The Louisville Cardinals improved to 4-2 tonight after a hard fought 82-78 over the 8th ranked Michigan State Spartans in overtime at the KFC Yum! Center.
The Cards were led by a career high 24-point performance from Ryan McMahon. Louisville led by as many as 12 in the first half, but Michigan State cut it to 6 at the break. Following a low scoring second half, this game needed overtime with both squads tied at 67 after 40 minutes. Louisville seemed to be in control for most of the game, but Michigan State found a way to slow them down offensively in the second half and force overtime. The Spartans outrebounded Louisville 48-35, but couldn’t take advantage and picked up their second loss of the year.
Overall, this wasn’t the prettiest outing from Louisville offensively, but they were committed all game on the defensive end and put themselves in position to come away with a win at home. Both teams battled foul trouble all game, but the Cards executed down the stretch in overtime to come away with a victory.
I can’t really understate the importance of this win for Louisville. Michigan State is the Big Ten favorite and will likely be a highly ranked team all season. You could argue this is the biggest win for this program in nearly 2 years. It is exactly the type of win Louisville was missing last season in its quest for an NCAA Tournament berth.
Next: Louisville heads to New Jersey to face Seton Hall Saturday at noon on FOX.
Here’s what Khwan Fore & THE MAN Ryan McMahon had to say after the huge victory!
Here’s Coach Mack’s presser as well!
"I know the Louisville Faithful wanted a game like this, some good news around here. I'm happy that we could deliver against a very well-respected opponent and one of the best teams in the country."
–@CoachChrisMack pic.twitter.com/fCeWVsQA8y
— Louisville Basketball (@LouisvilleMBB) November 28, 2018
