By Matt Osborn
Eighty seconds into Saturday afternoon’s game, Florida State Coach Leonard Hamilton was already calling a time out. I found myself smiling as my focus shifted from the All State graphic imposed over the bird’s eye view of the packed KFC Yum! Center stands. The Yum! was rowdy and electric, 16,473 fans rejoicing in the continued success of University of Louisville basketball.
Even though UofL got off to a slow start, rumors were the team had battled the flu all week long, the Cardinals were never seriously threatened in an 89-81 win over FSU. A glossy won-lost record at 21-6 overall and 14-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Given the excitement generated by the lightning-fast turnaround the program has enjoyed under first year Coach Pat Kelsey, it’s easy to forget just how far the UofL basketball program has rebounded in such a short time. Even a handful of weeks ago, at 6-5, the program had more cause for uncertainty than celebration. Since the loss to cross-state rival Kentucky, UofL has been Cardinal-red hot, having lost only one contest in the new year and, for the second time this season, cracking the top 25.
The first half of Saturday’s game looked like it could have been a blowout. The Cardinals started things off with Reyne Smith and Javon Hadley setting each other up for back to back threes. They held FSU to one-shot possessions and forced turnovers, twice consecutively before the ‘Noles could get across half court in the first two minutes. The fact that the UofL coaching staff had a week of preparation was on full display in their team’s ability to disrupt Florida State. The Noles committed foul after frustration foul (not including a dead ball shove of Terrence Edwards, Jr. four minutes into the game) and turnover after unforced turnover. The Seminoles failed to obtain a field goal until the 14:32 mark, and put the Cardinals in the double bonus forty three seconds into the eighth minute.
Kelsey had his team firing on all cylinders in the first 20 minutes, making gorgeous extra passes, shooting 50% from behind the arc, allowinonly one offensive rebound, getting their opponent in foul trouble, getting to the line (Chucky Hepburn broke the school record for free throws attempted, at 19), and the team going to the locker room enjoying a comfortable 45-31 lead.
As should have been expected, Florida State responded effectively in the second half. With both the Cards’ ball handlers, Hepburn and Edwards. Jr, in foul trouble, Coach Leonard Hamilton used his team’s considerable length to penetrate the lane and create easy baskets. The Cards’ shooting went cold, and it opted for dribble isolation plays. Though at times it felt like Florida State scored at will inside, The Cards were able to generally trade baskets with them. Their halftime lead got down to 7 points, when FSU’s Jamir Watkins connected on an and one, and Hepburn was taken out of the game. When Edwards, Jr. was awarded his fourth foul at the 12:27 mark with the score 60-51, fans in the Yum! Center had reason to feel uneasy for the first time all afternoon.
The experience of the Cardinals’ backcourt, however, would ultimately carry the day: UofL entered the bonus again at the 9:14 mark, and would use their dependable marksmanship from the charity strike to offset FSU’s interior dominance the rest of the way. Hepburn began to use the clock to his team’s advantage, extending possessions to their dwindling seconds and even connecting on a Top 10-worthy step back three as the shot clock expired with four minutes and thirteen seconds to play. Though FSU made great halftime adjustments and scored 50 points in the second half, Louisville’s balanced scoring, free throw shooting, and intelligent, upper-classman led basketball prevailed.
Now, the second half left much to be desired. The Seminoles scored way too easily, way too close to the basket, way too often, and at will. But it’s hard to walk away from this one not feeling good about where Kelsey’s Cardinal are: Javon Hadley is as dependable as he is multi-faceted. When the team’s shooting went cold, they got to the free throw line. When their ball handlers got into foul trouble, the Cards still managed to score dependably with dribble penetration and interior isolation. While Florida State adjusted between the halves, the Cards adjusted in real time and through adversity.
As March creeps ever closer, fans have to wonder if the team is building momentum in exactly the right way, and staying hot through exactly the right time…to exactly the right moment. The ingredients for Kelsey’s success recipe, as he continually professes, are a next-man-up team with a next-opponent-only mentality. Yet with only four (very winnable) games left in the regular season and a legitimate shot at a piece of the ACC regular season title, it’s hard to not look forward to the possibilities of the post season, especially when you look back at the problems of past two…what a difference a year makes!
