Steven Enoch the spark Louisville basketball needs off the bench

Louisville basketball’s Steven Enoch has been the X-factor off the bench for the Cards.

Steven Enoch. The Enochness Monster. Steve E-Block (this one is still in beta testing).  Whatever you prefer to call him, Louisville basketball more than appreciated his services on Saturday. His Cards led wire-to-wire on the road against the No. 12 team in the country, North Carolina.

The loss for the Tar Heels served as the worst home defeat under Roy Williams, and their largest margin of defeat overall in 16 years. It also becomes Louisville’s second win over a top 15 team on the season, and Louisville’s first conference road win against a ranked opponent since 2014 against Cincinnati.

But possibly the biggest storyline in Saturday’s game was the continual progression of the Cards’s redshirt junior center, Steven Enoch. After back-up center Malik Williams put together an impressive December, and stellar game against Miami on January 6th, Chris Mack inserted Williams into the starting lineup against Pitt on January 9th.

Putting Williams on the floor at the tip-off isn’t indicative of who is the better player, but he has had the hot hand anchoring the middle, and earned the starting spot. However, what many underestimated was the positive effect it could have on Enoch.

Often riddled by foul trouble, Enoch has to sit the bench for a large portion of the first half in some of Louisville’s big games.  Prior to last week, Enoch scored in double figures six times on the season. On each of those occasions, Enoch recorded 3 or less fouls every time. On the other hand, Enoch struggles when he sits the bench. In games against Tennessee and Indiana, he picked up two early fouls, and his ability to contribute was mitigated.

We are starting to see a common trend here. The solution? Bring Enoch off the bench.

Coming into the game off the bench allows Enoch to do two things. First, he doesn’t have the pressure to not pick up two early fouls in the early minutes of the game. Taking that off of his back allows Enoch to play to his strengths, and be physically imposing down low. Secondly, it gives Enoch an opportunity to get a feel for the game before even going in. He can see what the other team is running, observe the flow of the game and how tightly it is being officiated, and adjust accordingly.

For example, in games against Robert Morris, Marquette, and Vermont, the game was called much more loosely. These are games where Enoch was able to take advantage. No worrying about being too aggressive on box outs, or being flagged for “ticky tacky” fouls down low. But, it would have been nice to know in games against Tennessee and Indiana how loose the whistle would be before having to bench prior to the first TV timeout.

It’s those small intricacies of the game that one can pick up before ever playing a second that can make all of the difference. Starting the game on the pine at Pittsburgh, Enoch came in and start 6 for 6 from the floor before having to take some forced shots late. He recorded a block, an assist, and seven rebounds and tallied 14 points in only 24 minutes of play.

On Saturday, Enoch went OFF. This time, it was Williams who got in early foul trouble, but Enoch was ready. He led the team with 17 points and 11 rebounds in 27 minutes. His big game was not only his best in his first year as a Card, but likely the most impressive of his career. He was all over the glass, dominating a North Carolina team that is top 10 in team rebounds in the country. On offense, the paint was his, and he consistently established perfect position and utilized his size to his advantage.

Oh, and he did Enochness Monster things.

‘Noch ‘Noch. Who’s there?

https://twitter.com/LouisvilleMBB/status/1084182589328539654

Enoch is finally starting to tap some of his potential. He was under-utilized and struggled overall under Kevin Ollie at UConn. He transferred to Louisville to play under Rick Pitino, but had to sit out under interim coach David Padgett during his bridge year. Now, at his second school, and under his 3rd head coach in as many years, Enoch is finally hitting his stride.

Although it’s a small sample size to work with, it appears Chris Mack might have done just enough tinkering with Louisville’s lineup to make some magic happen. And although the Cards have been inconsistent of late, if Enoch can bring more of this type of play to the table, Louisville may finally have found it’s “X-factor.”

Steven Enoch could very well be the difference between a bridge season in Louisville and a deep tournament run, and thanks to Mack’s tinkering, the Cards may be headed in the right direction.