Chris Mack and the Louisville basketball program are looking for their eighth straight win on Saturday against North Carolina State. Why this may be a crucial game for the Cards.
Louisville basketball has been one of the hottest teams across the country the last few weeks, as they’ve bounced back from two straight losses to ranked teams with a seven-game winning streak.
A lot of questions that fans and national college basketball pundits had about Louisville late in the non-conference schedule into ACC play have been answered. Louisville’s mental fortitude has improved mightily (although it may not be where it needs to be just yet) as they’ve made impressive comebacks, blown a few teams out, and shown the ability to put their foot on the gas when it matters.
David Johnson has emerged into the true point guard of the team following huge performances against the likes of Duke, Clemson, and Boston College allowing Darius Perry to slide over to his more natural position and become another scorer.
Jordan Nwora has heard tons of criticism (mostly unwarranted) as he’s struggled to score at the consistent level we’ve seen over the last two seasons as he’s emerged into the ACC’s top scorer. Against Boston College on Tuesday night, Nwora responded in a major way dropping a career-high 37 points including 21 in the first half.
Mack has found a rotation rhythm with his bigs, Steve Enoch and Malik Williams, using Enoch to provide scoring with his back to the basket while relying on Williams for his strong defensive abilities, overall energy, and his scoring around the rim.
The ACC schedule for Louisville only gets more and more difficult starting with North Carolina State, who was desperately looking for a resume win to get them off the bubble following back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech and North Carolina.
Things didn’t look pretty early on for Louisville, as many hoped to see the same Cardinals team that ended the Boston College game. In fact, in the opening portion of the first half, Chris Mack watched as his team threw lazy passes, ran half-hearted offense sets, and struggled to get any sort of offensive rhythm.
But as we’ve been accustomed to seeing during Louisville’s now eight-game winning streak, they found a way to dig themselves out of a hole. Behind a career-high night from behind the three-point line, senior guard Ryan McMahon opened up the game with five first-half threes on way to a 23 point game.
While Jordan Nwora struggled once again from the field, the supporting cast around him more than picked up the slack as guys like Fresh Kimble, Malik Williams, Dwayne Sutton, and David Johnson pitched in and helped Louisville to keep the desperate Wolfpack at bay.
Louisville ultimately picked up the win, moving to 19-3 on the season including 10-1 in conference where they now hold a firm grip on first place.
Before we move on and look at Louisville’s upcoming matchup with Wake Forest, let’s take one final look back at the game that was and what stood out for the Cards moving forward.