"When they shoot 50 percent, go 10 for 19 from the 3 and you still win by 15, you have to take it," Pitino said.

BIG PICTURE

Louisville: The Cardinals are seeded second for the third time in tourney history and won national titles each of the two previous times. It's too early to start contemplating how far this run could go. But Louisville has won by 15-point margins in each of its two games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse this season.

Jacksonville State: After going from last in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason picks to conference tourney champs, the Gamecocks' magical run came to an end. But the future still looks bright. Three starters will return next season as coach Ray Harper begins his second season with the Gamecocks.

KEY STATS

Louisville guard Donovan Mitchell finished with nine points, a career-high 10 rebounds and a career-high five assists.

Christian Cunning had five blocks for the Gamecocks and Drumwright wound up with six assists.

UP NEXT

Louisville faces seventh-seeded Michigan on Sunday for a ticket to the Sweet 16. The Cardinals have won all three meetings in the series, including the 2013 national championship game.

Jacksonville St.-Louisville Preview

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INDIANAPOLIS — Whether it will provide an advantage or not, at least Midwest Regional No. 15 seed Jacksonville State coach Ray Harper is very familiar with No. 2 seed Louisville and coach Rick Pitino.

Before getting the Jacksonville State job, Harper spent four seasons as an assistant at Western Kentucky. During those four seasons, Western Kentucky played Louisville three times.

On Friday afternoon in Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Harper will face Pitino and his Cardinals for the first time as a head coach.

“A great basketball team, and coach Pitino is one of the best basketball coaches in the country,” Harper said. “We get to continue playing. With Louisville, you’ve got to be able to handle their pressure — a lot of things — but you’ve got to handle their pressure and rebound the basketball, or you have no chance.”

The Gamecocks (20-14) advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time by defeating Ohio Valley Conference top seed Belmont and then second-seeded Tennessee-Martin on consecutive days. Their current four-game winning streak matches their season best.

Malcolm Drumwright (12.6 points) and Erik Durham (11.1) are the leading scorers.

“They really weren’t on our radar, but we are excited about the challenge,” Jacksonville State’s Greg Tucker said. “We know we have to take care of the basketball, because they will pressure you 94 feet. They have a great coach and some great players.”

Louisville is back in the tournament after a self-imposed ban in 2016, and while the Cardinals (24-8) are only 2-3 in their five most recent games, they played the nation’s sixth-hardest schedule and feature the nation’s sixth-best defense.

The Cardinals won NCAA titles in 1980, 1986 and 2013 and have advanced to the Final Four 10 times. Pitino has coached in the NCAA tournament 21 times and has a 53-18 record.

If Louisville defeats Jacksonville State on Friday, it could have a possible rematch with Michigan from the 2013 NCAA title game, which the Cardinals won.

“We are very excited to be going to Indianapolis, especially for our fans,” Pitino said. “If our fans can find tickets there, it can be an outstanding site for us to play some outstanding basketball. “Obviously, our strength of schedule was important in us receiving a No. 2 seed. We have had the best or second-best schedule in the RPI. Half of our schedule was played against teams that now are in the tournament. We didn’t lose to a team below 40 in the RPI.”

Louisville is led by 6-3 sophomore Donovan Mitchell (15.7 points), 6-2 Quentin Snider (12.7) and 6-8 Deng Ade (11.9 points and 4.5 rebounds).

This is the Cardinals’ first NCAA Tournament appearance in Indianapolis since 2014, when Kentucky eliminated Louisville in the Sweet 16.

Mitchell's 28 points lead Louisville past NC State 85-60

Donovan Mitchell recorded 28 points and 8 rebounds, leading No. 13 Louisville past NC State, 85-60 on Sunday.

Abdul-Malik Abu and Maverick Rowan each had 13 points for NC State (14-8, 3-6), who shot 38 percent and failed to follow up on their upset win at No. 17 Duke.

NC State is home this week for games against Syracuse on Wednesday and Miami on Saturday, while Louisville hits the road for two ACC games in three days, starting Saturday at Boston College.

