On Wednesday night, Rick Pitino picked up college win 700. The win may have been one of the ugliest of his career, but Louisville Cardinals won and placed him at the 700 win mark. They beat Cleveland State in a low scoring battle 45-33.
Rick Pitino has been coaching for 30 years in the college ranks. He has coached for five teams: Hawaii, Boston University, Providence, Kentucky and Louisville. His overall record is 700 wins and 245 loses. Almost half of his wins have come with the Cardinals, as he has an impressive 346-117 record at Louisville.
The Louisville team did not win #700 for Pitino on the offensive side of the court, but on the defensive side. Cleveland State was held to 25% shooting from the field. They only hit 13 field goals for the entire game on 52 shots. Cleveland State tried to open the floor by shooting the three ball and catching up when behind; however, they were unsuccessful as they were a woeful 4 for 19 from the 3-point line. The Cardinals ended up with 11 blocks and held a decisive rebounding edge (45-33).
As mentioned, it was the defense that won it for the Cards, they had a woeful night on the offensive side. Here are some staggering stats from a team that normally plays well:
- They were 15 of 47 from the field
- They were 3 of 20 from the 3 point line
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They were 12 of 26 from the Free Throw line
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They turned the ball over 13 times
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They only had 5 guys score (starters only)
Star of the Game
Montrezl Harrell. He scored 15 points on 6 of 11 shooting; the best shooting percentage for either team. He also grabbed 13 rebounds and added 3 blocks.
Impressive Stat of the Night
To begin the game, Louisville blocked 8 of the first 24 shots from Cleveland State.
Photo Credit:�AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley