March Madness all comes down to a Big East regular season championship game. On March 8, Louisville plays the Georgetown Hoyas. Even though the Hoyas are 8-2 in their last 10, it’s the Cardinals who really seem to be carving their way to March Madness. Louisville hasn’t lost since a 69-67 game at Connecticut, thanks to its team-first attitude and strong coach, Rick Pitino.
The Cardinals will have to beat Georgetown at the Verizon Center in DC, something no other team has done this year. With some issues early in the season, including injuries and losses, many people were pessimistic about the Cardinals. However, they are 16-11-1 against overall differential and 8-1-1 ATS this year.
Much of his success is due to Padgett’s inspired play. Padgett broke his knee earlier in the season and despite this injury returned after missing just 6 weeks. A lesser player would have been missing out on a lot more than that with a broken kneecap. The Cardinals know it was Padgett’s leadership that made the difference in turning things around this season.
Padgett is averaging 11.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2 assists in 22.7 minutes per game. He, too, has embraced Pitino’s team approach that has helped the Cardinals position themselves to win the Big East Championship. They were in last place in the conference at the beginning of the year and are now tied for first place, which is not usually the way a team gets to the championship.
The Hoyas’ Roy Hibbert could be giving the Cardinals a run for their money. Between his size and the guidance of coach John Thompson, he has redefined the Hoyas’ defensive status. Hibbert averages 2.3 blocks per game. His team is the best in the country in defensive field goal percentage and 4th in points allowed. Hibbert prides himself on defense and helping his teammates by coming off the weak side and blocking shots. Hibbert has also improved his overall game and leads the Hoyas in both points and rebounds.
Thompson feels that Hibbert has matured both professionally and personally this year. However, the Hoyas haven’t gambled much so far, going just 11-14 ATS and 4-8 at home. Georgetown had two barbed wire victories, one over Villanova and one over Marquette that could have gone the other way and plunged them down the standings.
Jonathan Wallace hits 2 tying free throws with 1/10th of a second left giving the Hoyas a 55-53 victory against the Wildcats. Wallace was fouled beyond the arc with 2.8 seconds remaining in the game against the Golden Equals. He made all 3 free throws, sending the game into overtime, where the Hoyas earned a two-point victory.
Both teams are 14-3 in conference play and are the top 5 defensive teams in the country. Georgetown is 14/1 to win the NCAA basketball championship. Louisville is 8/1. With Georgetown and Louisville as close as they are, free throws could make the difference between a team reaching the conference championship as the top seed. The Hoyas shoot .669, the Cardinals .659.
