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Louisville basketball: 5 top individual performances from 2019-20

By Alex Payton

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 08: Jordan Nwora #33 of the Louisville Cardinals celebrates after making a three-point shot against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half of the game at KFC YUM! Center on February 08, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 08: Jordan Nwora #33 of the Louisville Cardinals celebrates after making a three-point shot against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half of the game at KFC YUM! Center on February 08, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images) /
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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – FEBRUARY 22: Malik Williams #5 of the Louisville Cardinals shoots the ball against the North Carolina Tar Heels at KFC YUM! Center on February 22, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – FEBRUARY 22: Malik Williams #5 of the Louisville Cardinals shoots the ball against the North Carolina Tar Heels at KFC YUM! Center on February 22, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

February 22, 2020 – Malik Williams vs North Carolina

Malik Williams was a steady contributor all year, but really gained some confidence in early February. On February 22nd, the Cardinals took on the North Carolina Tar Heels at home in the Yum Center! UNC didn’t have the year they usually do, but by this game, they benefited from the return of their best player in Cole Anthony.

This was Malik Williams’ second start of the season, and second straight. This was the result of Steven Enoch having an ankle injury that limited his minutes. Jordan Nwora was having a good game and finished with 18, but like several games, someone had to fill a void. In this matchup, Williams saw the most minutes he saw all year at 31. That led him to score 17 points along the way. It wasn’t only the total points, but the efficiency. Williams was 8-11 from the field, 1-2 from three. Following the game, Chris Mack was ecstatic, praising Williams’ effort and performance.

"“He’s grown so much. I love that kid, and I’m happy for him. He’s put in a lot of work, and his teammates respect the heck out of him.”"

Being over 72 percent from the field and adding nine rebounds, Williams was a key reason the Cardinals walked away with a demanding 72-55 win. After fans watched him have this dominant performance, it made everyone even more nervous after seeing him go down two games later against Florida State.

After going down early against FSU and having limited minutes against Virginia, he was never able to build off of this performance. However, the Cardinals are losing a lot of pieces this offseason, but he is not one. Malik Williams will need to be a key leader and contributor, with many more appearances like this one if the Cardinals expect to play well next season.

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