LEXINGTON, Ky., March 17 - On Thursday, Acie Law and Texas A&M; had to reach back for a little extra to hold off an upset bid from 14th-seeded Penn in the first round. Saturday, it was even tougher for the third-seeded Aggies, playing what essentially was a road game in Rupp Arena against sixth-seeded Louisville.
Holding off the cheers of most of the 20,882 in attendance, as well as the heroics of Cardinals' freshman guard Edgar Sosa, A&M; prevailed 72-69 to advance to the Sweet 16 in San Antonio.
Sosa scored a career high 31 points, making his first seven field goals (including two threes) and first 15 foul shots.
And with 29 seconds left, Law fouled Sosa on a drive, putting the freshman on the line trailing by one.
But Sosa missed both, his first misses of the afternoon.
He got one more chance when the Aggies' Joseph Jones missed a pair of free throws on the other end. Cardinals coach Rick Pitino could not get the play he wanted, though, and it was left to Sosa to take a long three-pointer with eight seconds left. The shot rimmed out and Law found the rebound in the corner. He was fouled, hit both free throws for his 25th and 26th points and then jumped into coach Billy Gillispie's arms when Sosa's heave at the buzzer failed.
"I thought there was less time than what it was," Sosa said of his first missed three. "I didn't know how far I was from the [three-point] line but I definitely could have done something else."
A year ago, Law watched as Darrel Mitchell of LSU hit a deep three-pointer just before the buzzer to end A&M;'s Tournament run in this same round.
"It's ironic, it's basically the same play LSU ran last year," Gillispie said. "One of them went in, one of them didn't. I guess it evened out."
But this time, A&M; is going to the Sweet 16 to face No. 2 Memphis in San Antonio, for the first time since 1980 (where, ironically, the Aggies lost to Louisville).
"It's an amazing feeling. I don't have any words to describe it," Law said.
In a game where there were 51 fouls called, including 31 in the second half, there was not too much flow, although there were 14 ties and 11 lead changes.
A&M; got its largest lead at six, with 12:25 to go. Louisville responded with 19-7 run to take its own six-point lead back with 5:59 to go. But Law scored his final six points at the foul line to help the Aggies charge back.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.