Louisville basketball: Bold predictions for ACC Tournament
By Jacob Lane
Louisville finally gets the breakout game from Samuell Williamson
It may be hard to believe (or it may not, I’m not really sure how much you think about it) but Louisville basketball freshman phenom Samuell Williamson hasn’t finished a game in double-digits since he had 14 points against Clemson way back on January 25th.
Since then he’s gone fairly quiet in the scoring department, scoring no more than six points in a game, while finishing with two or less on three different occasions. Don’t let those scoring numbers fool you, as there have been multiple games where Williamson has impacted the game in some sort of fashion whether it be on offense or defense. In fact, you’ve likely been watching games and really not even noticed how important a rebound here, a defensive stop there, a blocked or contest shot here.
However, much like with any freshman, Williamson has had other games during that stretch where he’s really made no impact on games. Whether that be because of playing time and Mack deciding other guys are more likely to provide what’s needed or because the game didn’t dictate Williamson being a factor.
While the impact Williamson has had in the Cards last five games really doesn’t show up in stat sheets, what I’ve seen from the freshman makes me believe a breakout game is coming. All season long I heard on talk shows and read on social media about Mack unleashing Williamson and while his minutes still aren’t quite there, he showed against Virginia how dangerous he can be.
Most of Williamson’s damage has come just with his length and ability to disrupt opposing players while also fighting for rebounds every possession as well as getting into the mid-range to score.
Whether it be against Syracuse/UNC/VA Tech in the first round or Virginia/Duke/FSU in the rounds to follow, one unlucky team is going to get an unleashed Williamson. With the bright lights on and Williamson trending upward the last few weeks, it’s a perfect recipe for the baby faced assassin turned burger boy to have his breakout game., a la Montrezl Harrell in 2013.