After Boston College, Louisville faces No. 12 Virginia on Feb. 6, where the Cardinals aim to avenge last month's loss.

Guice, LSU defense overwhelm Louisville in Cotrus Bowl

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — For much of the first half Saturday, LSU sophomore running back Derrius Guice found little room to work as Louisville's defensive front filled the gaps and swarmed to the ball.

But the second half of the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl was a different story.

The game slowed down and Guice took the time to let the blocks develop before hitting the holes. Finally he popped a 12-yard run off left tackle and then the big one came the next play when he burst up the middle, broke a tackle and then was off to the races for a 70-yard touchdown early in the third quarter that all but closed the door on the 15th-ranked Cardinals and sealed the 19th-ranked Tigers 29-9 victory at Camping World Stadium.

"As a running back you just have to be patient, you can't get upset, you can't get mad when things don't always go your way," said Guice, who earned the Citrus Bowl MVP after finishing his day with 138 yards and a rushing touchdown while also catching a 1-yard touchdown pass. "You just got to work and grind, go on the sidelines with the coaches and get everything fixed."

The spotlight has been on Guice since star running back Leonard Fournette announced earlier this month that he would not play in the Tigers' bowl game so that he can focus on getting his injured ankle healthy to begin his path toward an NFL career. Guice had filled in nicely for Fournette during the season and Saturday was no different as his clock-draining runs and the Tigers' (8-4) suffocating defense limited Louisville's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson.

"We had probably one of the best players in college football in Leonard Fournette get hurt, and he stepped in and didn't blink an eye," said LSU coach Ed Orgeron, who won his first official game as head coach since being relieved of the interim title last month. "He is one of the best players in America and I totally expect him to be the best player in America next year and we're fortunate to have him."

Guice made explosive plays running the ball and catching it, but his most memorable play may have come on special teams in the fourth quarter when he took a kickoff return 50 yards, steamrolling Cardinals kicker Blanton Creque near the sideline in the process. It was the perfect capper on a breakout season while delivering a glimpse of is in store for next season.

"LSU is Army U so when one man goes down you've got to step up," Guice said. "I feel like I've done a great job of stepping up this year."

KEY MOMENT

The Tigers sacked Jackson eight times and linebacker Arden Key was responsible for two of the sacks.

Key sacked Jackson for a safety late in the second quarter and then on the opening play of third quarter, he sacked Jackson again to establish a school record for sacks with 12.

TAKEAWAY

LSU: The Tigers defensive front was too fast and too dominant for Jackson and the Cardinals offense. Louisville was 0 for 13 on third-down conversions well into the fourth quarter before converting its first.

LOUISVILLE: Clearly the Cardinals' offense had not seen the type of speed on defense in the ACC they encountered against the SEC's LSU. The Tigers got to Jackson early and often from their base defense and with a variety of blitzes. Defensively, the Cardinals (9-4) struggled without starting secondary members Josh Harvey-Clemons (safety) and Trumaine Washington (cornerback) along with sack leader James Hearns (linebacker) all missing due to injuries.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

LSU: The Tigers looked overpowering on both sides of the football and will certainly see their stock sore from No. 19 in the AP poll after a convincing win over Louisville.

LOUISVILLE: The Cardinals suffered their third straight loss to conclude the season, which certainly makes it appear their No. 15 ranking was inflated. Louisville may remain in the Top 25 but it will be just barely.

UP NEXT

LSU: Now that the bowl season is over, the Ed Orgeron era begins in earnest. Matt Canada has been hired as the new offensive coordinator and can begin to install his system. His biggest decision will be at quarterback where Etling is returning with experience but the Tigers have two recruits coming in in pro-style quarterback Myles Brennan and dual-threat quarterback Lowell Narcisse.

LOUISVILLE: Led by the tremendous talent of Jackson, the Cardinals could contend for the ACC title and College Football Playoffs next season. But coach Bobby Petrino will definitely have more playmakers to help Jackson. The offensive line also has to get better in its protection of Jackson. The Cardinals lose a couple of talented seniors off the defense but the core returns, giving Petrino a chance to have his best team since returning.