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Whitehead's double-double carries Cards
LOUISVILLE, KY (AP) � Louisville forward Luke Whitehead set a Conference USA
Tournament record with 37 rebounds, but none were as important as the last
one.
The 6-foot-7 junior grabbed the ball after Eric Bush missed a layup, then
hit two free throws with 4.7 seconds left to clinch Louisville's 83-78
victory over Alabama-Birmingham in the championship game Saturday.
Whitehead finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds, his third double-double
in the Cardinals' three tournament games.
As Whitehead stepped to the free-throw line, the home crowd of 17,202, a
record for the tournament's championship game, started chanting, "MVP! MVP!"
Whitehead was later named the tournament's most valuable player.
"If I would've had however many rebounds and we would've lost the game, I
would not have been the MVP," Whitehead said. "It's not about the personal
awards. It's all about winning."
Taquan Dean added 15 points and Francisco Garcia had 14 for No. 20
Louisville (24-6), which won its first Conference USA Tournament title.
"I'm really impressed with our basketball team," said Louisville coach Rick
Pitino, in his second season with the Cardinals. "When I had the first day
of practice two years ago, I never could have dreamed of this day."
Whitehead has become Louisville's primary rebounder since Ellis Myles was
lost for the season with a knee injury Feb. 27.
He's averaged 13 rebounds a game in the last four games, all Louisville
victories.
"Ellis got injured, but it would be a shame if people didn't step up and
fill his shoes," Whitehead said. "We owe it to him. We've got to play with
all our heart."
The Cardinals won despite a season-low eight points from leading scorer
Reece Gaines. The 6-foot-6 senior wasn't worried about his stats afterward;
he was just ready to play in the NCAA tournament for the first time since
his freshman season.
"I've been through a lot," he said. "It feels great to finally be part of a
great team."
Morris Finley scored 20 points, and Demario Eddins had 18 points and 12
rebounds for the Blazers (19-12), who led by six early in the second half
but finally showed the effects from playing four games in four days.
Garcia hit a 3-pointer from the wing with 17� minutes left in the game to
start a 16-2 Louisville run. The Blazers committed three turnovers during
the spurt.
Whitehead grabbed eight rebounds in the first 12 minutes of the second half.
Dean, who hit the winning 3-pointer in the Cardinals' 78-75 victory over
Memphis on Friday, had a three-point play, and Garcia tacked on three free
throws to give Louisville a 54-46 lead.
UAB, which set a tournament record with 20 steals in an 83-76 upset of
Marquette on Thursday, turned to its defense to mount the final charge.
The Blazers had five steals in a four-minute span, the last by Finley with
1:53 left. That led to Sidney Ball's three-point play that cut Louisville's
lead to 76-73.
Pitino expected his team to wear down the Blazers and was surprised by their
late surge.
"I've been coaching a long time and I am as impressed with this basketball
team, Alabama-Birmingham, as I have been with any team we have faced,"
Pitino said. "Four games in four days, that's as gutsy as it gets."
Louisville's Kendall Dartez sank two free throws with 1:45 to go, but Finley
made his third 3-pointer with 1:33 left to trim the deficit to two.
Garcia hit a free throw and Eddins scored UAB's last points on two free
throws with 53.2 seconds left.
"Not to take anything away from Louisville, but I thought our guys put in
the guttiest performance of any team in the country," UAB coach Mike
Anderson said. "We were in a position to have a chance to win the game. We
just didn't finish it off."
Bush had 14 points and seven rebounds for UAB. He already had established a
tournament record with 11 steals and added two more Saturday.
Pitino's teams have won 21 of their last 23 games in league tournaments.
Pitino went 17-1 in the Southeastern Conference tournament when he was at
Kentucky from 1989-97.
Pitino predicted the Cardinals could be as high as a No. 2 seed when the
NCAA Tournament pairings are announced Sunday.
"We're the type of team that can go out in the first round if we don't
rebound the ball," Pitino said. "Or we could go very far. But we're just
happy to be there.".
Copyright 2003
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
02/23/2007 10:47:57 AM
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