An absolutely devastating collapse occurred in Louisville, Kentucky, tonight, as the Louisville basketball team fell to the Duke Blue Devils 84-73 despite an incredibly hot start. Louisville was firing on all cylinders to start the game, setting the tone and establishing its offensive flow and shooting ability early. A complete 180-degree turn occurred at halftime, as everything that worked in the first half was nowhere to be seen in the second half.
Duke has been a thorn in Louisville’s side for the last two seasons for Pat Kelsey. The Cardinals always put up a good fight, but seem to fall just short of overcoming their underdog label. Tonight seemed to be the time that the Cardinals would finally put Pat Kelsey in the win column against the Blue Devils; however, Jon Scheyer and company had other plans. The Louisville Cardinals deeply missed Mikel Brown Jr., whose presence may have created more opportunities on the offensive end. Hopefully, Louisville can learn from its mistakes as the Cardinals will get a chance at redemption on January 26th.
Here are five immediate takeaways from Louisville's disappointing loss to the Duke Blue Devils
5. Duke stars take over in the second half
Louisville had absolutely no answer for the Duke Blue Devil stars tonight, especially in the second half. Cam Boozer finished with 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in a performance that showcased his talent and NBA potential to the highest degree. Boozer was able to do whatever he wanted on the offensive end against the Cardinals, getting and making his shot possession after possession. Throw in standout performances from Isaiah Evans (23 points) and Caleb Foster (20 points), and Duke was able to run away with the win easily.
The defense absolutely collapsed in the second half against Duke’s star power, as the Cardinals were outscored 46-26 with no answers to the constant barrage of points from the Blue Devils. This second half was disappointing on many levels, but, simply put, Louisville did not have the stars to match the star-like performances Duke was putting on. Although Duke is one of the best teams in the country, Louisville's performance once again showed that Mikel Brown is the key to the Cardinals competing with the elite.
4. Massive minutes from Aly Khalifa
No bigger pops from the crowd came than when center Aly Khalifa hit not just a 3-pointer, but four shots from deep in the first half. Time and time again, Duke played off of Khalifa, respecting the driving and passing ability of Khalifa and Louisville’s offense. Oh boy, did he make the Blue Devils pay for that decision. All season, it has been reiterated that Aly Khalifa cannot miss from distance during practice. Cardinals fans saw this come to fruition tonight.
Aly Khalifa’s minutes all season have come with elite passing on the offensive end, and that’s about it. He has been a liability on defense, unable to create his own shots on offense, and has lacked the physicality needed to play against some of the tougher teams on Louisville’s schedule. Tonight, Khalifa stepped up his game and was a high-quality player on both ends of the floor. If Pat Kelsey can get more games such as this performance from Khalifa, not only in conference play, but beyond as well, Louisville may be in a great spot to make some noise come tournament time.
3. Cardinals continue to struggle with fouls
Foul trouble continues to play a big part in the lineups and game plan for Louisville, just as it has since the Cardinals started conference play. Louisville had a total of 20 team fouls, but more importantly, the Cardinals found themselves in the bonus in the first 8 minutes of the second half. This meant that foul after foul afterwards sent Duke straight to the foul line, who had 28 free throw attempts to Louisville’s 12. Sananda Fru was the key player affected by foul issues, picking up 2 fouls in each half, keeping him sidelined for much of the game.
Cardinal foul trouble has been a real concern in the early stages of conference play, as it forces Pat Kelsey to play lineups that don’t always mesh and really limit the physicality Louisville can bring, especially on the defensive end. This seemed to happen in the Duke game, as the same level of physicality seen in the first half was nowhere to be found in the second. Duke could get any bucket they wanted and absolutely bullied Louisville in the paint for much of the second half.
2. Ryan Conwell continues to be the offensive star
What a difference one game makes. Ryan Conwell, who could not buy a 3-point shot in Louisville’s last game against the Stanford Cardinal, could not miss from distance to start this game. Within the blink of an eye, Conwell had four 3-pointers, setting the tone early that Louisville was here not just to compete but to win. He was the enforcer on the offense and set the pace in transition for the Cardinals. He was also able to put himself into good shooting positions early and often.
Conwell finished the night with 24 points on 8-of-19 shooting 4-of-11 from 3-point land, and was easily Louisville’s best player on the floor. With the absence of Mikel Brown, Conwell has stepped up and elevated his game, especially on the offensive end, to make up for the missing production. His play has a direct correlation with how Louisville performs night to night. Hopefully, as the season goes along, more nights like tonight are in Conwell’s future.
1. Louisville has a massive collapse
One Cardinal team came ready to play from the start of the game in the first half. Louisville got off to a hot shooting start, making just about everything in sight. They played with intensity, had great defensive positioning, and held their own on the boards. It looked like Louisville was well on its way to getting not only a massive conference win, but a resume-boosting win against one of the best teams in the country. The spirits were as high as they could be entering halftime for the Cardinals.
Another Cardinal team came out of halftime looking entirely different, filled with mistakes, turnovers, and errant shooting. The physicality level dropped off significantly, the same intensity on defense was nowhere to be found, and the mistakes piled up quickly for the Cardinals. Throw in the foul trouble mentioned above, and Louisville could not get into any flow offensively. Defensively, they gave Duke any opportunity they pleased. It’s a concerning sign for Cardinal fans as conference play progresses, and another outing in which the presence of Mikel Brown Jr. was greatly missed.