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This headline should probably be the title of a comic book or something.
Louisville upended No. 1 rival Syracuse on Saturday, ensuring that Freedom Hall's final college basketball game would also be its greatest. And it wouldn't have happened without Kyle Kuric. Kuric scored 22 points -- all in the second half -- to send the Cardinals surging ahead to a lead they never gave up.
Keep in mind that Kuric is a reserve sophomore who was averaging 3.5 points a game this season. After doing some math, I found that Kuric has averaged about 0.26 points per minute on the floor. In the second half of today's game -- the most important half of the season for the Cardinals -- Kuric averaged over one point a minute.
So now that Kyle Kuric has achieved cult hero status, let's take a moment to get to know him. His official Louisville biography page lists some of his favorites.
Books: Time Travel in Einstein's Universe: The Physical Possibilities of Travel Through Time
Actor: Kevin James
Musical Group/Singer: Disturbed, Eminem, Skillet, Lil Wayne, RHCP
He's kind of all over the place here, isn't he? I'm most intrigued by his love of Skillet. Really? Skillet? Well, you've earned it, Mr. Kuric. This one goes out to you.
Louisville, KY (Sports Network) - Kyle Kuric had a career-high 22 points, as Louisville closed out Freedom Hall in style, knocking off top-ranked Syracuse, 78-68, in front of a raucous crowd.
Playing in its 54th and final season at the facility, Louisville (20-11, 11-7 Big East) got its fourth win ever against a No. 1-ranked team and bolstered its resume for an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The Cardinals will move into a new 22,000-seat arena in downtown Louisville next season, but notched one last Freedom Hall win Saturday thanks to an unlikely source, Kuric.
The sophomore guard was averaging 3.5 points in a little more than 13 minutes per contest, but keyed the Louisville victory in the second half, when he scored all of his points. Kuric shot 9-of-11, including 4-of-6 from three- point range, and threw down several emphatic dunks down the stretch to punctuate the victory.
"I have an understanding, but I don't think I can completely grasp how meaningful it was to everybody in the stands, the last game at Freedom Hall," Kuric said.
Samardo Samuels added 12 points and nine rebounds for Louisville, which swept the season series with Syracuse.
Scoop Jardine had 20 points and six assists to pace the Orange (28-3, 15-3), who hadn't lost on the road all season before Saturday. Wesley Johnson added 18 points and Arinze Onuaku had 14 for Syracuse.
"We did a pretty good job of forcing them into tough shots and did a pretty good job inside, but we gave them too many second opportunities," said Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim.
The Orange achieved their biggest lead with 1:17 left in the first half, when a Jardine layup put them up by eight. But Edgar Sosa closed the period with a three-pointer to get Louisville within 35-30 at the break, and he opened the second half with another make from beyond the arc.
It continued to be close as the teams traded the lead, and Kuric entered with just over 16 minutes to play, as senior guard Jerry Smith was sitting with an injury.
Kuric got his first points on a dunk shortly after entering, and after a Samuels jumper, Kuric converted a steal into a layup to put Louisville ahead 45-42 with 13:36 to play. The Cardinals never trailed again, gradually stretching out their lead.
With just over eight minutes left, Kuric drained a three, and after Jardine quickly answered with a trey of his own, Kuric connected again from beyond the arc for a 63-54 lead with 7:46 left.
After Syracuse had drawn within five a few minutes later, Kuric drained another three for a 67-59 lead. Onuaku's layup at the other end had the Orange within two possessions, but Jared Swopshire deposited a layup before Kuric threw down a fastbreak dunk, making it a 71-61 game with 3:49 left.
Syracuse never recovered, and the home crowd grew louder and louder with each Kuric slam. His last came with 44 seconds left, pushing Louisville's lead to 77-64 and putting an exclamation point on the win.
Louisville's last win against a top-ranked team came last January against Pittsburgh. All the Cardinals' wins against No. 1 teams have come at home...The Cardinals ended with an all-time record of 682-141 at Freedom Hall...Sosa finished with nine points and 10 assists, while Swopshire scored 10 points for the Cardinals...Rick Jackson ended with 10 points and 10 boards for the Orange...Members of the Cardinals' 1980 and 1986 NCAA Championship teams and all former Louisville All-Americas were honored at halftime...The crowd of 20,135 set a Freedom Hall record.
At 2:00 EST, and after 54 years, Louisville plays its final game at Freedom Hall. And it couldn't be a bigger game: with their tournament future in jeopardy, the unranked Cardinals play No. 1 Syracuse.
