Three takeaways from Louisville basketball’s victory over Virginia

David Johnson is one of Louisville’s best playmakers

Finally, Louisville’s best scorer is without a doubt Jordan Nwora, its best rebounder is probably Dwayne Sutton, its best shooter is probably Ryan McMahon, but the Cards’ best playmaker at this point might be David Johnson.

"“David’s our best playmaker,” Mack said in the postgame. “I mean, he just is. He can see who is helping in on-ball screens. I felt like defensively, although he’s a freshman, he can give us a little more length out there.”"

In a game where Louisville’s guards saw pretty even minute distribution, Johnson was in the game with Fresh Kimble for the entirety of the final segment. He wasn’t forcing things, he wasn’t trying to make some of the monster plays that he has in the past, and that’s ultimately what propelled the Cards to a strong finish.

Johnson was patient, often waiting for two or three screens to pick his time to get to the basket. When he did, he either scored, was fouled, or got a dump down to another player who was fouled.

That’s huge going forward for the Cards.

Louisville has Perry and McMahon as two veteran guards who are extremely reliable throughout the game, but when things get tight and opposing defenses clamp down on you, having a ball-handler who can evade the pressure and get the ball in the lane is crucial.

Johnson finished with 7 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and a steal in 17 veteran-like minutes.