Needs more minutes: Adrian Wooley
Adrian Wooley has stepped into the starting lineup in Brown’s absence and done a solid job. He hit what essentially became the game-winner against Miami in the regular-season finale. He then followed that up with 14 points and six rebounds against SMU in Louisville’s first ACC Tournament game. Most importantly, against SMU, he had zero turnovers and helped down the stretch by hitting 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. Against Miami on Thursday, he did not play nearly as well. He finished with just five points, attempted no free throws, and committed six turnovers.
While that performance was disappointing, Wooley has been improving steadily outside of that one game. As highlighted earlier this week, Wooley is one of the most efficient scorers on the team, averaging 0.39 points per minute, which ranks fifth on the roster and ahead of Isaac McKneely. His style of play is also built for March.
Wooley makes hustle plays, gets to the free-throw line, and rebounds well for his position. Even with Brown Jr.’s return, Wooley needs to remain in the starting lineup and continue to receive starter-level minutes.