NCAA Tournament 2017, Louisville vs Jacksonville State: Highlights, score and recap

Highlights, score, and recap of the contest between Louisville and Jacksonville State in the NCAA Tournament

Louisville has morphed from a team with a middling offense early in the year to a lowkey national title contender. The Cardinals’ rise on offense has been an underreported story in the 2nd half of the season. After starting ACC play near 40th in adjusted efficiency, Louisville sits at 23rd on the eve of the tournament.

This rise was fueled by a number of factors. Key was the improved play of Donovan Mitchell, who has assumed the scorer’s mantle quite well in his sophomore campaign. Quentin Snider’s successful return from a mid-season injury, and the continued improved play of Deng Adel, have also been big factors in the boost. And, of course, they’re still excellent on defense.

Jacksonville State relies heavily on a trio of upperclassmen – Malcolm Drumwright, Greg Tucker, and Nobertas Giga. The Ohio Valley conference champions needed to hit their 3s and the offensive boards in order to be successful against Louisville – they’re simply the things they do best.

Related: Updated 2017 NCAA Tournament Bracket

Jacksonville State couldn’t quite manage it on Friday, though. Despite becoming the latest low-seed to run out to a surprising start against favored opponents – at one point they were up 10-2 – they ultimately succumbed to the superior Louisville squad. Once Louisville started consistently turning Jacksonville State over, the lead was comfortable. The Cardinals were up by 7 at halftime, and ended up winning the game by 15, though Jacksonville State made several pushes throughout the second half. They never really challenged for the lead again, though.

Three Stars

Mangok Mathiang had an outstanding offensive game for the Cardinals. The big man dominated inside, hitting 8 of his 13 shots, and he finished with 18 points. He also added five rebounds, two blocks, and a steal for good measure. His play in the center was steady and excellent for the Cardinals.

Quentin Snider helped pick up the slack for Donovan Mitchell, who went 0-for-6 on his 3-point attempts today. The junior guard played a steady, excellent game on offense, burying 3 of his 7 3-point attempts and finishing with 16 points and 5 assists. It was needed on a day where Mitchell didn’t have it.’

Norbertas Giga was the driver for the Gamecocks upset bid. The forward hit all five of his 3-point attempts, and missed just two field goals on the day. He scored nearly half of his team’s 63 points, finishing with 30, and nearly added a double-double with 9 rebounds.

Final

South Carolina Gamecocks

63

Ball State Cardinals

78

Highlights

Next Game

Louisville moves on to face a Michigan squad that took down Oklahoma State with a rain of 3-pointers. The Wolverines buried 11 in the second half en route to a close victory over the Cowboys. They’ll face quite a bit more defensive resistance from the Cardinals, who rank among the top-10 defenses in the country. A battle of two teams with excellent recent NCAA tournament resumes will decide who moves on to the Sweet 16.