NC State Wolfpack thumps #9 Louisville 74-65

This Cat has 9 lives. I’m not talking about Anthony “Cat” Barber, but rather his NC State Wolfpack basketball team that pulled off the most improbable of victories Saturday afternoon. You got the feeling that the 22,000 partisan Cardinal faithful felt at any moment their team would overtake the unranked Wolfpack.

It did not happen.

Indeed, the Wolfpack still has a NCAA pulse. NC State (15-11, 6-7) defeated #9 Louisville (20-5,8-4) Saturday at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky 74-65. The Wolfpack, loser of five of their previous six games, were on post-season life support needing to secure unlikely wins down the stretch if coach Mark Gottfried was to garner a 4th consecutive NCAA tournament bid.

So unexpected was the victory and not often bested, Louisville coach Rick Pitino said,”We got dominated at all five positions tonight.” The Pack held the Cardinals to 33% shooting and out-scored them 32-16 in the paint. Barber, in his sophomore season with the Wolfpack, was key in handling the Louisville pressure and provided continued point production by breaking down the defense with driving penetration shots. Barber said, “My confidence keeps getting higher and higher. Coaches keep telling me, `Be me. Be Cat and do what Cat does best.’ I think I’ve taken that under consideration.”

Feb 14, 2015; Louisville, KY, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack guard Anthony Barber (12) dribbles against Louisville Cardinals guard Terry Rozier (0) during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. N.C. State defeated Louisville 74-65. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Halftime: Louisville 31 – NC State 30

The second half was disastrous for the Cardinals as Louisville missed 13 shots in a row and went over 7 minutes without a field goal. At the 11:40 mark, Caleb Martin hit a deep corner three in transition to open up the then largest lead for the Wolfpack at 51-45. By the 5:15 mark, the lead had grown to 10 points at 62-52 after an acrobatic Trevor Lacey lay up in the lane.

Lacey on his team’s performance said, “We just stepped up and took the challenge,” referring to Cardinal post man Montrezl Harrell’s reputation for rebounding and dunking. Harrell, a preseason All-American and North Carolina native (Tarboro), was limited to 7 points (8 below his average) and was held scoreless in the first half.

ACC leading scorer (18.5 points) Terry Rozier, also finished with seven points and fouled out during a critical period down the stretch for Louisville with 4:56 to play.

With the Cardinal’s No.1 and No.2 big guns neutralized, NC State’s front line went to work on the boards. Caleb Martin and BeeJay Anya had 10 rebounds each as they helped the Wolfpack to a 47-37 rebound edge.

Feb 14, 2015; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Terry Rozier (0) reacts after picking up his fourth foul during the second half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at KFC Yum! Center. N.C. State defeated Louisville 74-65. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Point guard and field general Cat Barber sank two free throws with 38.5 seconds left to secure a 71-61 Wolfpack lead and the improbable victory. This was an excellent all around team effort and victory.

FINAL: NC State 74 – Louisville 65