Louisville finds its stride, outplays Northern Iowa to reach Sweet 16
SEATTLE – Louisville has a backcourt that just keeps on giving, at a time when some people wondered whether the Cardinals' guard play would be good enough.
A month after the dismissal of point guard Chris Jones, who averaged nearly 14 points and four assists, No. 4 seed Louisville rode its guards into the Sweet 16 Sunday with a 66-53 victory against No. 5 seed Northern Iowa.
The Cardinals (25-8) advanced to an East regional semifinal Friday against No. 8 seed North Carolina State, which upset No. 1 seed Villanova.
Sophomore guard Terry Rozier went off in the first half, scoring 16 points and dishing four assists in leading the Cardinals to a 36-27 halftime lead.
He finished with a game-high 25 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
His backcourt mate, freshman point guard Quentin Snider, who played his high school ball in Louisville, continues to fill Jones' void with poise and production.
He finished with 10 points and one turnover in 36 minutes.
And, of course, Louisville continues to defend. Before Sunday, the Cardinals had limited opponents to fewer than 60 points in 17 games.
Make it 18, as Northern Iowa, which came into the game with a 31-3 record and had climbed into the top 10 in the polls, could just not get it done consistently enough on the offensive end.
Northern Iowa senior forward Seth Tuttle, a talented, unselfish player, finished his career with a 14-point, seven-rebound effort.
The Panthers stayed within striking distance most of the second half but couldn't get a three-pointer to drop when it needed it and got the short end on several close calls.
With a couple minutes left and Louisville up by eight points, Tuttle seemed on the verge of drawing a technical for yelling at the refs after another call went Louisville's way.
The question Louisville usually faces is whether enough players will step up offensively, and it was again a problem for the Cardinals in this one, as forwards Montrezl Harrell and Wayne Blackshear had trouble getting it going, though Harrell eventually finished with 14 and Blackshear 10.
Snider could have put the Cardinals up by 10 with 1:55 left but missed the front end of a one-and-one.
Northern Iowa missed one more open three and Louisville pushed the ball up the court, with Harrell throwing down a lob dunk and getting fouled. He completed the three-point play and Louisville had an 11-point lead.