ACC rivals face off for Elite 8 spot

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- At first glance, North Carolina State vs. Louisville seems like just another Atlantic Coast Conference game.

Except it isn't. The winner advances to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament and the loser goes home.

"Even though it's the Sweet 16 game, it's pretty much a league game," North Carolina State guard Cat Barber said after practice Thursday. "We knew at some point we would play an ACC team, and we're ready for it. Our league prepares you for the moment."

The Wolfpack (22-13), the eighth seed in the East, meets fourth-seeded Louisville (26-8) tonight in the Carrier Dome in a matchup of teams somewhat familiar with each other. The Wolfpack had the upper hand against the Cardinals in Louisville's first season in the conference, beating them 74-65 on Feb. 14 at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville.

"We have great respect for them," Louisville Coach Rick Pitino said. "They beat us at home. A lot of teams don't beat us at home. It was a close game and then they pulled away. They're a team right now that can beat you so many different ways."

Louisville, in the Sweet 16 for a school-record fourth consecutive year under Pitino, isn't the same team that lost to the Wolfpack. Standout guard Chris Jones, a fierce defender, had 20 points in that game, but when Louisville traveled to Syracuse four days later Jones didn't make the trip and was later dismissed from the team for off-the-court problems.

The changes have been noticeable. With seven freshmen, the pressure style Pitino's teams thrive on has picked up. In Louisville's 66-53 victory over Northern Iowa on Sunday night, the Cardinals held the Panthers to 39 percent shooting, forced 10 turnovers and outrebounded them 30-25.

N.C. State Coach Mark Gottfried has noticed a change at the other end, too.

"They're all more aggressive offensively," Gottfried said. "Sometimes, when you lose a good player, especially a guy offensively that can do what Chris Jones could do, those other guys, they know they have to play at a higher level."

Added Barber: "Sometimes, you get overconfident and don't come out as aggressive as you did the first time, but we know what we have to do and what we want to do. Now it's about coming out and playing hard."

Louisville is making its 21st Sweet 16 appearance and is 5-1 under Pitino, who has guided the Cardinals to two of the past three Final Fours, winning the national championship in 2013.

In their victory over the Cardinals last month, the Wolfpack held Louisville to 33 percent shooting and dominated 32-16 in the paint to earn their second victory against a top-10 conference opponent. But beating a team twice in the same season can be a tall task.

"We know them better, and they know us better," said Pitino, who is 52-17 in the NCAA Tournament. "One of us may make a big change in this game that the other team's not ready for and maybe surprise someone."

Six of Louisville's losses this year came against teams still alive in the NCAA Tournament -- top-ranked Kentucky and four ACC teams: Duke, Notre Dame, North Carolina State and North Carolina (which beat Louisville once in the regular season and in the conference tournament).

For the Wolfpack, that victory was pivotal.

"It was kind of a turning point for us," Gottfried said. "We changed our starting lineup, put [6-8 sophomore forward] Lennard Freeman in. He gives us a little more defense and rebounding. I thought he helped us execute our offense a little better and get better shots.

"From that point forward, at times we have really guarded people well. Not every game, but I do think it's helped us, especially here down the stretch."

Freshman Quentin Snider replaced Jones in the Louisville lineup and should feel somewhat at home in the Carrier Dome. It's where he made his first career start, scoring 13 points. Snider has combined for 26 points and nine rebounds in Louisville's two tournament victories.

"I said from the beginning he was going to be special," said sophomore guard Terry Rozier, the Cardinals' leading scorer at 17.2 points per game.

North Carolina State has heard the critics who wonder how a team with 13 losses could still be alive and in the Sweet 16. Easy answer is that besides Louisville, the Wolfpack also has beaten North Carolina on the road and Duke at home, and they barely lost to Notre Dame (81-78 in overtime) and Virginia (51-47) in the grueling ACC.

"Sometimes N.C. State is not as well-noticed on Tobacco Road as, say, Carolina or Duke, but they beat both of those teams, and they can beat anybody," Pitino said. "They're that good."

Sports on 03/27/2015