Louisville basketball: Evaluating the performance of the Cards freshmen
By Alan Thomas
As the Louisville men’s basketball team is more than halfway through the 2019-20 schedule, it’s time to take another look at the progress of the super six.
We’re 20 games into the 2019-2020 college basketball season, and Louisville basketball has seen a wide spectrum of changes already.
After kicking off the season with a dominating road victory over a conference opponent, the Cards soared to number one in the Associated Press Top 25. They then proceeded to notch a top-five victory, get bushwhacked by an unranked opponent on a neutral floor, and ultimately lose a nail-biter to their arch-rival before getting housed at home by a very athletic Florida State team. Since then, the Cards have reeled off six straight wins and climbed back into the national championship conversation.
But even through all of the ups and downs, one thing has remained the same: the freshmen simply need more minutes, and they’re finally starting to get them in spurts. We’ve already seen the impact they can have on games, and just think about how much they could positively affect the rest of this year’s schedule.
Chris Mack’s inaugural freshman class was ranked in the top 10 (10th) according to 247 Sports. Somewhere down the line, the sports world began dubbing them “The Super Six”, and the Cardinal fanbase embraced them with open arms, as they were the few brave ones who agreed to sign up for an unknown quest in the most important years of their adult lives.
In the pages that follow, I’ll grade each freshman (other than Jae’Lyn Withers..redshirt) based on performance to this date, I’ll give my assessment as to what their share of playing time should be moving forward, as well as shedding some light on why they probably aren’t getting the minutes many think they should.
As much as I really wish for a solid team anchored on experience, it is also my wish that Mack can have the stones to put his freshman class on full display as we approach some crucial contests this season.
Playing time for his freshmen needs to be his way of drawing in more highly-ranked high school prospects to Louisville. That needs to be a part of his brand. The most consistently prolific college basketball programs have great young talent…mixed in with steadfast experience.
But only game minutes yield experience.
That being said, it’ll sure be fun (or embarrassing) to look back on this article when these guys have matured into sophomores, juniors, or NBA draftees.