Louisville Ousts NC State Wolfpack 75-65

North Carolina State‘s (22-14) dream of advancing to the Final Four came to an end Friday night during a Sweet 16 matchup against ACC foe Louisville 74-65 in Syracuse, New York. Louisville (27-8) advances on to the Elite Eight against Michigan State on Sunday.

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For Louisville to win, they had to do two things they did not in the February loss at home to the NC State. The Cardinals needed for team leader and preseason All-American Montrezl Harrell to score more than the 7 points he scored in the first meeting.

Second, freshman guard Quentin Snider was an X-factor due to his replacement of dismissed senior Chris Jones for sexual assault charges. Snider answered the challenge scoring 14 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Junior big man Harrell (a Tarboro, NC native) also did his part scoring 24 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and had 4 assists in leading the Cardinals to their 27th win.

NC State actually played well after a sluggish start and finally adjusting to Louisville defensively packing the inside. Trevor Lacey led the Pack scoring 18 points and Ralston Turner scored 12 in his final collegiate basketball game.

Though he played relatively well, Cat Barber did not provide the spark he had provided in recent games. Barber scored only eight points on 3-of-14 shooting and was outplayed by the freshman X-factor Snider.

However, the most telling difference in the game was the absence of the Wolfpack big men. While Klye Washington represented well, BeeJay Anya, Lennard Freeman and Abdul-Malik Abu all needed much better performances pounding the boards and defensively for the Wolfpack to pull off the victory. Overall though, the team played well enough to win, but needed the little extras to go their way at the end. Unfortunately, for the team and Wolfpack Nation they did not.

Mar 27, 2015; Syracuse, NY, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack forward Beejay Anya (21) dunks the ball against Louisville Cardinals forward/center Chinanu Onuaku (32) during the second half in the semifinals of the east regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

HALFTIME: NC State 33 – Louisville 31

The legendary Rick Pitino used a trojan horse of sorts to do in the Wolfpack. Sophomore guard Anton Gill had been used sparingly this season averaging 9 minutes per game and contributing only 2.6 ppg. Coach needed someone to step up and provide needed minutes and point production if the Cardinals were going to go any further in the tournament. Whether the fact that Gill hailed from Raleigh, N.C. had anything to do with Pitino’s decision to choose him is a matter of conjecture, but it would be foolish to think it wasn’t a motivating factor for Gill. Up to the challenge Friday night, Gill scored 7 points (3 for 3) in a two-minute span delivering clutch baskets that enabled the Cardinals to pull away late in a ball game that until then was nip and tuck.

NC State coach Mark Gottfried said about Gill, “Late in the game they made some plays there that were the difference. He (Gill) made a couple of tough shots there. I thought it was that little stretch that gave them the cushion, and it was the difference in the game.”

Mar 27, 2015; Syracuse, NY, USA; Louisville Cardinals forward Montrezl Harrell (24) reacts after a play during the second half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the semifinals of the east regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

FINAL: Louisville 75 – NC State 65

The Wolfpack ends the 2014-15 season 22-14 (10-8 ACC) and a deep NCAA run to the Sweet 16. Not bad for a team that was picked to finish 10th in the ACC preseason poll.

“I’m extremely proud of my team…I’m extremely grateful. We just came up a little bit short today.”–Mark Gottfried