The Louisville basketball team was back in action Saturday on the road, losing in an at-times dominating fashion to the Clemson Tigers 80-75. Clemson took the lead in the first half and kept it the remainder of the game as the Cardinals failed to pull off the comeback late. It’s another crushing loss in a Quad 1A opportunity for the Cardinals and Pat Kelsey, who still does not have a notched win in that category for his Louisville coaching career.
It is officially a trend with this team; they simply cannot beat high-quality teams on the road. They have struggled all season in this category, and their tournament resume will now suffer as a result. It will be interesting to see where the Cardinals fall in the seed lines after this loss next week. The Cardinals will have one more Quad 1 opportunity to bolster their resume, as Louisville will travel to Miami for its last game of the season against the Hurricanes. This game has become increasingly more pressure-filled due to Louisville’s result today and in recent games.
Here are 4 takeaways from Louisville’s crushing loss to Clemson on the road.
4. Turnovers continue to be momentum killers
Louisville’s turnover woes extended into another game, as the team finished with 11 turnovers to only 12 assists. Clemson’s defensive prowess continually forced the Cardinals into errant decisions, ultimately leading to many stalled possessions. It’s become an unwanted quality of the Cardinals' offense, as they have posted double-digit team turnover totals in every game since they defeated the Pittsburgh Panthers on January 17th.
The turnover issues have been a major problem for the Cardinals, especially in their critical losses to talented teams. They have very little room for error in this offense, especially in games where they struggle to hit the outside shot (10 for 36, 28% in today’s game). Offensive efficiency has to improve as they enter March if they want to have a chance against the top teams in the NCAA tournament.Â
3. Louisville’s offensive scheme fails to adapt to talented teams
The 3-point shots-and-layups-only philosophy was a fun system to watch early in the season, when everything seemed to be clicking against smaller, less physical opponents. As the Cardinals have faced tougher, longer, and more physical opponents, it has become abundantly clear that adjustments are warranted in these matchups. Louisville fans can only take so many drives to the basket ending in blocked shots before they start to go crazy.Â
The bigger problem with keeping this philosophy is that the more talented and well-coached teams have honed in on this offensive system. These teams make it their mission to guard the 3-point arc and around the basket very closely, forcing turnovers and highly contested shots for the Cardinals. The failed use of the mid-range game due to its perceived low-quality shot has been a crutch for Louisville’s inability to consistently defeat these types of teams. Sometimes it may simply be smart to take what the defense gives you if the other options are fully off the table.Â
2. Adrian Wooley needs to take more of Isaac McKneely’s minutes
Isaac McKneely has shown that he can be a sharpshooting threat when he is open and has space between him and his defender. The problem recently has been that Louisville has played tougher, more physical opponents who key in on McKneely and limit his shooting opportunities. McKneely's response to this targeting has been nonexistent, as he has failed to find good open opportunities and to work through tough defensive pressure.Â
On the flipside, Adrian Wooley entered the starting lineup once again due to the injury Mikel Brown Jr. had been experiencing this week. He took advantage of the opportunity, leading the Cardinals in scoring with 17 points. He was extremely hot late in the game as Louisville was attempting to mount a comeback. He is more aggressive on the offensive end and a much better defender than McKneely. At this point in the season, Wooley is a better option for higher minute totals than McKneely against talented teams.
1. Louisville’s realistic NCAA tournament ceiling lowers with each loss
Each loss that Louisville suffers is crushing not only for the team and the fanbase but also for Louisville’s overall tournament resume. Before this game, Louisville was sitting anywhere from a 5 to a 7 seed, depending on which bracketology reference was used. As each loss accumulates, that seed line dips further and further, as Louisville simply does not have any good, high-quality wins to keep them at those respective seed lines. They are dangerously close (if not already) to being a dreaded 8- or 9-seed in the NCAA tournament.
If the nightmare situation occurs and Louisville does, in fact, get chosen for the tournament as an 8 or 9 seed, it seems hard to believe that Louisville’s realistic ceiling for the tournament is more than the Round of 32. The top teams in college basketball (Duke, Michigan, and Arizona, to name a few) have separated themselves into a tier of their own compared to the rest of the country. Having to face the likes of one of those teams in their second game certainly does not give Cards fans any warm feelings about a deep March run. The Miami game and the ACC tournament have now become more critical than ever for Louisville’s seed line and their hopes of going on a run this March.