The Louisville basketball team is coming off a big 87-70 win against Georgia Tech on Saturday, highlighted by Senior Day festivities and providing a proper send-off to those who have made this season one to remember. The win served as a bounce-back opportunity after the Cardinals fell on the road early in the week to the SMU Mustangs. Now that Louisville is back to its winning ways, its sights are set on its next opponent, the North Carolina Tar Heels.
The stars continued with their consistent performances as anticipated, with Mikel Brown Jr. going for 19 points, J’Vonne Hadley 17 points, and Ryan Conwell 15 points. However, another name that had been quiet in the previous 3 contests re-emerged as another scoring threat for the Cards, fellow senior sharpshooter Isaac McKneely. McKneely was perfect on the offensive side of the floor, both visually within the offense and statistically, scoring 14 points on 4-4 from the field and 3-3 from behind the arc.
And with McKneely's dominant performance on Saturday, it certainly feels like he may be turning things up at the exact right moment for the Cardinals in advance of their matchup against North Carolina.
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One Louisville sharpshooter may be emerging when Cards need it most
McKneely has been an incredibly streaky shooter, scorer, and performer for the Cards for most of the season. However, when he has things clicking from behind the arc, he is one of the most lethal scoring threats if left open. It ultimately comes down to how physical he can be with the opposing team and how easily he can find shot opportunities.
North Carolina will provide a good-ranked contest for the Cardinals and Isaac McKneely, offering yet another Quad 1 opportunity and allowing McKneely to see if he can work through and find his shot opportunities against a tough tournament-bound team. It’s an aspect of his game that has been a struggle at times this season, especially against teams with length and physicality. The Tar Heels will provide a great test for McKneely to see if that page can be turned and truly ironed out prior to the conference and NCAA Tournaments.
The growing trend since Brown returned from injury has been the emergence of himself and Hadley as the team's stars alongside consistent producer Ryan Conwell. Although these three have been the heart, soul, and scoring threats for the Cardinals recently, they simply cannot carry the lion’s share of production without being targeted by more talented teams.
Secondary scorers such as McKneely will simply have to step up if the Cardinals want to build upon their new winning streak. On the road against North Carolina will be the perfect test for Isaac McKneely to cement his status as another go-to option for Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals' offense.
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