No. 10 Minnesota uses atypical strategy in win over No. 7 seed Louisville
Three-point shooting was thought to be a potential difference-maker in the opening game of the NCAA Tournament.
That indeed proved to be the case in 10th-seeded Minnesota’s 86-76 win over seventh-seeded Louisville on Thursday in Des Moines. However, it was the Golden Gophers’ long-range shooting instead of the Cardinals’ that decided the East Region game.
“We beat a really good Louisville team,” Minnesota coach Richard Pitino told CBS after the game.
Pitino, whose father, Rick, is a former Louisville coach, previously coached at FIU.
Coming into the game, Minnesota averaged just 5.2 three-pointers per contest, but it made 11 in the win. Gophers guard Gabe Kalscheur drained five treys himself.
ESPN’s Jay Bilas noted that Minnesota had made 10 or more three-pointers in just three games this season: against Omaha in November, Rutgers in January, and Indiana in February.
The Gophers also grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and had a season-low five turnovers.
Minnesota advanced to face the winner of the Michigan State-Bradley game on Saturday.
This story was originally published March 21, 2019 at 1:42 PM.
