This is my favorite matchup of the first round and I'm very interested to see how it plays out.
7. LOUISVILLE STUNS TENNESSEE IN THE FINAL MINUTE AT THE HALL (12/20/01)
Just about everyone I've talked to who attended this game claims it was the loudest they've every heard Freedom Hall. There are also countless stories of high-fives and hugs with nearby strangers.
Neither team would end up making the NCAA Tournament, but this game was special for a number of reasons.
1) It was Pitino's first year.
2) This team was sorely lacking in talent but was already overachieving and playing with more energy than the fans had seen in years.
3) The frustration of the final Crum years were still fresh in everybody's minds.
4) It very well could have been the most exciting finish of the decade...
10. EDGAR SOSA STICKS A DAGGER IN THE COLLECTIVE HEART OF BIG BLUE NATION (1/4/09)
Coming off of a one-point home loss to UNLV - the third already for a squad that was a fixture in every major preseason top five - Louisville avoided a massive meltdown in the final minute against arch-rival Kentucky when Edgar Sosa buried a bomb from 30-feet out with just under three seconds to play.
Yes, this would probably end up being the worst Wildcat team of the decade, but that doesn't make the shot any less important or the finish any less thrilling. Who knows where the season goes if Sosa's shot is a couple of inches to the right or if he doesn't take it at all.
"It would have been difficult if we had lost," Pitino said afterward. "We played great, basically outplayed them for 38 minutes. To lose that game would have been emotionally and physically devastating. I wouldn't have wanted to be in the locker room trying to motivate those guys if we had lost that game."
A Louisville basketball victory over Kentucky that was decided in the final seconds.
I celebrated.
This is a toughie, but if you don't make a decision the Thanksgiving Pilgrim won't bring you any toys this year.