Louisville closed the door with authority on Sunday night, even if the final score doesn’t quite capture just how dominant they were down the stretch. The Cardinals didn’t hit a field goal in the final 3:27-but honestly, they didn’t need to. Baylor couldn’t buy a bucket, and Louisville leaned on timely free throws, gritty defense, and strong rebounding to lock up an 82-71 win that felt more lopsided than the scoreboard suggests.
This one came down to shot-making-specifically, who could hit from deep and who couldn’t. Louisville drilled 8-of-18 from beyond the arc, good for 44 percent.
Baylor? Just 2-of-22.
That’s not a typo. The Bears kept letting it fly, but the misses kept piling up, and Louisville took full advantage-turning long rebounds into transition chances, drawing fouls, and stacking up easy points at the line.
Louisville shot a blistering 56 percent from the field overall, doing just enough on offense before letting their defense take over late. Baylor’s last real shot at making it interesting came with 22 seconds left, when Yessoufou launched a contested three that clanged off the rim. That was the dagger.
Mikel Brown Jr. was in full command from the opening tip. The sophomore guard poured in 29 points on an efficient 8-of-14 shooting, and he was automatic at the stripe, going 9-for-9.
He also dished out six assists, orchestrating the offense with poise and pace. Right alongside him was J’Vonne Hadley, who brought both scoring punch and physicality-dropping 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting and pulling down five boards.
Even when the shots stopped falling late, Louisville didn’t flinch. They protected the ball, dominated the glass, and turned every Baylor possession into a grind. The Bears were forced into rushed looks and tough shots, and they simply couldn’t respond.
The box score paints a tough picture for Baylor. They shot just 36.7 percent from the field and a brutal 9.1 percent from three.
Carr and Agbim, two key pieces in their backcourt, combined to go 1-for-18. That kind of shooting night is tough to overcome against anyone-let alone a Louisville team that was locked in defensively and playing with confidence.
Louisville didn’t need flash in the final minutes. They just needed composure, stops, and rebounds. And they delivered all three.
Next up, the Cardinals hit the road to face SMU on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.