Louisville 57, UC Irvine 55

Louisville didn’t quiet any critics vs. UC Irvine, but the Cardinals advanced, and that’s all that’s important.

Still, it didn’t come easy for U of L, which allowed a feisty UC Irvine team to hang around all day, and this one came down to the final few seconds. Ultimately, it was Louisville’s quickness and defensive focus on UC Irvine’s final possession that made the difference. The Anteaters had a chance to tie or win with a last shot, but they couldn’t even get the ball up to the rim. Louisville struggled from the perimeter, it didn’t get to the line often and it was outrebounded, but the bottom line is the Cardinals won. And that’s good enough for now.

But will it be enough vs. Northern Iowa in the next round? Louisville is likely to be favored, but the Panthers are looking at that as a statement game. Stay tuned.