Cards knock out Seminoles after building big lead, 82-74
NEW YORK David Padgett stalked the sideline, shouting instructions to his Louisville players and urging them on relentlessly as they built a 26-point lead in the second half.
Knowing how badly they needed to win, the Cardinals certainly played that way. And it turned out, that huge cushion came in handy.
Quentin Snider scored 19 points, Ray Spalding had 18 and Louisville knocked off Florida State 82-74 on Wednesday in an Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament game with major NCAA implications.
“I’m sure this significantly helps our resume,” said Padgett, the interim coach who took over when Rick Pitino was fired before the season. “I know if we’re able to come out and get a win (today) against the No. 1 team in the country that I would surely think they’re in.”
Deng Adel added 15 points and eight rebounds for the ninth-seeded Cardinals (20-12), who won for the first time in ACC postseason play and advanced to face top-ranked Virginia in the first quarterfinal today.
Reserve forward Dwayne Sutton added 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks for Louisville, which reached 20 wins for the 16th straight season. Kansas, Duke and Gonzaga are the only other schools working on at least 15 in a row.
That marked the fewest points in a half this season for Florida State, which was third in the ACC in scoring at 82 points per game. FSU missed 15 of its final 17 field goal attempts before halftime.
“I just think that we played against a team that was really dialed in, tuned in, and we weren’t quite as sharp as we needed to be,” Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton said. ACC Tournament games. Adel scored in double figures for the 23rd consecutive game.
Florida State: Looking to make consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012, the Seminoles have reason to believe their resume is worthy. They beat Florida, Virginia Tech and Louisville on the road, plus North Carolina, Clemson and Miami at home. Florida State has lost five of eight and six of 10. FSU had won six straight ACC Tournament openers. for the Metro Conference championship. The Seminoles and Cardinals squared off five times in the title game of the old Metro Conference. Louisville leads the all-time series 34-11 after taking two of three meetings this season, with each winning on the other’s home court.