We have our first major upset of the NCAA Tournament just three games into the day. Morehead State took care of Louisville, sending the No. 4 seed home with a first-round exit. The Eagles hung around all game, even taking a five-point lead late in the second half.
Louisville made a run to make it a game, pulling to within one the Eagles after two Terrence Jennings points and taking the lead on a fast-break three from Elisha Justice. Peyton Siva turned it on down the stretch, taking it into the heart of the Morehead defense, and right at Kenneth Faried, for two pretty assists as well.
Still, Morehead State had a chance to tie it up or win in the waning moments of regulation, down two with the ball and the shot clock off. With ice in his veins, Demonte Harper gave a little shake, stepped back and buried a three to give the Eagles the lead with just five seconds to go. Mike Marra had a shot to win, but Faried got the block, giving Morehead State the 62-61 upset win.
As disappointing as the first 35 minutes were for Siva — with foul trouble, turnovers and poor shooting — head coach Rick Pitino stuck with him and it almost paid off. Siva never picked up his fifth foul and keyed the Cardinals run, though Louisville fell short in the end.
It was Morehead State with the last laugh as the Eagles hung around just long enough to place the Cardinals in peril, pulling out the win with an incredibly clutch shot. It was Morehead State’s first win over Louisville since 1957.
Here’s the rest of the Southwest region bracket.
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 16 Boston University Terriers in Tulsa on Friday
No. 8 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels vs. No. 9 Illinois Fighting Illini in Tulsa on Friday
No. 5 Vanderbilt Commodores vs. No. 12 Richmond Spiders in Denver on Thursday
No. 13 Morehead St. Eagles def. No. 4 Louisville Cardinals, 62-61
No. 6 Georgetown Hoyas vs. No. 11 VCU Rams on Friday
No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers vs. No. 14 Saint Peter’s in Chicago on Friday
No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies vs. No. 10 Florida St. Seminoles in Chicago on Friday
No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. No. 15 Akron Zips in Chicago on Friday
Check out the rest of the NCAA Tournament bracket over at SB Nation for the latest updates. For the full television lineup, check out our March Madness schedule. Be sure to check back in with our NCAA Tournament results StoryStream for updates throughout the day.