Minnesota vs. Louisville: Score, Twitter Reaction from Armed Forces Classic 2014

In the second-ever clash between father and son, it was Rick Pitino's Louisville team dominating Richard Pitino's Minnesota team to win the 2014 Armed Forces Classic 81-68 on Friday. It wasn't a surprise that the Cardinals won, though the ease with which it happened may have caught some off guard. 

The game took place at the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen in Puerto Rico. Conditions weren't ideal, as there was humidity and various stoppages due to extra moisture on the court, but it was a solid atmosphere for a season-opening game. 

There were two defining traits to this game for Louisville. First, the dominance of Rick's defense was apparent from the opening tipoff. The Cardinals are relentless with their full-court press, and it threw Minnesota off its game early. 

Second, Montrezl Harrell is more lethal on offense. He added range with three three-pointers and went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. He was named a second-team preseason All-American by USA Today and could exceed those expectations based on this effort. 

Team	1st Half	2nd Half	Final
Minnesota (0-1)	30	38	68
Louisville (1-0)	43	38	81

All of the focus on this game involved the battle between the Pitino family, though the two tried to downplay that before tipoff. 

Richard told reporters during a press conference that he wanted this matchup not because his father was coaching the other team, but because it would cause fans across the country to pay closer attention to Minnesota's basketball program, reports Amelia Rayno of the Star Tribune:

"

Nobody talks about our program unless it has something to do with me and my dad. Does that bother our players? That's what I'm trying to get them to understand. It certainly bothers me. Because I think we've got a good team and my expectations are much higher this year. I expect to do really good things.

"

ESPN's College Basketball Twitter account released a graphic showing the difference between the two coaches' resumes:

"

Father vs Son Rick Pitino 695 wins, 2 NCAA titles Richard Pitino 43 wins #ArmedForcesClassic on ESPN pic.twitter.com/AndA3g6WVs

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) November 15, 2014"

While Richard has work to do before his program can compete with his father's, the Golden Gophers did show a lot of fight to stay in the game.

Part of the reason Minnesota stuck around was because Louisville didn't have much balance on offense. As Jeff Greer of The Courier-Journal noted, three players accounted for 36 of the Cardinals' 43 first-half points:

Terry Rozier, in particular, had a big impact. Greer raved about the sophomore guard's performance:

Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated's Peter Bukowski compared Rozier's game to an NBA All-Star point guard's:

Rozier does have a long way to go before turning into Russell Westbrook, but the fact that some of the signs are there gives Rick another player to build around in his quest for a national title. 

In the losing effort, Minnesota did get some encouraging news. Andre Hollins, who was slowed late last season due to an ankle injury, really came out of the gate strong and finished with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Myron Medcalf of ESPN.com was glowing about Hollins during the game:

It was clear throughout the game that Hollins will have to carry this Minnesota team if it is going to go far. The Golden Gophers didn't have much balance on offense. Maurice Walker and Nate Mason were the only other players to reach double digits in scoring, though some of that can be attributed to Louisville's defense. 

This wasn't a perfect game for either team. Louisville did struggle with consistency on offense, despite scoring 81 points. Minnesota got behind big time early because of the Cardinals defense and wasn't able to score quickly enough or get enough stops to make up the difference. 

Rick Pitino does have a roster capable of winning a championship, though the fact that the Cardinals started the year ranked No. 8 in The Associated Press Top 25 suggests there's some skepticism about where they are right now. This was a solid starting point for a team that will get better as the year goes on. 

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