Louisville vs. NC A&T: Score, Twitter Reaction, Postgame Recap and Analysis
Playing in an arena that is usually reserved for its rival, No. 1 Louisville blasted No. 16 North Carolina A&T, 79-48, in the round of 64 on Thursday, March 21.
The Cardinals put on their patented full-court press in front of a crowd dressed mostly in red at Rupp Arena, and the Aggies were simply too overwhelmed to do anything about it.
NC A&T put up a commendable effort. It shot 50 percent from beyond the arc in the first half and didn't look scared against the Goliath of the Midwest region. However, it committed turnover after turnover as Louisville jumped out to a 47-31 lead at halftime.
Rick Pitino kept up the pressure for most of the second half, and as the Aggies began to cool off from the field, the Cardinals extended the lead even more.
Fueled by mostly fast-break dunks and layups, the Cardinals shot a scorching 56.4 percent from the field. Russ Smith poured in 23 points on 16 field-goal attempts, while seven other players recorded at least five points.
Smith also racked up seven thefts, Peyton Siva tallied five and the Cardinals totaled 19 overall, as the Aggies—who made just 17 total field goals—coughed up the ball an amazing 25 times.
Things get significantly tougher in the next round for Pitino's crew. The Cardinals will face the winner of Colorado State and Missouri for a spot in the Sweet 16.
Twitter Reaction
It wasn't all bad for North Carolina A&T. If this were some type of dual competition that also involved a "battle of the bands," we would be tied right now (via NC A&T's athletic department):
So, there's that.
Other than that, this one was all Cardinals, who got contributions from nearly everyone on the court. Smith, who had something called his "schwerve" on, led the way (via Yahoo! Sports' Pat Forde):
Smith's backcourt mate, Siva, didn't have to take as many shots to make his own impact (via CBS Sports' Gregg Doyel):
The bench wasn't to be outdone, though (via CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein):
Of course, it wasn't all rainbows and gumdrops for the Cardinals. As the Midwest correspondent at Rush the Court pointed out, they displayed some potential chinks in the armor for next round:
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