Needs less minutes: Isaac McKneely
If Wooley is going to receive more minutes in this scenario, someone else has to lose them. Isaac McKneely has needed his minutes reduced for over a month now. If not for Brown Jr.’s injury, that change may have happened midway through the season. McKneely is second on the team in minutes played, yet he leads the team in exactly zero statistical categories. He averages just 10.6 points per game and 1.4 assists. He also ranks behind Wooley in points per minute and shoots a lower percentage from three-point range against quality opponents.
One lineup change Pat Kelsey must make for Louisville in the NCAA Tournament
In Louisville’s 10 losses this season, Wooley is shooting 12-of-35 (34.2%) from three-point range. McKneely, meanwhile, is 18-of-67 (26.8%) in those same games. When the lights shine brightest, McKneely has struggled to deliver. March is about big-time players showing up in big-time moments, and McKneely has too often come up short in those situations this season.
In the regular-season finale against Miami, Wooley pulled up and hit a three with 18 seconds left to give Louisville a two-point lead and help seal the victory. In a similarly critical moment during the ACC Tournament game, McKneely allowed a Miami basket while defending with 59 seconds left, giving the Hurricanes a 71–68 lead. On the very next possession, he threw an inbound pass directly to a Miami defender, forcing Louisville to foul and pushing the score to 73–68. In a matter of seconds, Miami scored four points and effectively iced the game. McKneely also missed a free throw with 22 seconds remaining that would have cut the deficit to two.
Those moments highlight the difference between these two players. When the moment gets big, Adrian Wooley has stepped up. Too often this season, Isaac McKneely has not.