Hearts broke, but Louisville won't let Final Four devastation define record-setting season

COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the same building that in November housed one of Louisville's most triumphant moments, an overtime win against Ohio State, the Cardinals felt only devastation in Nationwide Arena on Friday. 

Hearts broke and stomachs dropped as Louisville's season ended in the Final Four with a 73-63 overtime loss to Mississippi State, only the Cardinals' third defeat but one that left ears ringing and a national championship hanging just out of reach. 

The Cardinals filed off the court in red jerseys stained with sweat and tears, a melancholy punctuation mark on a season that had for so long been extended with ellipses holding the promise of just one more game. 

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"Athletics is a wonderful thing," Louisville coach Jeff Walz said. "It's a great thing, boy, but there's some ups and downs that just kick you square in the ass, and right now this is one of those. But you can't let a moment define you." 

Louisville (36-3) could have fouled before Mississippi State (37-1) drilled a 3-pointer to tie the game with seven seconds left in regulation, and the officials may have missed a foul on Myisha Hines-Allen as she sent a last-second heave toward the opposite basket. 

Louisville's players weren't thinking about that once the overtime period began. They wanted to move on to create a different defining moment. 

"It's very hard, but at the same time, that's what basketball is," Louisville guard Arica Carter said. "And so if that happens you've got to bounce back and think about the next play."

The five extra minutes did the Cardinals no favors, and now the next play won't come until summer is booted out the door and the leaves begin to turn. 

Forward Sam Fuehring said Louisville couldn't compete with Mississippi State's ferocious rebounding, but it wasn't for lack of effort. 

"We played our hearts out, we really did," she said. "We just came up short. Shots weren't falling, turnovers, no communication on some plays on defense. But I mean, we played our hearts out." 

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Louisville's first Final Four appearance since 2013 felt perhaps more disappointing given the breakthroughs the team achieved this season on the road back to Columbus, accomplishments including ACC regular-season and conference tournament championships and memorable victories over fellow national semifinalist Notre Dame.

The Cardinals will need time to look ahead and move on from Friday, but sometimes the best way to heal is to reflect. 

"We got here," Carter said. "We showed everybody that we could be here and we got a taste of what it's like to be here, so I wouldn't be surprised if we're back here next year." 

Danielle Lerner: 502-582-4042; dlerner@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @Danielle_Lerner. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/daniellel.