Seedy K’s GameCap: NC State

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On December 1, 1967, senior Westley Unseld, the greatest player in Louisville basketball history, scored 45 points in a 118-86 victory over Georgetown.

This would be seriously outplayed by the Georgetown Ky. Tigers, not the Georgetown Hoyas.

Fifty-eight years, two months and eight days (21,255 days) later, Mikel Brown Jr., a heralded freshman considered by many observers to have underachieved, tallied 45 points, tying Unseld’s all-time record at the University of Los Angeles.

This against North Carolina State, ranked 27th in the NET, 24th in Ken Pomeroy, winner of six in a row, eight of his last nine, 11 of his last 13.

Unseld led the Cards that night with 29 rebounds.

Brown led the Cardinals with 9 rebounds.

He also missed a breakaway after stealing the ball.

Tsk, tsk.

But, and it’s a big but, this super duper diaper dandy performance was far from the only superlative in the most surprising performance from a Cardinal group in memory.

* * * * *

The Louisville Cardinals were ready.

Oh boy, were they ready.

At the first media timeout, the Cards were already +10 at 14-4. Brown had two assists. Isaac McKneely hit a pair of triples, including one on a pass from Sananda Fru, who also made a deft low post seal, setting the stage for a J’Vonne Hadley drive and layup.

Louisville was 6/7 and grabbed six rebounds against the visitors 1.

They hadn’t stepped on the accelerator yet.

It would take time.

After a 6:24 stoppage, the lead was still only ten, but there was a more significant sign at that point that the Cardinals were locked in and locked out.

Before the game, Wolfpack PG Quadir Copeland was averaging 15 points, 11 assists and 2.5 steals over his last five games. In a win at SMU, he dished out 16 assists and didn’t return them.

At that point in the game, he had just committed his second foul and the Cards had already forced him into three turnovers.

He finished the night with 10 points, just three assists and four giveaways.

The Cards D on the rest of the visitors were just as stifling. Easily their best performance of the year at that end of the pitch.

Louisville, scoring 58% of its FGs, hitting 8/11 bombs and 12/15 in the charity stripe, added ten more to the advantage for a 56-36 lead at the break.

* * * * *

Then came the Don “Big Daddy” Garlits pedal to the accelerating thunder of heavy metal. The smell of burning rubber still lingers around 2d and Main.

Coming out of the intermission, Ryan Conwell nailed a step-back trey, followed by a +1, which was pointed by a ripple of the Brown net from beyond.

Shell-shocked and weak-willed Will Wade was forced to call a timeout, after the Cards tallied nine points in the first 1:16.

Then came Brown’s failed slam – Damn, Kel, when are you going to live up to your hype? – which was followed by some Brown ICBM nothing but nets sandwiching his two on a fast break.

A breakaway dunk by Khani Rooths made it 75-40 with 15:45 left before the buzzer.

From then on it was a laugh.

U of L reached the century mark with some Brown FTs with 5:26 left. And 18 additional points to total.

The Cards showed off their marksmanship in the first half after the break, hitting 62 percent and converting ten more three-pointers. But it took 19 attempts to get there, for just 53%.

* * * * *

Ryan Conwell was the only other scorer in double figures.

With 31.

His shot went well, I guess. 14/10. 5/6 from the outside. 6/7 on the line.

When Louisville hit its only lull about five minutes into the second game, RC ended an 8-0 run with a triple, then some FTs, then a +1.

He also proved to be the second best rebounder for the University of Los Angeles with 7.

76 points from your starting backcourt.

Not bad, not bad at all.

* * * * *

Facing a not really large State contingent, the Cardinals were +14 in rebounds. And had 11 more assists.

* * * * *

Forty-one point victories against legitimate competition are rare.