Louisville basketball lost to North Carolina. Let’s talk about it.
Louisville basketball played 10 solid minutes in a return from a 3-week COVID-19-related pause. In the final 30 minutes, the Cardinals looked like a team that is, well, coming off a 3-week pause.
As expected, the Louisville fanbase is in a state of complete and utter panic.
I get it; I really do.
You don’t get to watch your favorite team play for three straight weeks. Then, your favorite team comes back and gets clobbered for a solid chunk of the game. I understand the frustration.
At the same time, there are legitimate reasons to not hit the panic button just yet. Let’s dive into that a little bit and what we can take away from this loss.
Malik Williams is a clear difference-maker
The return of Louisville basketball senior captain Malik Williams was a welcome sight.
Moreover, I felt that Williams looked ahead of where one would expect him to be after not having played in a game in 350 days. Williams essentially split time at center with Jae’Lyn Withers, logging 17 minutes. He finished the game with 4 points, 3 rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
Where Williams’ impact was felt the most was on the defensive end. When he was in, he made a significant difference against North Carolina’s dominant frontcourt. Williams does a fantastic job of hedging on ball screens and creating issues in passing lanes for opponents. Against UNC’s big men, he was by far Louisville’s best option in the middle, even while not at one hundred percent.
With Williams, Louisville basketball will take another step forward before year’s end.
Samuell Williamson continues to improve
The biggest issue for sophomore Samuell Williamson throughout his career has been his inability to put together solid games back-to-back.
To say anyone played “well” on Saturday would probably be entirely too generous. However, Williamson busted his ass and led the team with double-digit rebounds for the second straight game.
The positive about Williamson’s aggressiveness on the boards is that the majority of his rebounds are 50-50 balls. These aren’t “right place, right time” rebounds, they are a clear result of his focus continuing to be becoming a beast on the boards. As a 6’7″ guard/ forward, it is a hell of a feat for Williamson to snag 10 boards against one of the biggest and most talented frontcourts in the country.
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Louisville basketball “felt sorry for themselves”
That was Chris Mack’s way of summing up his team’s performance on Saturday.
From an outsider’s perspective, it’s easy to blame this on coaching, not accept excuses, and have a negative mentality on the season going forward.
The reality is that Mack is right.
This Louisville team has been through a lot. This is the fourth time the team has been on pause due to positive COVID tests within the program. Louisville has had 6 games postponed, one rescheduled, and one cancelled. The Cardinals have spent six weeks since October without being able to practice at all.
Not to mention that nearly every player on the team has had COVID. Although coronavirus is rarely life threatening for younger, healthier people, its impact can still be felt for weeks after recovery. Dehydration is a common issues. Stamina is a major issue in almost all cases. Despite Louisville basketball being one of the first programs to put a plan in place in the offseason, the Cardinals have been the face of COVID-19 among power five basketball programs.
All of this is to say that this is, in no way, a normal season. Yes, every team in the country has had to deal with the craziness that has come with a worldwide pandemic. Yes, it is difficult for everyone. However, Louisville’s two outlier losses this season came after long breaks. The Cardinals practiced twice as a team over the last 19 days. The team was without its head coach for 10 days. Players and coaches spent much of the last three weeks in isolation. That is tough for anyone. For an elite-level athlete, two multi-week pauses in play in two months put you at a severe advantage.
Louisville was gassed at the ten minute mark. The Tar Heels had the game out of reach two TV timeouts later.
Yes, a 45-point loss is never acceptable under any circumstances. However, Louisville was out of the game long before the lead was even stretched to 25. From there, North Carolina just continued to pour it on.
The Cardinals felt sorry for themselves, but they also didn’t stand a chance for a number of other reasons.
Great analysis! It’s easy to watch that last game and crap on the team and lose all hope, but there were positives to take from the game, even in a blowout. With Carlik, Dave, Malik, and Sam playing well, this team is dangerous. We just need a few more weeks to get everyone back to 100% from injuries and COVID.