From Blowout to Brawl: NC State Stunned by Louisville, Hornets Game Turns Chaotic

Reese, Pam and Alex discuss NC State's blowout loss to Louisville, the brawl in last night's Hornets game and more. The Louisville Cardinals dominated the NC State Wolfpack last night, winning 118-77, snapping the Wolfpack’s six-game ACC winning streak in emphatic fashion. The game was basically over early, as Louisville jumped out fast, led 56-36 at halftime and never let NC State get any traction. Freshman Mikel Brown Jr. put on a historic show, scoring 45 points while hitting 10 three-pointers and going a perfect 7-for-7 at the free-throw line, tying a Louisville single-game scoring record and setting an ACC freshman mark. Ryan Conwell added 31 points, and Louisville shot around 60% from the field, repeatedly torching NC State’s defense. For the Wolfpack, Ven-Allen Lubin led the way with 20 points and Tre Holloman chipped in 19, but NC State struggled badly from deep and simply couldn’t keep up with Louisville’s pace or shot-making. The blowout win strengthened Louisville’s position in ACC play, while NC State heads back home looking to regroup after a rough road loss. Is this a big deal for State or just a forgettable game? Last night, during the Charlotte Hornets game against the Detroit Pistons, there was a brawl that ended up overshadowing much of the action on the court. The benches-clearing fight broke out in the third quarter after a hard foul led to a heated exchange between Pistons center Jalen Duren and Hornets forward Moussa Diabaté, with tensions quickly escalating. Hornets guard Miles Bridges and Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart then became involved, with Stewart coming off the bench during the altercation, adding to the chaos. Officials ultimately ejected four players: Diabaté and Bridges for Charlotte and Duren and Stewart for Detroit. Hornets head coach Charles Lee was also ejected later in the game after arguing with referees. Detroit went on to win 110-104, snapping Charlotte’s winning streak, but the fight and multiple ejections became the defining storyline of the night.