University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Upset Louisville, Remain Undefeated
12/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Minnesota men's basketball team picked up arguably the biggest win of the Tubby Smith Era on Saturday afternoon, upsetting ninth-ranked Louisville 70-64 in the Stadium Shootout at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Starting point guard Al Nolen hit 13-of-17 free throws including all six in the final minutes of regulation and led the Gophers with 18 points. Shooting guard Blake Hoffarber hit four three-pointers and added 15 in his first game back from an ankle injury. Junior forward Travis Busch scored a career-high 13 points to help the Maroon and Gold to their first win over a Top-10 team since Minnesota beat ninth-ranked Indiana on February 9, 2000.
Terrence Williams paced Louisville with 17 points.
The Gophers, now off to their first 10-0 start since the 1976-77 season, started strong and never looked back against Rick Pitino’s Cardinals.
With leading scorer Lawrence Westbrook (14.1 ppg) and Hoffarber both in foul trouble and on the bench for the majority of the first half, the Maroon and Gold built a first-half lead by committee.
Looking fresh following a 10-day break from action, Minnesota came out of the gates firing. Nolen scored Minnesota’s first seven points of the contest and the Gophers jumped out to a 9-3 lead when forward Damian Johnson stole an inbound-pass in front of the Gophers' bench and took the ball coast-to-coast for a breakaway dunk.
The Cardinals battled back to the tie the game, but six-straight points by Busch put the Gophers ahead 22-15. Minnesota built its lead to as many as nine in the first stanza (26-17 following a layup by Johnson) and took a 38-33 lead into the locker room.
Any questions whether or not the Gophers could sustain the lead were quickly put to bed in the second half thanks to stifling defense.
A three-pointer by Louisville guard Jerry Smith moments into the second stanza cut the Gophers lead to four at 40-36. But that would be the Cardinals' only field goal over the course of the first eight minutes of the second half and the Gophers were prime to take advantage of Louisville’s offensive struggles.
Hoffarber, no longer worried about foul trouble, hit back-to-back three-pointers to put the Gophers ahead 56-44 with under eight minutes to play.
Minnesota’s lead remained at 12 with 6:31 to play, but Louisville wouldn’t go down quietly.
The Cardinals quickly went on a 7-0 run and were within five, 59-54, following a dunk by Samardo Samuels with 4:48 to go. And, following a three by Smith, the Cardinals were within four, 61-57, with under four minutes left.
The Gophers, however, weren’t about to let the Cardinals snatch a victory from their fingertips.
Minnesota hit 9-of-10 free throws in the final 3:32 of regulation (Nolen went 6-of-6 and Busch went 3-of-4) to make sure the Gophers left the Valley of the Sun with their biggest victory of the season - one that may come in handy when the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee hands out invitations to the 'Big Dance' in March.
Minnesota limited the Cardinals to just 37 percent shooting and held them to 64 points, more than 16 points below their season average.
