Louisville Rallies Late to Defeat SMU in ACC Tournament.

The No. 24 Louisville Cardinals overcame a late deficit to defeat the SMU Mustangs 62–58 in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) tournament on Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ryan Conwell led Louisville with 16 points and made two crucial shots in the final minutes to secure the victory and send the Cardinals into the tournament quarterfinals. Adrian Wooley contributed 14 points, while Isaac McKneely added 10 points for Louisville, which improved its record to 23–9. The Cardinals will face Miami in the next round on Thursday. SMU was led by Jarron Pierre Jr., who scored 17 points, and Jaden Toombs, who finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. The Mustangs, now 20–13, held a six-point advantage during the second half before Louisville mounted its comeback. The first half was tightly contested, ending in a 26–26 tie. In the second half, SMU built its largest lead at 41–35 after consecutive three-pointers from Sam Walters and Pierre. Playing their second game in as many days, the Mustangs attempted to slow the pace by using most of the shot clock on each possession. Louisville regained momentum when SMU center Samet Yigitoglu, a 7-foot-1 defensive presence, was forced to the bench after committing his fourth foul with 7:51 remaining. With Yigitoglu temporarily out, Vangelis Zougris scored three baskets inside over a short stretch to help the Cardinals close the gap.

Yigitoglu returned when the game was tied at 56 with three minutes remaining. Pierre briefly gave SMU the lead again with a driving layup. However, Louisville seized control late after SMU’s Corey Washington suffered a shoulder injury. Conwell then delivered the decisive plays. He made a three-pointer with 1:17 remaining to give Louisville a 60–58 lead. After SMU’s Boopie Miller missed a three-point attempt on the next possession, Conwell drove to the basket and scored a left-handed layup with 29.4 seconds left, extending the lead and securing the win. Louisville managed the victory without star freshman Mikel Brown Jr., who is sidelined for the tournament due to a back injury. Following the loss, SMU will now wait to learn whether it receives an invitation to the NCAA Tournament, as the Mustangs are considered a bubble team.