Shooting woes plagued Louisville basketball's offense for a second day in a row at the ACC tournament. The problem was that these woes were too much to overcome as the Cardinals fell to the Miami Hurricanes 78-73, ending their run in the ACC tournament and forcing a long weekend to reflect and prepare for Selection Sunday to determine their seeding fate. The Cardinals fell behind at times, especially right after halftime. However, they continually fought back to put themselves in a position to pull off the victory in the final minute.
The Cardinals will now set their sights on the NCAA tournament and prepare for the multiple teams they could see when their name is called on Selection Sunday. The early exit is undoubtedly a disappointment to many Cards fans, even with the underwhelming 6 seed the Cardinals earned from their regular-season conference play. However, the Cardinals still have the tools to have a successful March if everything falls into place perfectly.
Here are four takeaways from Louisville’s devastating loss in the ACC tournament.
4. Mikel Brown Jr. is extremely missed on the offensive end of the floor
The 3-headed offensive machine of Ryan Conwell, J’Vonne Hadley, and Mikel Brown Jr. was a juggernaut in February when things were clicking at their highest level all season. This game had 2 of the 3 doing their part on the offensive end, with Conwell finishing with 22 points and Hadley with 19 points. The problem is that none of the other members (besides Khani Rooths, with 11 points in limited minutes) did their part in the scoring department.
Mikel Brown Jr. can simply take over a game when things stall on the offensive end; we’ve seen it this season, time and time again. He has the talent and ability to make special plays in games that are sure to be grinded out possession by possession in the NCAA tournament. Louisville desperately needs to have its star freshman back in the lineup next week if it wants to have an extended and memorable March.
3. Sananda Fru and Khani Rooths show life in key minutes off the bench
Two of the bright spots from this game came from the bench, particularly Sananda Fru and Khani Rooths. Sananda Fru had struggled mightily in the last half of the season, causing Pat Kelsey to call the number of Vangelis Zougris for the starting position at center. Fru provided 17 key minutes, including 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocks, an effort that was fully welcomed by all Cardinals fans.
Another welcome performance was the re-emergence of an athletic Khani Rooths. Rooths provided a spark in the first half for the Cardinals on both ends of the floor. Rooths finished the game with 11 points, the only Cardinal, along with Ryan Conwell and J’Vonne Hadley, to score double digits in the game. The only problem was that Rooths received only 9 minutes for the whole game, which is mind-boggling given the production he was bringing to the floor. Hopefully, Pat Kelsey can see in the future that players with the hot hand or who are finding success on the floor need to be in the game.
2. Turnovers proved to be too much to overcome
Any time you give up double-digit turnovers in a game, the components for a disappointing showing are put into motion. Louisville was careless at times with the basketball, giving up 13 turnovers, which Miami converted into 17 points. Turnovers arguably were the reason that Louisville lost this game, as Isaac McKneely threw an inbounds pass directly to the Miami defender in the final minute.
This department has been a struggle for Louisville at times as the season progressed. They can play very clean basketball at times. However, more often than not, the fast pace of play causes mental lapses and physical blunders that give the opposing team more opportunities to score. There are some things that are hard to control within the flow of the game. Turnovers are one aspect that Louisville can have nearly full control over to ensure they are not the reason the Cards are handed a defeat.
1. Louisville cannot win if they don’t hit the 3-point shot
The Cardinals were able to overcome their horrendous shooting percentage yesterday against a weaker SMU Mustang team. However, the Miami Hurricanes proved to be a much more formidable opponent, one that Louisville simply could not outlast. Louisville shot another abysmal percentage in this game (25%, 6 for 24 from behind the arc), which ultimately was one of the main reasons for their early exit from the ACC tournament.
It’s disappointing to have your most elite sharpshooters have their worst shooting performances when you need them the most. Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely combined for a total of 2 makes on 16 attempts in a performance that doesn’t give Cards fans the warmest of feelings entering Selection Sunday. For Louisville to have any hope of success in the NCAA tournament, these two in particular absolutely have to find their touch from distance.