It took longer than anticipated, but Louisville Coach Rick Pitino notched his 500th career win with an 85-75 win over Marshall. Louisville failed in two prior efforts against Dayton and Purdue.
In a not-so-much-of-a-coincidence, Pitino happened to reinstate Derrick Caracter.
Caracter was suspended after the
Dayton loss, but quickly worked his way back into Pitino's good graces. That or the gaping hole in the middle with Padgett and Palacios out with injuries, necessitated the return of a player averaging over 13 points, 7 rebounds and a block a game before the season was lost.
The win wasn't easy, as Louisville was tied with Marshall at the half. Just as Louisville seemed to be on the verge of blowing it open in the second half, the Thundering Herd kept making runs to stay just within a run. Louisville helped keep it close by missing over half their free throws (11-23). It was a tougher win than it should for Louisville at home against a team from the bottom half of Conference USA.
Pitino Finally Gets Win 500 - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog