Louisville basketball game grades: Cards win ugly over Nicholls State

The start of the Chris Mack, Louisville basketball era got off to a good start last evening as the Cards knocked off Nicholls State.

We could all agree that was a bit closer than we wanted, and certainly not how we expected Team 105 to start the season. Lazy passes, missed opportunities, and some unforced errors – to be expected? But a win is a win, and 1-0 for Louisville basketball sure does feel a lot better than 0-1, right?

I’m not one to overreact after one game – especially with a new coach, some new players, and an entirely new system on both ends of the court – but let’s get into it.

Nine different players put up points for the Cards and four scored in double figures, which bodes well for a team that isn’t heralded for their depth. Dwayne Sutton started over Jordan Nwora, which was a surprise, but Nwora responded well after a bit of a slow start with 12 points and 6 rebounds in 23 minutes.

Sutton played 35 minutes, the most on the team, and only had 9 points, but when the game got down to the wire he got clutch rebounds, created a jump ball, and hit his free throws. He was smart with the ball and played his role the way he always has – the kid’s a winner. Speaking of “down to the wire”, Christen Cunningham’s veteran leadership is definitely going to help the Cards win games this season.

Steven Enoch was impressive again, as he was in both exhibitions. Honestly his teammates missed him quite a few times in the paint but I’m sure they’ll work on that. Enoch had 17 points, and was 3/4 from the field. That’s what leads to the most promising stat for him: 11/11 from the FT line. If our big man can keep that up… it can only help us down the line.

Jeremiah Jefferson of Nicholls hit 7/12 from the 3 point line and kept the Colonels closer than anyone thought they’d be, but again I see Mack getting the guys together in practice this week so I’m not terribly worried. It’s still the first game. A lot to look forward to and plenty to work on, and I’m excited to see things come together.

MVP: Malik Williams. Only four points, but he was ALL hustle and heart tonight. I can’t even tell you how many times this guy was on the floor grabbing loose balls, creating steals, and even if he didn’t get the block – he altered so many shots inside on defense. He was great for Louisville tonight on both ends of the floor.

LVP: VJ King. Sigh. I don’t even want to type this because we’re all waiting for him to be one of the best players on this team.. He had 12 points and 7 boards, but honestly he was virtually invisible when he was on the court. Those points were made up of a few free throws in the waning minutes when it seemed as if Nicholls entire team had fouled out. The same problems that have always plagued him – being timid, not impactful on defense, not finishing – reared their ugly heads once again.

X-Factor: Dwayne Sutton. I know I already talked about him, but the guy is just so important to our team. He never seems to get tired, he can play almost every spot on the court on both ends, he’s a veteran presence and his toughness is almost unmatched. This won’t be the first time he’s the X-Factor this year.

If you missed the entrance video – I feel sorry for you.