The Louisville Cardinals' hot start to the season has officially come to an end. The Cardinals fell on the road to the Arkansas Razorbacks 89-80 in a comeback attempt that fell short in the end. Louisville put itself in a major hole in the first half, entering halftime down 47-29 with no offensive rhythm or answer on the defensive end. The second half effort and execution were both much improved, but were ultimately not enough to walk away with a key road win.
The loss was heartbreaking not only because it was the Cardinals' first of the season. It was also to bitter historic rival John Calipari and arguably the worst college basketball former head coach, Kenny Payne. Walking away without handing this duo another loss is an incredibly disappointing aspect of the game. However, Louisville may get another chance to avenge a loss in a more meaningful setting if the two teams meet in the NCAA tournament. Time will tell whether Louisville gets another chance at revenge.
Here are five key observations from Louisville's heartbreaking first loss of the season on the road to the Arkansas Razorbacks.
5. Arkansas’s length continually gave Louisville fits
This Arkansas team was the tallest, longest, and most physical team Louisville has faced and may face all season. At every position, the Razorbacks had the advantage in the size department. This fact continually caused problems for Louisville on both the offensive and defensive sides of the court. The Cardinals failed over and over again to secure rebounds on the defensive end, which added additional offensive opportunities for the Razorbacks.
This was a great game in which Khani Rooths and Kasean Pryor could have played more minutes and been a force on the defensive end for Pat Kelsey. Pryor was able to come in in a limited capacity and some key sparks for the Cardinals. This will hopefully be the start of further action for Pryor, as his length can be a true force in helping combat future teams that pose the same issues for Louisville. Rooths was nonexistent in this game, which is a worrying sign. Rooths had such a strong start to the season that his recent lack of production and minutes has become a cause for concern for Cardinals fans.
4. Tough road environment seemed to rattle Louisville early
Many Louisville fans (myself included) needed to be reminded that this was Louisville’s first actual road test of the season. Bud Walton Arena can be an absolutely electric place, especially when Arkansas is on a roll like they were in this game. It appeared to have a direct effect on Louisville’s play to start the game, especially as Arkansas began to pull away. It was apparent that the crowd played a significant role in increasing the Razorbacks' intensity and preventing Louisville from getting into a comfortable rhythm.
Louisville eventually got into a rhythm and settled into the game in the second half, but the woes of the first half were too much to overcome. The Cardinals were also unable to capitalize in key situations, where the crowd again played a big part in reviving the Razorback squad on the court. This experience will do nothing but help Louisville and prepare them for future complex atmospheres they will undoubtedly face as the season progresses. Having games like these on the schedule hurts when they don’t go your way in the moment, but they are priceless for when March rolls around.
3. Conwell and Brown were targeted, stalled the offensive flow
It was evident from the opening tip that John Calipari’s defensive game plan was to place increased intensity and pressure on Mikel Brown and Ryan Conwell, specifically. The two Louisville stars have been the focal point and key contributors for the Cardinal offense to this point in the season. Arkansas did its homework and did its absolute best to disrupt these two's offensive flow and force others to make plays. This, in turn, stalled the Louisville offense on many possessions, as it tends to run through these two players when they are on the floor.
This game plan not only caused problems for the Louisville offense but also backfired when no one on the bench stepped up to run it effectively. This would have been an excellent spot for Adrian Wooley to shine and take the load off Brown and Conwell, especially in the early moments as Louisville attempted to address the issue. Although Brown eventually found his rhythm in the second half, it was the struggles in the first half that put Louisville in a deep hole early, one they were unable to dig out of the rest of the game.
2. Defensive intensity nowhere to be seen
Defense may have improved over the last few games for the Cardinals, but the same intensity and production were nowhere to be seen this game. Yes, the Razorbacks are a much better team than the Cardinals have faced recently, but that does not excuse the lack of focus and intensity on that end of the court for most of the night. Even when Louisville came back from its massive deficit, it was unable to get the stops it needed to pull even or finally take the lead. It became a game of trading buckets, with Arkansas prevailing.
Arkansas may be one of the more long and physically gifted teams in the country, but Louisville will play similar teams in terms of physicality and athleticism when March rolls around. Pat Kelsey and crew can take this experience and learn from the mishaps that occurred within this game. This loss shows that each night requires the same intensity and focus on defense to put the team in a position to walk away with the victory. Luckily, Louisville will have another key opportunity Saturday against the Indiana Hoosiers to get the defensive play back on track against another quality opponent.
1. Louisville died by the 3-point shot
Cardinals fans knew entering the season that the 3-point shot was going to be heavily relied upon based on the roster that Pat Kelsey constructed during the offseason. And for the most part, this season, the 3-point shot has been the strength, a key aspect of Louisville’s success. However, tonight was a harsh reminder that when the 3-point shot is not falling, the offense will struggle mightily. Louisville had one of its worst outside shooting performances of the season, going 8 for 37 (22%) from 3-point land.
The live-or-die-by-the-3-point-shot method is a lot of fun when the shots are falling. It's a different story entirely when the struggles are spread across all shooters. That’s why Pat Kelsey recruited as many capable shooters as he could, to try to avoid nights like these when multiple individuals were ice cold from distance. It’s the hope that when some shooters appear to be struggling, others could step up and be the sure hand for the Cardinal offense.
It would have been nice to see more shot attempts from source (Adrian Wooley in particular, who was 1 of 2 from 3-point land tonight). Hopefully, other shooters outside of the typical trio of Brown, Conwell, and Isaac McKneely can get a sure footing from distance and be yet another consistent force for Pat Kelsey in the flow of the offense.