Louisville basketball: Final thoughts prior to Syracuse match-up

Louisville basketball enters its match-up with Syracuse looking to stop the bleeding from a two-game skid. Here are some final thoughts before tip-off.

Head coach Chris Mack was adamant in his presser on Tuesday afternoon that Louisville basketball has some things to work on, but that things are still on track for the rest of 2020.

The Cardinals lost two games in a row last week at Georgia Tech and Clemson after a 10-game winning streak that saw them reenter the top 5 in the nation and alone in first place in the ACC.

Regardless of the way the Cardinals finish the rest of conference play, they are a lock to receive a double-bye in the ACC Tournament next month and are still projected as a three seed.

The sky may feel like it’s falling now, but one good shooting game can cure a lot of ailments.

Yes, Louisville star Jordan Nwora has not been himself of late, and yes, the Cards’ defense has lacked in intensity- Senior forward Dwayne Sutton said as much on Tuesday. However, do bear in mind that Louisville suffered easily two of its worst shooting games of the season last week.

That has a little to do with the defenses of the Yellow Jackets and Tigers respectively, but a lot to do with the fact that Louisville is still an imperfect team full of teenagers and young adults unaccustomed to having the spotlight thrust upon them.

Harkon back to mid-season when the Cardinals were rolling and coming off of a program-defining win over a red hot Michigan team.

After Louisville reached No. 1 in the polls, they dropped a clunker to Texas Tech, survived a scare from Akron, lost a heartbreaker to Kentucky, and was outmatched by Florida State.

Again, after Louisville rebounded they came crashing down when the spotlight was on them.

Even as a veteran-laden team, the Cards are used to things going badly. Now, it’s up to the players and staff to figure out a way to get their mojo back.

Still, all of this goes back to Louisville’s ability to shoot the ball well. In their losses, the Cardinals have gone cold from deep for stretches and let the ball not going in effect the game overall.

Teams tend to regress to the mean more often than not. Louisville is still one of, if not the best, shooting team(s) in the country, and they will return to form sooner rather than later.

David Johnson doesn’t have to start, but he should finish.

I am certainly in the minority based on conversations around the city, on social media, and the like, but Louisville doesn’t have to start David Johnson to get where they need to be.

While it is nice in theory to have the hot hand on the floor to begin, Darius Perry and Fresh Kimble have been great starters as well at times- As has Ryan McMahon.

Perry and Kimble certainly did not provide any help as starters in the last two match-ups, but neither did any of the other starters, save Dwayne Sutton.

Let’s go easy on the starting talk. If Johnson starts, then great. But I’m not in practice and I’m not going to even begin to pretend I know how this team clicks on a mental and personality level.

Johnson also has the highest foul rate on the team. What if he comes out and has two in the first few minutes? Then the Cardinals are back to square one.

Louisville has been off lately, but let’s not throw out the strategy that got us here after one bad week.

Besides, Johnson is the best finishing point guard on the team, and I’d like to keep him fresh and engaged in crunch time with the game on the line.

Syracuse is just as streaky as the Cards, and that’s a good thing for Louisville

If you think the last few games have been maddening to be a Louisville fan, imagine cheering for the Orange.

Jim Boeheim’s squad is stacked with young talent that will challenge Louisville on both ends, but they are going through a season similar to what the Cardinals faced last year.

Cuse has been able to get out to promising leads, only to fall just short in the end or go cold from the field for spurts.

In its last game against Florida State, Syracuse may have played its best game of the season. However, when it mattered most it was the Seminoles who found ways to get open shots down the stretch as the Orange went cold.

Buddy Boeheim and Elijah Hughes are prolific shooters, but they have a tendency similarly to Ryan McMahon and Jordan Nwora to go cold from the field.

In a game featuring two teams on two-game losing streaks, it will be all about who can get into a rhythm from deep and then really open things up in the middle.

Luckily for the Cards, they are going to return home to a raucous home crowd anxious to will the team to a win.