Louisville Overcomes Slow Start, Mounts Comeback to Topple SMU

This story will be updated.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program, for the moment, is trending back in the right direction.

A few days removed from getting walloped in their last time out, the Cardinals returned home to the KFC Yum! Center to face SMU on Saturday, where they were able to overcome a slow start and secure an 88-74 comeback victory over the Mustangs.

The No. 20 Cardinals (15-6, 5-4 ACC) bounce back from a 31-point loss at Duke on Monday, which was their worst margin of defeat under second-year head coach Pat Kelsey. They also get back over .500 in ACC play, and extend their winning streak over the Mustangs (15-6, 4-4 ACC) to five consecutive.

Louisville was a bit streaky with their ball handling and cold from deep (10-of-35 on three-point attempts), but found success on the interior offensively. They went 21-of-28 performance on two-point tries, which allowed them to shoot 49.2 percent overall, and also went 16-of-23 at the free throw line.

While SMU shot 48.4 percent overall, most of this success offensively came in the first half, as they went only 11-of-30 in the second half. The Cardinals held them to 8-of-25 on threes overall, and forced 16 turnovers for 18 points the other way. They also collected just five bench points, compared to 47 from UofL, and had just nine total free throw attempts.

Despite not starting, Mikel Brown Jr. finished with a game-high 20 points. After missing the last four games due to illness, Khani Rooths was a force on both ends, finishing with a 12-point/10-rebound double-double. Isaac McKneely also added 14 points while Ryan Conwell had 12.

Louisville was certainly caught off guard by a fast start from SMU. The Mustangs went 5-of-6 on three point tries in the first five minutes alone, while the Cardinals hit just one of their first six shot attempts, and turned the ball over four times in the first six-plus minutes. By the 14:34 mark, UofL already found themselves trailing 19-7.

While SMU eased up on their aggression from the perimeter after their opening salvo, they still gave Louisville fits on that end of the floor, finishing the first half shooting a blazing 19-of-32, along with 5-of-13 on threes. Fortunately, Their offensive efforts after opening segment improved greatly.

Once they started to play inside the arc with regularity, Louisville was able to finish their first half shooting 17-of-36 despite a 4-of-19 showing on threes. They might have spent the entire first half playing catch up, but were able to make it just a 47-44 deficit at the break.

In the second half, Louisville was able to finally hone in on their defensive efforts, while continuing to take advantage of what SMU was allowing in the interior.

The Mustangs scored the first basket after the break, but the Cardinals countered with a 15-4 run that gave them a six-point lead at the 12-minute media timeout. SMU had a quick 9-2 spurt in the next segment to briefly seize the lead back, but UofL then responded with a 10-0 run in the span of two minutes to go up nine at the 7:41 mark.

In the final eight minutes, Louisville was able to keep SMU out of striking distance, never leading by less than two possessions and leading by as much as 15. In the second half alone, the Cards shot 14-of-27 from the field and 6-of-16 on threes.

Next up, Louisville will remain at home, welcoming Notre Dame to the KFC Yum! Center. Tip-off against the Fighting Irish is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 7:00 p.m. EST.

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