Louisville Beats SMU 62-58; Advances to ACC Quarterfinals vs. Miami on Thursday

Mark BlankenbakerMarch 11, 2026

Senior guard Ryan Conwell scored 16 points, including the last four of the game to help lead the University of Louisville men’s basketball team to a 62-58 win over SMU in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Wednesday afternoon at the Spectrum Center.

With the win, Louisville (23-9) moves on to the quarterfinals to face third-seeded Miami Thursday at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

“A lot of credit to SMU,” said head coach Pat Kelsey. “Andy (Enfield) is a really good coach. We played down at their place a couple weeks ago, and they just kicked the crap out of us. So, a ton of respect for them. Their offensive firepower is as good as anybody in the country. Proud of our guys.”

In a back-and-forth game that featured 16 lead changes and nine ties, the Cardinals used a 6-0 run in the final two minutes of the game overcome a two-point deficit and play in the ACC quarterfinal for the second straight year.

Conwell led the Cards offensively, shooting 6-of-15 from the field with a pair of 3-pointers while two other Cardinals finished in double figures. Adrian Wooley tallied 14 points, including 7-of-8 from the free throw line along with six rebounds and two assists while Isaac McKneely added 10 points and led the Cards on the glass with a career-high seven rebounds and tied his season high with a team-best five assists.

Wooley opened the scoring as the Cards jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the first two minutes of the game. The Mustangs (20-13) responded by scoring the next six points to claim their first lead of the game at 9-7. The teams exchanged leads three more times before SMU took a 16-15 lead into the under-8 media timeout. A pair of McKneely free throws put the Cards back on top, but SMU pushed ahead again with a 3-pointer by B.J. Davis-Ray. McKneely answered with his first three of the game, sparking a 9-3 run to put the Cards back on top 26-20 lead, their largest lead of the half with 2:38 left to play. The Mustangs went on a 6-0 run to close the half to tie the score at 26-26 entering halftime.

Through the first 20 minutes of play, the Cards shot 30% (8-of-27) from the field and 14% (2-of-14) from deep along with an 89% (8-for-9) showing from the charity stripe. Louisville also forced nine SMU first-half turnovers, converting 12 points off of them. McKneely led Louisville with seven points and Wooley pulled down five boards in the first half.

Coming out of the break, SMU struck first with a jumper by Boopie Miller, but the Cards answered with Conwell’s first 3-pointer of the game and the teams were off to the races again, playing through three ties and four lead changes in the first four minutes of the half.

An 11-2 run over a 2:26 span led to a 41-35 lead for the Mustangs, their largest of the game with 15:23 left to play. The SMU lead hovered between two and five points before a 9-2 run, powered by three straight buckets from Vangelis Zougris put the Cards back on top 52-50 with 5:38 left to play. The teams traded baskets and SMU held a 58-56 lead with 2:43 left in the game.

From there, the Cardinals took over starting with a free throw by Zougris to pull within one. Conwell drained a 3-pointer to put Louisville on top 60-58 with 1:17 left. A Louisville defensive stand held the Mustangs scoreless on the other end and Conwell drove in for a layup to give Louisville its largest lead of the half at 62-58 with 29 seconds left to play.

In the game, Louisville shot 40% (21-of-53) overall, 23% (6-of-26) from deep and 70% (14-of-20) from the free throw line while holding a 26-24 edge in points in the game.

SMU’s Jaron Pierre Jr. led all scorers with 17 points as the Mustangs shot 43% (24-of-56) from the field and led 34-32 in rebounds.

“On a night we didn’t shoot it our best, we just figured out a way to win,” said Kelsey. “What do they say, in tournament play, survive and advance; I think that applied tonight. Just proud of their resiliency and their fight.”