Louisville basketball traveled to Knoxville, TN, on Tuesday night to face a tough, talented Volunteers squad in the Cardinals’ last major test before the start of conference play. The result was discouraging for most Louisville fans, as the Cardinals fell to the Volunteers 83-62. The Cardinals kept it close until halftime, when the Volunteers improved their shooting and pulled away.
The Cardinals had an off night on multiple fronts. They struggled to find and make their shots, particularly 3-pointers, making only 7 of 34. Louisville also committed far more turnovers than its typical number, losing the battle to Tennessee 16 to 11. The bench also did not show up for this game, as the starters accounted for all of Louisville’s points except 3. Even with all of the mishaps that occurred Tuesday night, there was one problem that has troubled Card Nation the most.
Louisville needs to fix this issue ASAP
One fact was abundantly clear for all who watched Tuesday night. Tennessee absolutely bullied Louisville with the elite level of length and physicality on its roster. It was a problem first noticed in the Cardinals' loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks just a few games ago. However, while one game may be an outlier, two games showing the same issue start to form a trend. Pat Kelsey was unable to get any signs of fight or production from the front court, in particular from the power forward (“4”) position.
It was a prime spot for the likes of Kasean Pryor and Khani Rooths to really step up and be the go to guys for games like this, especially when you consider how undersized J’Vonne Hadley is at that position. It was a very disappointing performance for both Pryor and Rooths, who combined for 21 minutes on the floor and produced only 1 point, 0 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. It was an absolute nothing in a spot where Louisville needed them the most.
If Louisville is to improve its play against the likes of teams similar to Tennessee and Arkansas with length and physicality, it has to come from Pryor and Rooths at the “4” position. Pat Kelsey has to find a way for these two to step up their play in these situations. They both have plenty of experience and the physical build and ability to step into this role. However, the buy-in to this role and mentality can only come from Rooths and Pryor themselves.
It seems abundantly clear that if Louisville is to get past these tough types of teams in the NCAA tournament, it has to be because of the play of Pryor and Rooths.