Louisville basketball roundtable: Midseason review part I

Louisville sits at 15-5 and 6-1 in the ACC after being picked to finish 11th by the media in the ACC preseason polls. What has been the biggest factor in the season playing out the way it has for the Cards?

Charlie Thomas (@_CharlieThomas): I’ve stated in Charlie’s Good Times (which drops every Sunday night and you should read) more than once that this team is completely bought into the system put in place by Mack and staff. As the season has went on both the offense and defense has grown greatly.

Thomas Grasch (@ThomasGrasch): This is a tough one to nail down but I am going to go with shooting. It is refreshing to see a team with the ability to score at any time in the game. We are used to making runs with multiple defensive stops and turnovers but this team, at times, can just flat out shoot. It also shows up in the free throw shooting which is trending to be the best in Louisville history if it holds up. Add that to doing a good job getting to the line more often than opponents and I think it is a huge factor, especially early in the season, for being able to compete with and beat some of the best teams in the country.

Jacob Lane (JacobLane_BRL): Without a question it’s been the way the entire team has bought into Chris Mack’s system and philosophy. Think about it, this team was built to be a “Rick Pitino” team. Small guards, big guys who can stretch the floor and shoot, long/athletic forwards, none of which typically fits what Chris Mack likes to do. He’s got a hodgepodge of transfers and hold overs who most people thought wouldn’t really be able to have more than a minor impact, and he’s making them All-ACC type of players. Not to mention what he’s done defensively with Jordan Nwora is unreal. This team plays hard all the time, they make the right play when it’s necessary and they aren’t phased by any opponent. I’ve known about Chris Mack for quite some time and how good of a coach he is with a buddy of mine playing for him at Xavier, but I didn’t expect him to get this team playing this way, this fast.

Ethan Sprowles (@EthanSprowles): The emergence of CC, Nwora, and Enoch. Those guys have for the most part become the rock of the team. Coming into the season, we all knew that Sutton was a do-it-all weapon type of guy and would be a major contributor. The rest of the team were a lot of unknowns. But thankfully, Nwora and CC especially are making me look really smart right now.

Ross Prophater (@RossPro): The Cards ability to get to the free throw line. The Cards are tied for 18th in the country in free throw attempts. What’s more important is when the Cards get to the line, they cash in at the charity stripe. The Cards are 4TH IN THE COUNTRY AT FREE THROWS MADE!

At the beginning of the season in one of our earlier BRL Roundtable discussions, I said this was one of the best free throw shooting teams I could remember. That statement has not only aged well, but the Cards have improved on that fact as the season has gone on.

Madison Wood (@Tostadamadz):  I think the biggest factor this season for the Cards has been Chris Mack. I know, its the easy answer, but it’s facts. The guy has this team playing a tough hard-nosed brand of winning basketball us fans have been DYING for, especially in recent years.

Tanner Hickman (@Kodaknap): As simple as it may sound, I think Louisville’s success so far at this point in the season can be attributed to just finding the right lineup and almost everyone knowing what their role is. Earlier in the season, I don’t think everyone knew what their role was yet. Take Malik Williams for example. Williams has discovered the impact he can make defensively and on the offensive end, he has displayed the ability to stretch the floor with his perimeter shooting ability. In addition, Louisville found their point guard. The Kentucky game stood out to me when I started to see the potential for Cunningham at the point guard spot. (man I wish we could get four more years of CC). He plays so under control that he is able to analyze what the defense is giving him and decides carefully when he should attack the basket or throw up a lob to one of the bigs in a pick-and-roll.