The team renewed its historic rivalry against an old foe Saturday as it hosted the 4-4 Memphis Tigers. The Cardinals had the upper hand (and the better team) in this edition of the rivalry, as they shot lights out and came away with the victory. Stars Ryan Conwell and Mikel Brown shone as expected, with 17 and 16 points respectively. Even though the rivalry has lost some of its luster since these two programs were in the same conference, it was still a key game that Card Nation desperately wanted to win.
The win in advance was filled with highlights and memories of prior matchups, most notably Memphis’s Darius Washington's missed free throws when John Calipari was at the helm of the Tigers. Their historic matchups and the stakes associated with those games are second to none in terms of their importance in Louisville history. This game naturally stokes the rivalry whenever these two meet on the same court.
Here are five takeaways from Louisville’s massive win against the Memphis Tigers.
5. Louisville sweeps non-conference rival slate
Louisville’s non-conference schedule this season has been filled with plenty of talented, difficult matchups for the Cardinals. This gauntlet also included an array of current and former rivals, an opportunity to renew and to continue some of the best rivalries college basketball has ever seen. Louisville navigated the difficult matchups against Kentucky, Cincinnati, Indiana, and Memphis masterfully, coming away with wins in each.
These wins not only give Louisville the most recent wins in the rivalries. It also continues to bolster Louisville's resume as it prepares to enter conference play. The ACC has appeared to improve from its dire showing last season, one that hurt Louisville’s seeding due to the conference's down year. Louisville can finish off the non-conference schedule strong with a win against the Tennessee Volunteers as they travel to Knoxville Tuesday night.
4. Kasean Pryor gaining momentum, shines in minutes off the bench
Kasean Pryor appears to be gaining more and more confidence as the games progress throughout this season. That appeared to culminate in the key 3-minute stretch in the Memphis game, right after Pryor checked into the game. Pryor made 3 3-pointers during that stretch, posting 9 points and contributing to the Cardinals pulling away from the Tigers once and for all. Pryor looked confident in his shooting and appeared to be finding his place in the offensive flow. Pryor finished the game with 11 points while adding 4 rebounds and 1 steal.
Prior to this point in the season, he has not been a major part of the Cardinals' game plan, especially as he has been working his way back from the devastating ACL injury he suffered early last season. Getting Pryor fully healthy and having him play in a role similar to how he has played so far this season (at the level he played today) would be just another piece of the puzzle, fitting for His energy off the bench, and with the shooting he had on display today, would be yet another weapon for Kelsey to use in key situations for the Cardinals. Today’s performance was definitely a welcome sign for Cardinals fans.
3. Offensive efficiency on full display
When the Louisville offense is clicking, which is most of the time this season, it is one of the cleanest, most fun forms of basketball to watch. The frequent movement, passing, and consistency in finding the open man have been the keys to Louisville’s offensive explosion so far this season. This game was no different. Louisville assisted on 24 of their 30 field goals, and an incredibly high percentage, and a key note that Louisville’s shots were found through the offense, not 1 on 1 ball when necessary.
Louisville's offensive efficiency seems to correlate with their ability to win games. When Louisville’s offense was the most out of sync this season (Arkansas), they struggled to find shots and had to settle for bad, long 3-pointers. The ability of this team to adapt, and hopefully learn from that particular experience, will be one of the keys on Louisville’s run to a potentially memorable
2. Adrian Wooley emerging as scoring threat off the bench
Sophomore guard Adrian Wooley keeps improving game after game. He took another giant step forward with perhaps his best game of the season. Wooley finished the high-scoring affair with 15 points on 5 3-point makes in 25 minutes of action. His production off the bench is a huge asset for Pat Kelsey and the Louisville offense, ensuring the coaching staff does not have to rely solely on the starting five as the main offensive threats each game.
Wooley came to Louisville in the offseason after a massive freshman season, where he was highlighted as a go-to scorer. As each game passes, Cardinal fans are seeing that his scoring ability becomes increasingly evident, as his production, shooting percentage, and decision-making quickly improve. Having Wooley playing his best basketball off the bench is just another ace in the hole for the Louisville Cardinals and another key to look to when discussing the Cardinals’ national championship chances.
1. No one can stop Louisville when the 3-point shot is falling
Once again, the Louisville Cardinals shot the absolute lights out from the 3-point line. The strength when clicking all season long was the main theme of the game as well. The Cardinals showed the rest of the country that this team is almost unbeatable when that shot is sinking at a high percentage. It's the focal point of the offense, and the shot that Pat Kelsey wants his guys taking on a consistent basis (when open).
Louisville finished the game with 18 makes on 35 attempts (51%), one of their best shooting performances of the season. Their ability to run the offense and get their best shooters open continues to not only astound, but lead to victory after victory. The best part is that game in and game out, it's a full team performance. Today, Louisville had 6 different Cardinals make multiple 3-point shots, just further exemplifying the depth of the shooting ability of this team. Pat Kelsey and his staff have assembled an elite shooting squad that many Cardinals fans hope can shoot their way to a Final Four, and further a national championship.