Louisville basketball: 3 positive takeaways from loss to Virginia

Jordan Nwora is trending upward at the right time

I don’t need to continue going into my disdain for fans hurling unfair criticism at Jordan Nwora time and time again after losses and poor performances. I will admit that this season has been a bit of a disappointment for Nwora as he came back with the intention of winning ACC POY and being named a First-Team All-American. While that isn’t likely to happen, Nwora does not deserve the finger-pointing he’s gotten from fans this season.

Following the back-to-back dud’s against Georgia Tech and Clemson in which he combined to score just seven points, Nwora has bounced back in a major way, scoring in double-digits in five straight contests.

While Louisville’s lost two of those games, against Florida State and Virginia, the level that Nwora has taken his game to has the potential to send Louisville on a deep-run during post-season play,. In those five games, Nwora has averaged 16.8 points per game, which is a tad under his season average but has hauled in 9.8 rebounds while turning the ball over just 1.4 times per game.

It’s the last two games though that have shown how capable Nwora is of talking his game to the level intensity wise, especially on the defensive side of the floor. All season Chris Mack has pleaded for Nwora to show more toughness on both ends, especially when his shots aren’t falling, and over the last two games, he’s responded in a major way. In fact, his play has shown the potential in my mind to change the trajectory of Louisville’s post-season.

Against Virginia Tech, Nwora was able to limit Virginia Tech star wing Landers Nolley to just six points (nearly 11 points below his season average) in a game in which he scored 20 points on eight of 16 shooting from the field and grabbed 12 rebounds. Against Virginia, Nwora started slow, got hot, went cold again, and ultimately finished strong all while playing a major role in keeping Braxton Key from making a major impact.

Nwora shot just six of 17 overall, but it never led to him slacking or letting off the brakes on defense and it was a huge part of Louisville climbing back into the game.

If Louisville gets the Jordan Nwora they’ve gotten over the last two games, in which he’s averaged 19 points, 12 rebounds, and nearly two assists per game on 42 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent overall from three the teams in the Cardinals path are going to be in trouble.

Nwora has every bit of the ability to lead Louisville on a deep run as some of the great college basketball players of the past have before him, but it’ll take him playing at this level every single night.