This is, without question, the most intriguing 4/13 matchup in the history of 4/13 matchups.
And you can't question that because I said "without question."
4. THE 2005 CONFERENCE USA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (3/12/05)
Let's skip the details and go straight into the reasons why this may have been the most fulfilling victory of the decade,
1. It was against Memphis.
2. We hate Memphis
3. The game was played in Memphis in front of a crowd of mostly Tiger fans.
4. It was the last Conference USA game we would ever play
5. It was the league title game.
6. The only chance Memphis had to make the NCAA Tournament was to win that game.
7. Darius Washington had spent the entire game pounding his chest and sticking out his tongue.
8. Washington looked over to Calipari and mouthed "it's over" after he was fouled by Garcia.
9. There is absolutely no worse way to lose a game than by missing two out of three free throws with your team down two and no time on the clock.
I've said it before and I'll say it again right now: if I died today and god told me "yeah, Heaven's awesome but the only catch is you're only allowed five minutes of television for eternity so choose wisely," I would pick the last five minutes of this game to be played continuously.
The horror I felt when Garcia was whistled and I realized that it was Washington who would be shooting three being replaced with the sheer joy I felt watching our beloved Cardinals celebrate as he feel to the floor may have been the biggest shift of emotion I've ever had in a five-minute period. Anyone who felt sorry for Washington was either a Memphis fan or didn't watch the game.
Ellis Myles summed it up perfectly afterward: "It's kinda hard to feel sorry for a dude when he spends the whole game thumping his chest and sticking out his tongue."
The victory set the tone for the best Cardinal postseason of the decade.
13. THE 2009 BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (3/14/09)
Obviously, this tilt lacked the final drama of it opponent, but let's go over the reasons why the higher seed deserves your vote here.
1. The first game was the Conference USA title game, this was the Big East title game. Enough said.
2. The game was played in Madison Square Garden and against Syracuse.
3. The victory locked up the program's first No. 1 ranking and the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
4. The win made Louisville both the regular season and tournament champion of one of the strongest conferences in the history of college basketball.
5. The game itself was actually very entertaining.
It's easy to forget that Louisville actually trailed for the majority of this game and carried an eight-point deficit into halftime. The Cards started the second half on a 13-3 run and didn't really put things out of reach until the final five minutes.
It was a special night for the program.
Vote or a puppy somewhere will die an unspeakable death.