Louisville showing growth, proves it late at Wake Forest

Louisville basketball hasn’t been in too many close games under second-year head coach Pat Kelsey.  Under his guidance, the Cardinals are 44-0 when leading with five minutes to play, which is worth noting. But, only 20 games over the last two seasons have been decided by 10 points or fewer, and the Cards have lost just six of them.  It’s a fine late-game record, which has yet to be consistently challenged against top competition.  Still, there have been moments against teams like Arkansas, the first Duke matchup, Virginia, and Stanford when Louisville was in striking distance and didn’t seize the opportunity down the stretch of a competitive game. Kelsey’s team was tied with Stanford with five minutes remaining, had a second-half lead over the Blue Devils, but only scored 11 points in the final 10 minutes, and couldn’t get over the hump against the Razorbacks after getting within a few possessions.