Louisville basketball vs. SEC: Cards’ biggest wins against league teams not named Kentucky

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When one reflects on Louisville basketball’s most memorable wins against the SEC, it’s easy to focus on the Cardinals’ victories over archrival Kentucky.

The “Dream Game” in 1983, Edgar Sosa’s 25-foot dagger in 2009 — they’re all standout moments for one of the sport’s 15 winningest programs. But it has had others against the rest of the league that stand the test of time.

First-year coach Pat Kelsey will try to notch another when U of L hosts Ole Miss in the SEC/ACC Challenge. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. Tuesday at the KFC Yum! Center.

After its 22-point beatdown at the hands of then-No. 12 Tennessee in Game 2 of the 2024-25 season, Louisville enters this matchup with the Rebels on a four-game losing streak vs. the SEC. Its last win over a conference member came against Mississippi State, 72-58, on Nov. 25, 2021, in the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship tournament.

As it stands, the Cards are 93-83 all time against the expended league’s 16 programs.

Here’s a look back at five of their biggest wins against those that aren’t their archrival:

Louisville overwhelms LSU en route to Final Four, first national championship (March 16, 1980)

Louisville basketball’s 1980 NCAA championship trophy was one of many at Denny Crum’s celebration of life ceremony on May 15, 2023, at the KFC Yum! Center.

After opening the 1980 NCAA Tournament with back-to-back overtime wins against No. 7-seeded Kansas State and No. 6 Texas A&M, it looked as if No. 2 Louisville was going to run out of gas against top-seeded LSU in Houston.

With 4:30 to play in the first half, the Tigers had a 29-21 advantage; and All-American Darrell Griffith was on the Cards’ bench with three fouls. “The dream was dying,” former Courier Journal reporter Mike Sullivan wrote.

“But then something happened,” he continued. “LSU sneezed, slipped or mugged for the camera. Suddenly, U of L was off the cliff’s edge, back on its feet and scoring the last 10 points of the first half.”

The front page of The Courier Journal on March 17,…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/louisville-basketball-vs-sec-cards-101224873.html

Author : The Courier Journal

Publish date : 2024-12-01 10:12:00

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