Louisville Basketball: The Irish not so lucky in Charlotte
By Madison Wood
CC only had 3 points, but he did what he’s built to do: control the game. He stays poised and the team runs smoothly and efficiently when he’s on the floor.. PG. Louisville Cardinals. CHRISTEN CUNNINGHAM. B+
C. Khwan forced some shots early and didn’t look very comfortable out there. He wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t good, and didn’t play much as a result.. SG. Louisville Cardinals. KHWAN FORE
B. Dwayne only scored 5 points but as always his hustle stats win the day. Finishing with 4 assists and 10 boards, most of them offensive, there’s no doubt he brings much needed energy to this team. Hopefully his scoring picks back up.. SF. Louisville Cardinals. DWAYNE SUTTON
Jordan started out on fire and never really cooled off. The better news is he played solid defense and took care of the ball. He even passed the ball in transition! A confident Jordan is a scary sight for the rest of the ACC moving forward…. PF. Louisville Cardinals. JORDAN NWORA. A+
B. Malik took a few shots that he shouldn’t have, but for the most part he played well. He played terrific defense under the basket and made nothing easy. His tenacity is something the Cards can’t get enough of moving forward. His low post game still needs some work though.. C. Louisville Cardinals. MALIK WILLIAMS
B+. Steve was assertive whenever he had the ball and as aggressive as he’s been all year. His defense looked somewhat improved and his forcefulness around the rim was very apparent by his many dunks tonight. Finishing with 10 points in this one, an aggressive Enoch could dominate moving forward.. C. Louisville Cardinals. STEVEN ENOCH
B+. VJ was aggressive and looked like he’s building confidence every minute he plays. Grabbing tough rebounds, playing great defense, and just giving it all he’s got are what we all love to see. That blocked shot though… More of that, please.. SF. Louisville Cardinals. V.J. KING
RyMac went on one of his own personal runs where it didn’t matter if your hand was in his face or he was fading away. He also throws the best lobs on the team, don’t argue.He also held his own against opposing guards. Ryan getting better at putting the ball on the floor in addition to raining 3’s could give this team a big lift.. PG. Louisville Cardinals. RYAN MCMAHON. A-
PG. Louisville Cardinals. DARIUS PERRY. A. Darius gets an A on his birthday. Not just because of how well he handled the ball, showed poise, and helped manage the game. And definitely not because of the crossover and dunk. Okay… it’s because of the dunk.
The Cards look confident. That’s so much more than we could say even 2 weeks ago. Coach Mack seems to have gotten them back on track and playing like they can beat anyone in the country. This team has talent, and when they couple that with toughness, they really can compete with any team out there.
Next. Louisville basketball: Three most important players in the ACC tournament. dark
That mental hurdle seems to have been cleared, thankfully. And albeit against a not so great team, Louisville is playing some really good basketball at just the right time. A confident team playing well on both ends in the month of March is all we could ask for, right? The rubber match with UNC tomorrow night will be a test of their newfound confidence. Let’s hope they’re ready.