CARDINALS

Rozier rises to the occasion in Sweet 16

Jeff Greer
@jeffgreer_cj
U of L's Terry Rozier hauls in one of his fourteen rebounds late in the game against NC State.  March 27, 2015.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – -- Wayne Blackshear stopped mid-answer and chuckled.

The memories of 6-foot-1 Terry Rozier skying for rebounds in practice over the University of Louisville basketball team's 7-footers and post players, and coach Rick Pitino's ensuing fury, make Blackshear giggle.

"(Rozier) is great at that," Blackshear said. "That's a great skill that he has from his position. He just locks in, goes in there and throws his body around."

Related:U of L runs past NC State in Sweet 16

Rozier, a sophomore, did exactly that in Friday's 75-65 win over NC State in the East region semifinals of the NCAA tournament. Louisville's do-everything guard totaled 17 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, and he threw his body around in the process, taking a smack to the face and a nasty fall, all in the name of a few layups.

On one sequence, with three minutes to go and Louisville holding a five-point lead in a tense game, Rozier elevated over a collection of big men around the basket, snatched a defensive rebound, turned, sprinted up the floor, initiated contact for a foul and dropped in a right-handed layup.

It served as the perfect illustration of the Ohio native's night, and it plunged the dagger into NC State.

"I grew up in the park, where you've got to get your own rebounds, no matter how small you are, no matter how tall you are," Rozier said. "I wanted to go in there and help my bigs the best way I can."

Related:Rozier happy with sophomore season

Rozier's past two games have significantly slowed worries about a shooting slump that lasted all of February and ran into March. He was 8 of 13 against Northern Iowa last Sunday, scoring 25 points. He was 6 of 15 this time, not a great number, but four came in the second half.

Last season, Rozier served as All-American guard Russ Smith's protege. He stepped in when his team needed, oftentimes at point guard, and spaced Louisville's offense out. He was calm and collected for a freshman, served well by a year of prep school at Hargrave Military Academy.

But once Smith graduated and left an 18.2-points-per-game hole for the Cardinals, Rozier knew he would have to step in. He spent the summer working on his jump shot, trying to become more consistent with his mid-range and 3-point range jumpers.

Sullivan:Louisville continues growing, advancing

He created quite the buzz at several summer camps and shot up the mock NBA draft boards of several analysts. He was developing as a scorer at the college level, and his athleticism, smarts and leaping ability made him a solid prospect.

Yet Pitino kept hammering home this: What makes Rozier an even more intriguing prospect is his rebounding. Rozier, Pitino said time and again, has uncanny timing as a rebounding guard.

Pitino told reporters and his team that rebounding, or a lack thereof, cost U of L its Sweet 16 matchup with Kentucky last March. The guards' paltry rebounding in a 74-65 loss to NC State back in February hurt, too, and Pitino let them know about it.

In other words, Rozier wanted to wash away that memory with a new one. He wanted to trace his steps back to those days in the park, when he would scream into the lane and grab rebounds, even as a late-blooming and skinny guard. He wanted to draw on all the advice Smith provided him last year and throughout this season.

He wanted to throw his body around and lift Louisville to its fifth regional final appearance in eight seasons. He did just that. He vows these Cardinals aren't done yet, and neither is he.

Reach U of L beat writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).