Louisville basketball has been struggling since ACC play began just a few weeks ago, and with Mikel Brown Jr.'s injury, things have not gone well for the Cardinals. Since the Memphis game, Brown has been out for a little over a month, and with the promising news of Brown starting to ramp back into practice, things could possibly be looking up for the Cardinals.
Since Brown's absence, certain players have had to step up, leading others to play better than they have all season, while also showing why they were not higher up in the rotation. The Cardinals fans have learned a lot about this team in the past month, and here are two players who deserve more time and one Cardinal who deserves less time in Louisville's rotation.
3. Needs more minutes: Sananda Fru
While Louisville has had a rotating center rotation for the season so far, Sananda Fru has seemed to have emerged as the clear dominant starter. Fru has been much better on the glass over the past two weeks, while also being much more efficient in his shot selection and making shots.
While Aly Khalifa has played decently during this stretch as well, he is nowhere near as physical down low as Fru. While Khalifa has gotten better from beyond the arc and with his passes, that is not what you want from your starting big man. Instead of splitting center time between them, in recent weeks, it has been more of a 70/30 split in favor of Fru. And that is the way it should keep trending in.
2. Needs less minutes: Kobe Rodgers
While Louisville fans were hoping Kobe Rodgers would take a significant step forward in Mikel Brown Jr.'s absence, that has not been the case. While it is hard to say he has played badly in recent weeks, they are not starting-caliber 35+ minute-per-game players for an elite basketball team.
He plays very hard and with a lot of heart on the court, but uncoordinated mistakes and defensive gaffes have been a problem. His minutes have decreased over the past week, and he works much better as a complementary player, which was very evident earlier in the season with Brown at point guard. Hopefully, when Brown comes back, he will get back to the value of play that all Louisville fans know he is capable of.
1. Needs more minutes: Khani Rooths
Khani Rooths has also been a player who has been blooming into his own lately. Rooths brings another physical presence to this team that Pat Kelsey has been looking for. While Rooths has not been the most efficient scorer, he has been a more physical defense and rebounding presence that the Cardinals need. Not to mention that Rooths also seems to be a spark plug on offense at times, too.
Rooths has been out for the last two games and hopefully will return to the court soon, as he was finally looking to break out for the Cardinals in January. The former 4-star recruit is getting just 17 minutes per game, but the fans have made it clear this season they want to see the 6-foot-10, 215-pound forward on the court a lot more.