The Perfect Send-off !!!

It's only fitting that the best most amazing game I have ever seen at Freedom Hall happened to be the very last ever to be played there!  I have been attending Louisville Cardinal games in Freedom Hall my entire life and have had a million amazing memories throughout those years.  However nothing compares to the atmosphere and pure joy that we all felt on that final day in Freedom Hall as we upset the #1 team in the nation.  I had to unexpectedly fly to Louisville a few days prior to the game for my grandfathers funeral which as you can imagine was already very emotional.  So being able to go to the game before I left town made it even more special/emotional than it already was.  

For as far back as I can remember my father and I had attended UofL games together at Freedom Hall so of course we had to close it out by going together for this amazing finale.  Freedom Hall has always meant a lot for the whole city of Louisville and we needed to have the best send off possible to a building that has given us so much.  Words can not describe how amazing and emotional this day was to everyone there and watching at home.  The day started for me getting in line to enter the hall at around 10:45am and getting in shortly after.  Free posters and towels were given out at the door and the 1980 as well as the 1986 championship teams held an autograph signing which drew an insane crowd early.  I have to be honest there was a different feeling and vibe to that day, so many people there walking around and soaking it all in, sad but excited for the future.  The senior day celebration started around 1:40pm and included Pitino talking about each player, an emotional video montage, handing out of jerseys, and a well deserved standing ovation!  Seniors included Chris Brickley, Reggie Delk, Jerry Smith, and Edgar Sosa!

The energy in the building that day was unbelievable and explosive way before tip off.  By the time the game begun the Hall was rocking like never before and was so loud from the energy of the eager fans.  It was finally here, the last one.  It was game time!  There were something like 12 missed shots to start the game by both teams combined before jerry ripped of 8 straight points for the Cards.  However when he scored his eighth point on a huge dunk, he injured his hand and never returned to the game.  I was nervous during the first half because their bigs seemed to dominate the paint while we couldn't even get a look inside.  Luckily we had enough 3's drop to keep us within 5 by halftime.

I feel like at halftime the team as well as Pitino were feeling the pressure of the fans, the ex-players in the house, the fact that it was the final game in Freedom Hall, and most importantly our chance to play in the NCAA tournament.  It seems as if the players knew what was at stake because they came out in the second half with a different look in their eyes.  We scored the first 5 points in the 2nd half pretty quickly to even up the score.  From there the rest of the game seemed to almost not be real.  Shots went in, rebounds found their way into our hands, the #1 team in the nation missed shots, and Kyle Kuric cemented his name into the legend of Freedom Hall by scoring all of his career high 22 points in the second half.  It was amazing!  He rebounded, out hustled everyone, made almost every shot, and finished up with a couple of dunks that literally brought the house down.

The final 2:30 of the game was the best feeling I've ever had at Freedom Hall and by the way it looked and sounded in there, I would bet I wasn't the only who felt that way.  As the time expired and an amazing era of basketball came to a close at our legendary Freedom Hall I couldn't help to think that we really could not have asked for a better ending.  Beating the #1 team in the nation in front of a record crowd with all of our legendary coaches and players in attendance and sealing the deal on a NCAA tournament bid was something we will never forget and will talk about for the rest of our lives.  After the game it was a scene that none of us had experienced before with not a single person in attendance leaving for over an hour.  Speaking to the fans one last time were all of the former players, current seniors, coach Pitino, and Denny Crum who had the final words in Freedom Hall which was very emotional.  Through this and all of these amazing years, there is one thing for certain. Freedom Hall will forever live on in our Cardinal hearts!

Here are a few really good Freedom Hall links:
Freedom Hall on CJ
Freedom Hall's Wikipedia
CJ article
Freedom Hall pics and wrap-up