Louisville vs. NC State: Score and Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2015

Louisville got the best of its conference rival in the Sweet 16, defeating North Carolina State 75-65 to advance to the East Region final.

As Jon Solomon of CBSSports.com pointed out, this continues an incredible trend for Cardinals coach Rick Pitino:

Montrezl Harrell was the difference in this one. The big man was completely dominant offensively in the post, finishing with 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Cards.

Harrell commented on his team's performance after the game, per the Associated Press (via ESPN), saying "We don't want to go home. We took our bumps and bruises throughout the season, but we came together at the right time. Everything just jelled at the right time."

Terry Rozier complemented him with an outstanding all-around effort, contributing 17 points, four assists and an incredible 14 rebounds.

Trevor Lacey led the Wolfpack with 18 points, although backcourt mate Anthony "Cat" Barber only scored eight in a rough day from the field.

Seth Davis of CBS Sports noted the lack of production from NC State's point guard:

Barber shot just 3-of-14 on the night after an impressive run through the postseason. The Cardinals' stifling defense on Barber and dominance in the post were too much for the Wolfpack, as they eventually pulled away for the win.

Mark Armstrong of ABC 11 added an interesting note on Barber after the game as well:

This ACC battle was a rematch of an NC State win in February that seemed to turn around the Wolfpack's season. Louisville head coach Rick Pitino discussed his thoughts on the upcoming battle, per John Kekis of The Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com):

"

We have great respect for them. They beat us at home. A lot of teams don't beat us at home. It was a close game, and then they pulled away. They're a team right now that can beat you so many different ways. …

We know them better, and they know us better. One of us may make a big change in this game that the other team's not ready for and maybe surprise someone.

"

His changes seemed to work as the Cardinals came away with the victory Friday night.

Louisville had an early advantage in this one, although North Carolina State was able to stay competitive thanks to the play of Lacey. As sportswriter Lauren Brownlow noted, he carried the team early:

The guard ended the first half with 12 points, as the Wolfpack went into intermission with a 33-31 lead, as the official March Madness TV Twitter account noted:

As the Wilmington Star-News noted, the two-point lead came despite some hot shooting by the Cardinals:

In the second half, Louisville was more aggressive going to the post, where Harrell started to take over, as described by Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated:

Still, the score remained close as neither side was able to take full control of the game.

Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports broke down the contest heading into the final stretch:

However, a 9-0 run keyed by Rozier in the closing minutes gave Louisville the big advantage late. Donna Ditota of The Post-Standard broke down a key difference in the game:

Thanks to some solid free-throw shooting in the final moments, the Cardinals were able to hold on for the win.

Louisville moves onto the Elite Eight to face the winner of No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 7 Michigan State in what has become a very strange region.

Based on what we saw Friday, it's clear the Cardinals have the talent to challenge anyone in the country if they can keep up the solid play and sneak into the Final Four.