Mitchell finished with five rebounds with the final one setting up his game-clinching free throws.Louisvilles 32-18 advantage in the paint was big

BOSTON -- Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly left Boston College as the schools most decorated player. Oshane Ximines Jersey . But it wasnt until he came back to campus after his rookie pro season that he picked up the honor his parents wanted most.Kuechly spent his first semester after winning the NFLs defensive rookie of the year award back in school, living in a dorm with his friends, taking five classes toward his degree. He finished his academic requirements online over the next two offseasons and graduated in 2015.Asked on Friday what motivated him to get the degree, he said with a smile, Because my mom told me to do it.Thats all youve got to say, Kuechly said at a news conference in Chestnut Hill on Friday, a day before BC will retire his number during its game against Syracuse. As long as shes happy, youre good. Once shes mad, its trouble.Kuechly led the nation in tackles for two consecutive seasons in college and won the Butkus, Nagurski and Lombardi awards before going pro. He was picked by Carolina as the No. 9 overall selection in the 2012 NFL draft. He was the APs defensive rookie of the year and Defensive Player of the Year the next year.Last year, he helped the Panthers to a 15-1 record and a spot in the Super Bowl.But Eileen Kuechly held him to the promise he made when he left school after his junior season.We shook on it, that he was going to get his degree, she said.It wasnt hard to persuade him to come back to campus while his friends were still there, but finishing the final classes was more of a slog.That was the best. Back with all the guys again, Kuechly said. I missed that part of being at school, just going back to the dorms, being with all your friends. That was cool. That was probably my favorite part about being back, was being around all the guys.Although he had spent time on campus, Kuechly hadnt been back for a game because of the difficulty of matching up his NFL off weeks with the BC schedule.You walk back on campus, its very nostalgic, he said, listing some of the places he had missed -- a dorm thats been demolished, a dining hall, a classroom building. It was a special place. Im glad I had the opportunity to come here.Having his number retired, Kuechly said, was something he thought about as a player while working out in the stadium under banners for players like Doug Flutie and Mike Ruth.You thought always one day maybe you could be up there on the wall with those guys, he said.Flutie lives in the area and comes back often; his nephew, Billy, was a teammate of Kuechlys.I think the No. 1 thing that makes me proud to be a BC alum, when guys like Luke come through. What they did at school, what they do off the field, and now continuing in his NFL career, its been amazing, Doug Flutie said. What he stands for and what this school stands for, he exemplifies. Julian Love Womens Jersey . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2. Mark Bavaro Womens Jersey .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Sundays clash at Rexall Place. http://www.authenticnygiantspro.com/Dean...-giants-jersey/ .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Baskets fell when Louisville needed them, but coach Rick Pitino was more pleased by the defense that created those timely opportunities against Purdues fierce rally.Nearly every Cardinal had a hand in the effort, literally and figuratively, to gut out a tough win.Ray Spalding and Mangok Mathiang each scored 11 points and Donovan Mitchell had critical points and rebounds down the stretch to help No. 14 Louisville hold off No. 15 Purdue 71-64 on Wednesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.Seeking a rebound from their second-half collapse against Baylor in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship when they lost a 22-point lead, the Cardinals held Purdue to a season-low 36 percent shooting but needed key baskets in the final minutes as the Boilermakers cut a 51-33 deficit to four with 14.4 seconds left.Ryan McMahons 3-pointer with 4 minutes remaining helped along with Mathiangs layup with 2:30 left, but Mitchells late scoring, including a jumper then two free throws with 2 seconds left, helped the Cardinals (6-1) escape with their first win over Purdue since 1996. Mitchell finished with five rebounds with the final one setting up his game-clinching free throws.Louisvilles 32-18 advantage in the paint was big with Anas Mahmoud adding nine points. He fouled out with 1:41 left. Spalding had nine rebounds and Mathiang eight as the Cardinals edged the Boilermakers 36-34 on the boards.I definitely think our length and athleticism bothered them, Spalding said after recording season highs in points and rebounds. They were really big guys, really good basketball players. ... We just had to use our quickness against them.Caleb Swanigan had 14 second-half points and 11 rebounds and P.J. Thompson scored 13, but the Boilermakers (5-2) had their four-game winning streak stopped along with a conference-record seven-game winning streak in the Challenge. Swanigans scoreless first half symbolized Louisvilles effectiveness that carried over into getting the needed late stops as Purdue cut into its lead.We trapped. We fronted. We went affter it really hard, Pitino said. Saquon Barkley Womens Jersey. The guys really focused on the game plan. We knew how tough they are and they wanted to stay in the game, but Ray is the length guy. When Ray pressures the ball up top, they cant get the high-low.THE BIG PICTUREPurdue: The Boilermakers entered ranked seventh in assists at nearly 20 per game but had just five in the first half and finished with 13. A perimeter game that started just 4 of 12 in the first half improved to 6 of 11 in the second en route to finishing above 43 percent for the fifth straight game. Their 17 turnovers led to just 11 Louisville points, but coach Matt Painter wasnt happy with the mistakes.Just a lack of concentration with those 10 (first half) turnovers, he said. We have experienced players turning the basketball over. We have to do a better job of concentrating and making easy plays and getting good shots in the half court.Louisville: The Cardinals pushed the tempo from the start and their defense forced 10 first-half turnovers against Purdues height. They forced 17 turnovers overall and shot 48 percent. ... Pitino used his bench early, playing 12 in the first half alone. That depth was really important because of the style we play, graduate transfer guard Tony Hicks said. If were able to play 12 guys, that just means were able to work harder and thats important in speeding teams up and turning them over on the defensive end.POLL IMPLICATIONSLouisville figures to remain the same depending on what happens at Grand Canyon. Purdue shouldnt drop much with a loss to the No. 14 team.UP NEXTPurdue: The Boilermakers will face their second straight Kentucky school when they host Morehead State on Saturday in their first meeting since 1985.Louisville: The Cardinals travel Phoenix to face Dan Majerle-coached Grand Canyon on Saturday night. They won last years inaugural meeting 111-63.---More AP College Basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org Wholeslae Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Cheap College Jerseys Cheap Football Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap Baseball Jerseys ' ' '