Louisville holds off Ohio State for marquee win

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Eyes rolled and social media buzzed after University of Louisville coach Rick Pitino said the atmosphere for his team's Tuesday night matchup with Ohio State would be the best the Cardinals have ever had for a home game at the KFC Yum! Center.

But he was serious, and the 22,000-capacity arena rocked like it was a conference game in mid-February. Even better for Pitino, his team matched the intensity of the environment in a 64-55 win over the 13th-ranked Buckeyes on national television.

It's a signature win for Louisville, and it gave the Atlantic Coast Conference its second big victory on the first night of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

Fifth-ranked Louisville (6-0) stifled Ohio State with a frenetic, suffocating defense in building a 17-point halftime lead, which was just enough to hold off the Buckeyes' furious second-half rally.

But it was the way Louisville did it that might surprise some.

With starting center Chinanu Onuaku in foul trouble and sixth man Mangok Mathiang slowed by a sore ankle, Louisville turned to freshmen Anas Mahmoud and Jaylen Johnson for important chunks of playing time, and the youngsters lived up to the challenge.

Mahmoud grabbed five first-half rebounds and had a key second-half block in a game that may end up being a significant moment in his young career.

The Cards' veterans did the rest of the heavy lifting, though it wasn't always easy.

Chris Jones and Terry Rozier struggled on offense yet again, making just 6 of 26 shots from the field, but Wayne Blackshear and Montrezl Harrell made up for it until Rozier's late-game heroics.

The 6-foot-5 Blackshear had an eye-catching first half, showing the aggression and assertiveness that Louisville have craved since the Chicago native arrived at U of L as a McDonald's All-American and decorated high school prospect.

He strung together 16 first-half points and four rebounds and finished with 22 and six, but it was demeanor that stood out the most. On one play in the game's early moments, Blackshear caught an alley-oop from Harrell and tipped it in as he was fouled.

As he sat on the floor after the whistle, Blackshear clenched his fists and screamed.

Harrell had his moments, too, piecing together 13 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes plagued by foul trouble. He had to sit out the final three minutes of the first half after he picked up his second foul, but the 6-foot-8 All-American provided the calming presence Louisville needed in the game's crucial minutes.

It was an uncharacteristically rough night on offense for Ohio State, and much of the credit for that goes to Louisville's defense, which held Ohio State to just 18 first-half points.

The Buckeyes were 6 of 26 from the field in the first 20 minutes and lost nine turnovers, including a five-turnover stretch over one two-and-a-half-minute span.

But Ohio State (5-1) fought back with determination and persistence, grinding through possessions and eventually solving Louisville's matchup zone and fullcourt pressure.

Louisville native D'Angelo Russell, a freshman who leads Ohio State in scoring, labored his way to 17 points, but it took a collective effort for the Buckeyes to claw back into the game.

That's why Tuesday's win was so critical for Louisville. In just six games this season, the Cardinals have only had one other game with matching intensity and pressure.

They pulled away and won comfortably in that game, an 81-68 win over Minnesota at a U.S. Coast Guard base in Puerto Rico.

But this one required late-game execution, a part of U of L's game that was inconsistent enough a year ago that it cost the Cards their season.

Rozier's 3-pointer with 46 seconds remaining gave U of L a six-point lead, and back-to-back offensive rebounds with less than 30 seconds to go sealed it.

The crowd roared as if Louisville had just won a headliner conference game. Just like Pitino predicted.

Jeff Greer writes for the Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal.