The shots won’t fall and the dream won’t last for USF in NCAA tourney
For the better part of four months, outside shooting defined the USF basketball team. Outside shooting drove the Bulls, it carried them, it legitimized them.
USF forward Izaiyah Nelson (35) blocks Louisville forward Khani Rooths (9) during the second half of Thursday's first-round NCAA Tournament game in Buffalo, N. Y. ©Yuki Iwamura For the better part of four months, outside shooting defined the USF basketball team.
Outside shooting drove the Bulls, it carried them, it legitimized them. And on Thursday, it killed them. No.
11 seed USF lost 83-79 to sixth-seeded Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Buffalo, New York, thanks mostly to missing 17 consecutive 3-point shots at one point. Once they cut down on the 3-point attempts, the Bulls were able to match Louisville point-for-point for long stretches but had dug themselves too large of a deficit. USF trailed by 23 points in the second half but made the Cardinals sweat in the final minutes.
USF finished with one of its lowest percentages of the season (15. 1%) on 3-point shots. Joseph Pinion was 5-of-14 from long range but his teammates were 0-for-19.