Louisville Basketball: Cards exercise demons in win over Blue Devils

Louisville basketball exercised their demons from last season’s tragic loss, taking down the Duke Blue Devils in a wire-to-wire victory.

The stage was set for a national heavyweight battle between Louisville basketball and Duke, and it did not disappoint.

The Cards played their best game of the season thus far, exercising their demons against the third-ranked Blue Devils and erasing the memory of last seasons meltdown.

Team 106 is not team 105.

This is Chris Mack’s best win since coaching at Louisville, solidifying his team’s position at the top of the ACC with FSU each at 6-1.

There were a plethora of positive takeaways from tonight’s performance for the Cards, many of them answering lingering questions and concerns.

The overall team effort was the best its been all season and was magnified by the fact that the 15-3 Cardinals pre-season player of the year nominee, Jordan Nwora, went 3-12 and only tallied 6 points.

Four different Cards scored in double digits, with Louisville’s bench outscoring Duke’s by a whopping 34 points (UL-39 Duke-5).

MVP of the Game: David Johnson

Ladies and gentlemen, David Johnson has arrived.

The freshman guard is the MVP of the game, with a stat line that should solidify his contributions at point guard going forward: 8-12, 19pts, 7ast, 4reb, 3stl, 2blk in 27 minutes of play.

Johnson remained unphased against the 1200 Crazies and the rest of Cameron Indoor, directing the offense and sparking Louisville’s aggressive tone throughout the game.

I believe Johnson could have single-handily brought the Cards back into Final Four conversations, now that there is another reliable answer to solidify the PG position.

X-factor: Dwayne Sutton

The glue man had 13 points and 5 defensive boards, but it was his aggressiveness on offense that made Dwayne the X-factor of the game.

Sutton’s toughness and determination getting to the rim led to fouls, free-throws, and ultimately issues for Duke. I believe this team took a significant step forward tonight in their mindset and toughness tonight, and Dwayne definitely has something to do with that.

Stat of the Night: Louisville’s D

Overall, Louisville played great on the defensive side of the ball.

Holding the Blue Devils to 24% from three-point range, and 37.1% overall AT HOME. That’s big.

When you consider Duke shot 12 more free throws, it was great to see Louisville continue the effort on defense even when the whistles were hot and the game was close.

You can tell the Cards are still progressing defensively, so beating a top team on the road mid-January should do wonders for Louisville come tournament play.

What this means for Louisville: Finally, a signature win

Its no secret everyone was starting to get nervous looking ahead at Louisville’s schedule, with Quad 1 opportunities dwindling by the week.

The Cards needed a signature win if they were to have any hopes at a top seed come March.

With the victory tonight and many upset losses happening in the top 20 recently, team 106 has instantly put themselves squarely back in position for a 1 or 2 seed.

What’s next: More Johnson, please

I believe after tonight we see UofL start crafting their offensive identity through David Johnson going forward.

Although their no pushovers, the next two games at home against Georgia Tech and Clemson will provide a great opportunity to continue improving and building on the successful things from a Duke victory.

A more efficient and confident offense.

A stout defense with everyone bought in.

An aggressive and tough mentality for 40 minutes.

I believe Louisville has proven tonight they are capable of a deep run in March, putting the pieces together just at the right time.