Louisville basketball: Three takeaways from loss to Florida State

If Louisville doesn’t have Malik Williams another short NCAA Tournament trip is in the Cards

I tend to lean towards the group of fans and media saying that the game could’ve been completely different had Malik Williams not gone out to an unfortunate ankle injury very early in the first half against Florida State. Williams had been electric the last several games, earning his way into the starting lineup and looking like a legit star with his increased minutes.

His increased role was a huge reason that Louisville fans were optimistic about the chances of beating the Seminoles the second go-round, as he’s been great attacking the rim (and shooting from three) while blocking shots and making things tough for opponents on defense.

Not only was his injury hard to watch, knowing Williams has struggled with foot issues this season, but his reaction as he ran to the locker room followed up by him being in tears on the bench in a boot took were both brutal. Williams has been the heartbeat of this team since he returned from injury and his presence and effect on games had just begun to reach the ceiling of potential.

With him going out early in the game, Louisville and Chris Mack were left to figure out rotations and how to deal with the now evident lack of size against one of the nation’s longest and most athletic teams.

Mack went back and forth between man-to-man (using the traditional packline scheme) and a 2-3 zone to try and combat the height and length with more bodies. Unfortunately, that led to more fouls for Steven Enoch, a ton of minutes for Dwayne Sutton at the five and played a huge role in the Cards being able to protect the rim.

Enoch had been dealing with injury issues of his own leading up to the FSU game but played a total of 24 minutes in the losing effort. Here’s the thing about Enoch. He’s as talented as they come on offense for someone who has only been playing the game for a decade or so, but defensively and on the glass, he never seems to have much impact.

Last night was the perfect example. Enoch hauled in just three rebounds (the same as Ryan McMahon, may I remind you) while scoring only six points and picking up four fouls. Again, I know that he wasn’t 100 percent, but what we saw from him was the inability to play through competition (meaning using his big body to push people back), pass out of double teams, and move his feet laterally on defense.

Florida State ate Louisville alive in the post on the inside and it showed that without Malik Williams there to provide shot-blocking and rim protection, as well as attack the glass, the Cards aren’t the same team.

That means that if the ankle injury suffered is serious and Williams has to miss any extended time, expect an early exit for the Cards. That may be harsh, but the performance against Florida State showed that there’s no controlling the paint without their star big man.

There’s been no announcement yet on the extent of the injury, but should Williams be able to return for the ACC Tournament there’s a good chance we’ll get to see Louisville and FSU for the third time this season. Could things go differently? Absolutely. But until we see it, we have to live with the fact that the Cards are 0-2 against the Seminoles this season.