University of Louisville junior forward Montrezl Harrell can’t lose his cool.

Not the way he did with 38 seconds left in the first half of a win over Western Kentucky. Harrell was ejected for the first time in his career when officials deemed he threw a punch at WKU’s Avery Patterson after a scramble for a loose ball.

Harrell might have to sit out the Cardinals' next game, against Cal State Northridge, and if there’s a silver lining in all this, it’s that the next name on the schedule is not Kentucky. The Wildcats await Louisville on Dec. 27.

The Cardinals survived without Harrell against the Hilltoppers. But he’s too much of the heart of this team to put his teammates in this predicament.

Harrell sets the tone for Louisville. He was leading the Cards with 14 points, six rebounds and two assists before he was ejected.

It should be noted that within the Commonwealth, the Louisville-WKU rivalry is a little more intense than folks nationally probably realize. The Hilltoppers led the series 39-38 entering Saturday’s game.

When coach Rick Pitino first took over at Louisville, he wanted to delay playing the series. That prompted Western’s then-athletic director Wood Selig to openly suggest they would stop all sports from playing Louisville. There was even talk at the time that the state legislature would have to get involved. The acrimony died down, and from 2008 until now, the teams have played every year.

It’s hard to tell what exactly set Harrell off. He went after a loose ball with Western guard Brandon Price on the ground. There didn’t appear to be any extra pushing from Price, but Patterson and two other Hilltoppers players hovered over him. As Harrell stood up, Patterson shoved him, and Harrell swung back.

Harrell treats every opponent as a rival, anyway. That’s why Harrell drives the team -- it goes beyond just his physical skills. He’s always had an edge.

He expects his teammates to match his intensity. There is a hint of intimidation, too, that lingers and makes it so teammates don’t want to cross him by taking shortcuts.

After a lackluster performance against UNC Wilmington on Sunday, it was Harrell who essentially expanded on Pitino’s postgame speech as to why it was unacceptable. Harrell’s voice began rising to the point that he was doing more than speaking to reporters; he was also letting his teammates know their effort had to change moving forward.

The Cardinals can make a run for the ACC title in their first season in the league, with Harrell leading the way. They can make a deep run in March, with Harrell leading the way.

Harrell needs to keep his edge to keep the Cardinals running. But the Cards need him to keep his cool, too.