Louisville basketball suffered a crushing loss earlier this week, falling 77-74 to the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Cardinals' struggles against ranked teams continue as Louisville is 0-6 against current ranked teams, and is 0-4 against ranked teams on the road.
Pat Kelsey had this group trending in the right direction when the Cardinals rattled off five straight, but then the Cards had challenging road games against SMU and UNC, and all of a sudden, Louisville has lost two of its last three, and the fans are losing hope again. Entering the season, this Cardinals team had Final Four dreams and ACC Title dreams, but now, as we sit just a few weeks out from Selection Sunday, this team’s ceiling feels much lower than it was in October.
With Selection Sunday on March 15 and the ACC Tournament set to begin on March 10, one glaring question is resurfacing. Should Khani Rooths start over Isaac McKneely?
Related: Louisville's perfect starting lineup move is staring Pat Kelsey in the face
Louisville basketball fans are begging Pat Kelsey to make a change
McKneely transferred to Louisville as one of the best shooters in college basketball, but that just hasn’t been the case this season for the Virginia transfer. He is playing a more physical position at small forward, and is averaging just 10.9 points per game and shooting under 40-percent from beyond the arc.
Kelsey made it clear he wouldn’t change his starting lineup back in early February when Louisville was consistently getting off to slow starts, but now, with the postseason just a couple of weeks away, Kelsey might want to rethink about what starting lineup is best for his postseason chances.
While McKneely gives Louisville the ability to shoot from beyond the arc, when the postseason comes rolling around, Kelsey can’t play 11 guys anymore and should consider bringing McKneely off the bench. Rooths starting at power forward will bring size and length that the starting unit desperately needs, and McKneely in the starting lineup hasn't worked the way many thought it would.
The 6-foot-10, 215-pound forward is a legitimate power forward and has been a huge spark on both ends of the floor for the Cardinals. McKneely continues to struggle against ranked teams and has been nearly a liability on defense. Offensively, he is too one-dimensional to create open looks for himself.
McKneely coming off the bench would allow him to be a huge spark for this team, coming on the floor to play his more comfortable position at shooting guard. McKneely is averaging his fewest amount since his freshman season and is shooting his lowest percentage from the 3-point range since that freshman season.
Cardinals fans have been begging for this change, and with Louisville's 0-6 record, Kelsey has to at least consider a change if they want to make a run in the postseason. The Cards' size and physicality has consistently been a weakness, and moving Rooths to the starting lineup is a move the fans keep bringing up.
Related: Pat Kelsey sends a clear message on Louisville basketball’s starting lineup
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