In the final tune-up before the Battle of the Bluegrass, third-ranked Louisville basketball struggles early but runs away with it late in 70-46 win over the Miami (OH) RedHawks.
It did not look pretty for the first 31 minutes of basketball on Wednesday night at the KFC! Yum Center, but Louisville basketball was able to clean up their act in the final minutes. Miami (OH) played a gritty basketball game and was not going away easily, as the RedHawks cut it to a four-point deficit with just under nine minutes left in the game.
The Cards allowed the fanbase to breathe afterward, however, as they proceeded to go on a 26-6 run that wound up closing the game for the number three team in college basketball.
Unlike most of Louisville’s wins in the young season, the victory wasn’t going to be earned in the first half by virtue of one big offensive run. Give credit to Miami (OH) for putting together a solid gameplan that forced Louisville into trouble.
The Cards improved to 11-1 on the year and they now are rewarded with ten days of rest before the biggest game of the regular season. They’ll enjoy a nice Holiday Break to spend time with family before they get back to strictly business.
Heading into the game, the RedHawks really did not look like an opponent that would challenge the Cards on paper, but they proved that they were capable of hanging around. Louisville limped out to a 28-20 halftime lead as they struggled to put together consistent offense. They maintained a lead due to their strong play on the defensive end of the court, which we’ve seen a lot with this team in December.
Highlights from the Cards 70-46 victory over Miami (OH).#GoCards pic.twitter.com/gvNVDVm8iK
— Louisville Men's Basketball (@LouisvilleMBB) December 19, 2019
They struggled on offense throughout most of the game, but they put together a quality offensive run in the late minutes that made the score look much wider than it really was. Louisville shot 39.7 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc as a team, which aren’t numbers Chris Mack wants his team to replicate. They also shot 64.7 percent from the free-throw line, and they’ll need to be more efficient from the stripe if they want to be a legitimate title contender.
Unsurprisingly, Jordan Nwora led the Cards in scoring. Like most of the team, Nwora struggled throughout the game, having a difficult time creating shots on offense. He had a big second half that helped propel the Cards to the win, however. Overall, he scored 20 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. He shot 7 of 17 from the field, 2 of 8 from three, and 4 of 7 from the charity stripe. He also turned the ball over four times. The junior forward can be better and will be better, and I’m sure of that.
Dwayne Sutton had a really good game, putting up a fight on both ends of the floor and playing classic “Dwayne Sutton” basketball. He only scored eight points on 4 of 10 shooting, but the senior forward grabbed 15 rebounds, dished out four assists, and swatted away three RedHawk shot attempts. It was certainly one of Sutton’s most impressive performances on the season. Ryan McMahon poured in 11 points while knocking down 3 three-pointers and Malik Williams had a solid game, scoring nine points and grabbing 11 rebounds off the bench.
Darius Perry still has to be better at the point guard role, but he played with good energy on the floor tonight and he always brings it on the defensive end. David Johnson continues to see more playing time as well, and he’ll be a force come March. Samuell Williamson and Fresh Kimble both still have room for improvement but they can provide valuable things for the Cards off the bench in their own ways.
Defense was the name of the game for the Cards in this one and they overpowered the RedHawks down the stretch with their length and agility. Miami (OH) shot a horrifying 27.3 percent from the field and 18.2 percent from three, which both won’t help you win many games at this level. The Cards dominated the glass, taking a 54-40 edge in that department over Miami. They only forced nine RedHawk turnovers, but I think the Cards defensive strengths reside in its ability to prevent opponents from getting good looks rather than forcing turnovers.
To put it simply, Louisville can be so much better than they played tonight and they will have to be better than this if they want to have any shot at competing for a national championship. Now it’s a good thing that it is December 19th.
They’ll continue to improve over time throughout the season but the kind of effort they played with tonight can’t show itself again. No matter what, it certainly cannot show itself on December 28th. The Cards have one final non-conference game and it will be against their toughest test yet, the sixth-ranked Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena in one of the best rivalries in sports. Until then, enjoy the holiday season Card Nation!