Check this post for thoughts on what Freedom Hall, and sports venues in general, should mean to fans.
Of course, our Syracuse and Louisville blogs are ready for this game to tip off. Jump into a live game thread and talk it up with fans.
Syracuse game thread at Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician
Louisville game thread at Card Chronicle
Game preview via Sports Network:
GAME NOTES: An extremely emotional Louisville squad will welcome the top- ranked Syracuse Orange to Freedom Hall this afternoon for a Big East clash.
The Cardinals will be closing out the regular season as well as ending an era, as their 54-year stay at Freedom Hall will be coming to a close as well. Next season, the Cardinals will move to a new 22,000 seat arena in downtown Louisville. At 19-11 overall, Louisville has probably done enough to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The team is a solid 10-6 in conference play, but has dropped two of its last three outings, including a humbling 69-48 decision at Marquette this past Tuesday.
Syracuse on the other hand comes in off an 85-66 trouncing of St. John's which earned the Orange the Big East title. It marked the fourth straight victory for Jim Boeheim's squad, which earned the top spot in the national rankings for the first time in 20 years entering the week.
Syracuse has just two losses all season long, but one of them came on February 14th against Louisville, as the Cardinals invaded the Carrier Dome and left with a 66-60 victory. The win pushed Louisville's lead in the all-time series to 11-4.
The Orange shot a sizzling .571 from the floor in the first half against St. John's and never looked back, as Syracuse posted a rather easy victory and claimed the outright Big East title in the process. Arinze Onuaku was outstanding in the win, finishing with 21 points and eight rebounds to lead the way. Andy Rautins poured in 14 points, followed by Wes Johnson and Kris Joseph with 13 points apiece, and Scoop Jardine, with 10 points off the bench. It has been a lot of the same for Syracuse this year, as the team has been potent offensively, averaging 81.8 ppg, while leading the nation in field-goal percentage (.518). Scoring depth is vast, with five players currently averaging double figures. Johnson has been a real workhorse in the frontcourt, pacing the team in both scoring (15.6 ppg) and rebounding (8.6 rpg). Rautins (11.9 ppg) is a perfect complement with his long range acumen (.405 from three-point range, 81 treys). Joseph is next in line at 11.3 ppg, followed by Onuaku and Rick Jackson at 10.6 and 10.2 ppg, respectively.
The Cardinals are certainly no slouches when it comes to offensive production either, as they come into the regular-season finale netting a respectable 76.6 ppg. The catalyst for this team anchors in the middle in the form of center Samardo Samuels. The sophomore big man is converting over 51 percent from the floor and leads the team in both scoring (15.5 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg). Senior guard Edgar Sosa provides the perimeter balance at 12.9 ppg, while doling out a team-best 4.4 apg. Fellow senior Jerry Smith (8.4 ppg) is valuable contributor as well. The team's usual proficiency at the offensive end was nowhere to be found last time out, as not much went right for the Cardinals in Milwaukee. The team shot a miserable .370 from the floor, while scoring just 48 points in a 21-point blowout loss to Marquette. Louisville turned the ball over 16 times, was outscored at the free-throw line 18-1 and even lost the battle on the boards, 30-28. Sosa led the team in scoring, but he only finished with nine points.
While this will certainly be an emotional game for the Cardinals, Syracuse has flourished on the road with an unblemished 11-0 mark outside of the Carrier Dome, including neutral site affairs. The Orange are just dialed in right now and should be able to get a little revenge here and earn the win.
GAME NOTES: An extremely emotional Louisville squad will welcome the top- ranked Syracuse Orange to Freedom Hall this afternoon for a Big East clash.
FACTS & STATS: Site: Freedom Hall (18,865) -- Louisville, Kentucky. Television: ESPN. Home Record: Syracuse 17-2, Louisville 14-4. Away Record: Syracuse 8-0, Louisville 4-7. Neutral Record: Syracuse 3-0, Louisville 1-0. Conference Record: Syracuse 15-2, Louisville 10-7. Series Record: Louisville leads, 11-4.
Louisville Blog: 'I Do Not Believe What I Just Saw'
Vin Scully famously reacted to Kirk Gibson's World Series walk-off home run with the phrase, "I don't believe what I just saw!" Appropriately, a contraction-free version was used by our Louisville blog, Card Chronicle, after Saturday's 78-68 win over top-ranked Syracuse.
Check the rest of the post at Card Chronicle. Also, for the other side of the story, don't forget to check out our Syracuse blog, Nunes Magician.
Mar 06 6:56p by Jon Bois - 1 comment