Louisville showed some serious second-half grit on Friday night, flipping a three-point halftime deficit into a convincing 88-74 win over SMU. It was only the third time this season the Cardinals have rallied from behind at the break to come out on top - and this one might have been the most impressive.
With the win, Louisville moves to 15-6 on the season and 5-4 in ACC play. SMU, who came out swinging early, drops to 15-6 and 4-4 in conference action.
The Cardinals got a big-time boost from their bench, especially from Mikel Brown Jr., who poured in a game-high 20 points in a sparkplug performance. Brown wasn’t alone in the scoring column - Louisville had five players hit double figures.
Khani Rooths, back in action after missing time due to illness, made his presence felt with a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double. Isaac McKneely added 14 points, Ryan Conwell chipped in 12, and J’Vonne Hadley rounded out the balanced attack with 10.
But this game didn’t start in Louisville’s favor. SMU came out on fire, hitting five of their first six threes to build a quick double-digit lead just six minutes in. The Mustangs were surgical in the first half, shooting 60% from the field and nearly 40% from deep, making it look like they might run away with it.
That’s when Louisville started to chip away - slowly but steadily. Rooths brought the energy, throwing down back-to-back dunks in the first half that helped swing momentum. The Cardinals clawed their way back to within three by halftime, trailing 47-44.
The second half opened with more of that same fight. Louisville tied the game at 49 just two minutes in, though they briefly stalled with six straight misses from the floor. But once they found their rhythm, they didn’t look back.
Kobe Rodgers gave the Cards their first lead of the night with a layup at the 14:37 mark. Moments later, McKneely buried a three to push the lead to five, forcing SMU to burn a timeout. The Mustangs answered with a 7-0 run to retake the lead, but Louisville had a counterpunch ready.
Conwell’s three-point play sparked a 10-0 Louisville run, and McKneely followed with a pair of daggers from beyond the arc to stretch the lead to 15 with just over four minutes remaining. That flurry effectively sealed it.
Louisville’s defense stepped up big in the second half, turning SMU over 10 times while holding them to just two assists after the break. The Mustangs finished with 16 turnovers and only seven assists - a telling stat in a game that got away from them late. The Cardinals capitalized, turning those mistakes into 18 points.
For the game, Louisville shot just under 50% from the field (49.2%) but struggled from deep, hitting only 28.6% from three. SMU cooled off a bit after their scorching first half, finishing at 48.4% from the floor and 32% from behind the arc.
This win also adds to a growing trend for Louisville - they’re now 5-5 in games where the opponent scores first and 3-5 when trailing at halftime. In other words, this team is learning how to respond when things don’t go their way early.
Next up: Notre Dame comes to the KFC Yum! Center. If Louisville can bring the same energy and execution they showed in the second half against SMU, they’ll be a tough out for anyone.