Louisville runs out of adrenaline so Duke prevails

Few University of Louisville fans expected their basketball team to be competitive against Duke. But 15,312 of them showed up at the KFC Yum! Center on Sunday just in case. Many of these same fans can still remember the days when the Cardinals competed for national championships. Winning their last national title in 2013, hard to give up the faith in UofL basketball.

Don’t know whether the Louisville players believed they could win or not. Possibly not because for the first 25 minutes or so, they played like they had nothing to lose. Add in some heavy doses of adrenaline and the impossible seemed almost possible for about 30 minutes. Reality would set in about that time, along with Duke’s superior size and talent and the Blue Demons would prevail by a score of 76-65.

Fun while it lasted though, giving the locals hope that if Louisville can compete with ninth ranked Duke they might be to hold their own in Atlantic Coast Conference play.  Coming soon, full throttle ahead, no relief for any self-doubters.

The Cardinals opened the game on a 10-3 run to take a quick seven-point lead. Louisville then used a 12-2 run to take a 24-12 edge by the 10:43 mark. The 12-point run was four 3-pointers scored by four different Cards: Chucky Hepburn, Khani Rooths, Terrence Edwards Jr. and Reyne Smith.  Louisville would make 11 three-pointers believe it not, most of them in that unbelievable first half.

Both teams went stale towards the end of the first half, going a combined 0-for-11 from the floor in the last three minutes. Duke ultimately scored the final six points of the half between 3:53 and 3:21 to cut the Louisville advantage to just 37-33 at halftime.

UofL maintained a lead in the second half until Duke became nearly unstoppable, going on an 18-2 run that spanned four and a half minutes. That would give the Blue Devils a 68-57 lead with 5:42 on the clock. Sapped of adrenaline, reality had sunk in on the Cardinals. Duke scored 20 points off of 15 Louisville miscues and outscored the Cardinals in the paint 34-14.

Yes, the lead was great while it lasted.  Flashes of potential, solid coaching, sometimes brilliant defense and much needed intensity. Reasons to be optimistic, if not confidence in better days ahead.