For a half, it looked as though Louisville’s NIT run was destined to mirror that of the 2012-13 Kentucky Wildcats. The Cardinals had showed little interest in competing, extreme frustration in some questionable officiating, and they trailed Northern Kentucky, 30-23.
Basically, U of L looked like a team whose players had previously voted not to participate in the NIT.
A spirited second half effort eliminated the possibility of Louisville having its own Robert Morris moment. Deng Adel scored 13 points in the third quarter, Darius Perry electrified an already raucous crowd with a ridiculous dunk, and U of L dispatched of NKU, 66-58.