Louisville basketball: Three takeaways from blowout of Syracuse
By Jacob Lane
David Johnson starting was the right move
Whichever side of the fence you sit on when it comes to whether or not Chris Mack needed to make more changes to the starting for Louisville, you simply can’t deny the fact that the right moves were made.
After getting down by as many as 12 in the opening 10-plus minutes of the first half against Georgia Tech and as much as 14 in the same time frame against Clemson, it was evident that something with the starting group of five for Louisville wasn’t going to work.
It’s not like this group was unfamiliar with slow starts. During their 10-game winning streak, and even earlier into the season, bad starts were fairly common and while they ultimately didn’t lead to any losses it did open up pandora’s box for the possibility of a bad loss late in the season.
Not only was the lack of intensity on the defensive side of the ball a problem, but the energy overall and playmaking were both desperately lacking as no one was able to get the Cards offense going downhill with their ability to attack the rim.
Enter David Johnson.
Against Georgia Tech and Clemson, Johnson was one of just two players who played extremely well in both games. If not for fouling out against Georgia Tech in the final moments, that game easily could have been a win, while against Clemson he dictated the second half for the Cards and nearly single-handily brought them back with his playmaking. He combined in those games to score 30 points, grab 11 rebounds, and dish out 10 assists.
Much to the fans liking, Mack inserted Johnson against Syracuse and it paid dividends immediately. He played a total of 24 minutes, scored three points while dishing out a team-high seven assists (should have been more), turning the ball over zero times and only picking up one foul (zero fouls last 22 minutes he played).
His passing from the top of the zone and from the free-throw line opened up the Syracuse zone and allowed Louisville to attack relentlessly. There was no standing around, there was no waiting for someone else to do something. Instead, Johnson’s willingness to get others involved and keep the ball “peppering around” as Ryan McMahon said post-game, was contagious and it led to Louisville having 22 total assists on 30 made baskets.
Louisville likely won’t face much more 2-3 zones, but last night Johnson proved that him being out with the starting five made sense. The Cards were energetic early and eager to push their lead and tempo, something Johnson can do for this team down the stretch if given the opportunity.