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University of Louisville
Alabama
Louisville Falls To Crimson Tide
November 30, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 30, 2000
By JOHN ZENOR
AP Sports Writer
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Those Alabama players Louisville handled last season aren't freshmen anymore.
And that freshman the Crimson Tide is relying on now hardly played like one in a 100-71 win Thursday night.
Sophomore Rod Grizzard scored 25 points and freshman Gerald Wallace added 22 points for the Tide (3-0), which has won its first three games by an average of 38 points.
"They did some things to us that we did to them last year when they were a bunch of freshmen," said Louisville coach Denny Crum, whose team fell to 2-3 in its first visit to Tuscaloosa in 29 years. "They made shots, they outrebounded us and they forced a lot of turnovers.
"Physically, they're the best team we've faced."
Last year, Crum's squad beat Alabama by 15 points.
With Grizzard and Wallace combining for seven dunks and another sophomore, Erwin Dudley, chipping in 17 points, this one was decided early.
Louisville, which has played four of its games on the road, went more than 10 minutes without a field goal midway through the first half. The Cardinals never got closer than 15 points in the final 32 minutes.
Alabama forced 25 turnovers and committed just nine as four players had three steals apiece.
"I thought our defense generated our offense," Tide coach Mark Gottfried said. "It all starts with our defense.
"When you play hard and share the ball, you've got a chance to be a good team. This is as unselfish group as I've been around."
Marques Maybin led Louisville with 20 points and Reece Gaines had 18. But Maybin was only 4-of-12 from the field and Gaines 5-of-13 as Louisville shot 37 percent.
"We had no heart and did not play hard enough," Gaines said. "We need to play harder on the road."
Alabama hit 49 percent of its shots, including 10-of-26 from 3-point range
It was a big day for Alabama's freshmen. Point guard Antoine Pettway had eight points, six assists and three steals in 14 minutes off the bench.
Wallace, the Naismith National Player of the Year last season, had 17 first-half points, including four dunks. He made an impression on Louisville's Hall of Fame coach.
"He's a great athlete. Off the run, he can jump over anybody we've got," Crum said. "He's probably as good an athlete an I've seen this year, and I've seen some good ones. For a freshman, he's pretty special."
Both teams missed only four free throws. Alabama had 24 attempts and Louisville 30.
The Tide led by as many as 30 points in the first half, including a 25-2 run. The Cardinals went more than 10 minutes without a field goal, beginning with 14:24 left.
"Defense was the key to it all," Grizzard said. "If we keep playing like that, there is no telling what could happen."
