Chucky Hepburn for Governor? Louisville basketball star guard makes a major statement in win.
During a media timeout ten minutes through the first half of Louisville basketball’s Saturday game against the Pittsburgh Panthers, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear honored a group of flood first responders.
Governor Beshear would have a fairly good chance of carrying Jefferson County in the next gubernatorial race if the state’s constitution permitted him a fourth term. As it does not, my vote is with Chucky Hepburn.
This weekend’s contest might have left Cardinal fans with more doubts than assurances, but if there is one certainty, it is this: Louisville loves Chucky. Hepburn put his team, and the city, on his back Saturday, and carried the Cards to a hard fought, sometimes scary victory over the visiting Panthers.
Side note, can we talk about the stripe out? Shout out to Louisville basketball fans (Leonardo DiCaprio clapping.gif). It was an incredible effort that paid off in a big way.
Chucky Hepburn goes nuclear
The game started off with the Cards and Panthers generally trading buckets. Chucky, along with Terrence Edwards, Jr, carried the team for most of the first ten minutes, aided by a Noah Waterman three with 13:21 left in the first half. The usually reliable J’vonne Hadley was a shocking 0-4 during this stretch, a statistic that would be a premonition for the rest of the team, and the game.
The Cards’ early perimeter defense caused Pitt problems, but their inability to connect on usually makeable field goals allowed the Panthers to hang around.
Also read: How Pat Kelsey transformed and empowered Louisville basketball
Pittsburgh made consecutive threes with seven minutes and thirty three seconds left, when Reyne Smith connected on his lone three of the half. At this point, fans were treated to what was, without a doubt, one of the greatest shooting performances by a Cardinal player at the Yum! Center, and maybe in school history: Chucky Hepburn went berserk.
He made threes at the 5:06, 4:18, 3:47, 3:11, 1:34, and fifty three second mark, every one of them with a defender in his face. Yet, in spite of this spectacular display of marksmanship, the Cardinals allowed Pitt to answer with a basket almost every time. Consequently, UofL had a mere six point cushion at the half, at 39-33.
Louisville Basketball…Cleft Chin
When the second half began, each team left the locker room ready to make a difference in the game. So did the officiating crew. Both squads quickly racked up 4 touch fouls a piece. In spite of the offensive prowess of Louisville’s ball handlers, Edwards, Jr. and Hepburn, the Panthers took their first lead of the game, 47-48, five minutes into the half. Twenty seconds later Hepburn drew his third foul and had to go to the bench. At this point, Pittsburgh expanded its lead to three, at 47-50: Coach Pat Kelsey quickly got Chucky back into the game.
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The Panthers entered the double bonus at the 9:10 mark, and the Cardinals would follow at 6:10. The game became a turnover-ridden free throw contest. Chucky Hepburn connected on two from the charity stripe and assisted on a James Scott slam with five minutes to play and the Cards up three, 65-62. Scott would block a Panther shot, causing a turnover, with 2:33 to go, followed by another two Hepburn free throws.
Panther Cameron Corhen would foul out with eighty seconds remaining, giving Smith two from the line. Two more foul shots were made by Edwards, Jr., and the game ended with a satisfying, and long-awaited, fast break slam by J’vonne Hadley. The Cardinals finished on top, but the game was much closer than the 79-68 score indicated.
Taking it in Stride
This was a hard-fought home victory against a Pittsburgh Panther team that is tougher than their 16-13 record indicates. Once again, Kelsey’s Cardinals found a way to win, in spite of problematic play. At times when the Cardinals’ offense was functioning, their defense was stumped by dribble penetration and inside out passing. When their defense came up with stops, they got sloppy with the ball on the other end.
If Chucky Hepburn doesn’t put on a five minute shooting clinic in the first half and the Panthers go ice cold from the perimeter in the second (10-35 for the game), the Cardinals could have quite possibly suffered a home defeat. Pittsburgh had much more balanced scoring, and at times played harder than UofL. Still, the Cardinals found a way to win.
The regular season is coming to a close, the tournaments are on the horizon, and the Cards are winning in spite of themselves. Hopefully, Kelsey will patch the defense and Louisville will stop leaning so hard on Hepburn: he has proven that he can carry the team on his back…but for how long?
Congratulations Chucky on a well played game, although I’m a forever Badger fan I will be looking forward to following your basketball journey. Good luck and Gods blessings to you.
We sure do appreciate Chucky down here in the State of Louisville! Hope the Badgers do well, always root for them when they aren’t playing us. Thanks for reading, Nancy!