Western Kentucky has always been a formidable opponent, but there’s been very few times that Louisville basketball has gone to head-to-head with the Tops when they’ve had a former five star recruit and likely NBA first round pick big man on the roster as well as probably one of the most talented mix of three and four-star recruits and high level transfers in the country.
That’s what made Louisville basketball’s 75-54 win that much more impressive.
Rick Stansbury’s team came into the matchup with two big wins under his belt already in the 2020-21 season following wins over stout mid-major and likely tournament team Northern Iowa as well as over Penny Hardaway’s Memphis squad.
Even with a win over Seton Hall, one could make the argument that this would be the biggest test of the young season for the Cards. Considering Louisville’s youth and inexperienced front court having to deal with the burley duo of Charles Bassey and Carson Williams, this was a game that no one would be surprised if the Cards weren’t able to matchup equally in.
The first half was an exercise in learning on the fly for Louisville basketball. Bassey proved to be everything he’s chalked up to be and more. Rick Stansbury runs his offense through the junior big man and relies on his presence to thwart shots on defense. Bassey finished with three baskets in the first period, grabbed 12 rebounds, blocked three shots, and altered more. However, the rest of WKU’s stars were held in check. Taveion Hollingsworth got into the lane on occasion, but Louisville basketball’s help defense kept him uncomfortable.
Louisville’s guards David Johnson and Carlik Jones were too much for the Tops to handle. As opposed to the first three games where Jones ran the offense, Johnson was the lead man from the start. The sophomore initiated the offense with dribble drives and posted up on multiple WKU bigs in the lane opposite of Bassey. The duo finished with 17 points combined in the first half.
For the first three segments, redshirt sophomore Jae’Lyn Withers more than held his own up front against Bassey. JaeLyn Withers secured multiple offensive rebounds, drew an and-1, and another foul in the act. The Cardinals seized momentum entering the half thanks to a solid team effort that also saw continued improvements from Dre Davis, Withers, and Aidan Igiehon.
Western Kentucky got it going for a hot minute in the second half, taking advantage of Louisville basketball’s inexperienced bigs by getting them into foul trouble. With both Withers and Igiehon having three fouls, Hollingsworth and Bassey were able to get into the lane with less resistance and hit a few easy buckets. That pushed the lead to five and gave the indication that a close game was in store. Following a bucket from Louisville native, Dayvion McKnight, the Dre Davis show got underway as the freshman went to work. Scoring at all three levels, Davis went on a 7-0 run and made countless other big plays in the midst of a 15-4 run that ultimately put the game out of reach.
Stansbury did everything he could to confuse Louisville’s young squad and take advantage. Whether it was going from man-to-man to a 2-3 zone into a 1-3-1 zone, into a full-court press, Western threw the kitchen sink at the Cards and did not much to phase them. In just about every moment this season when a team looked to be fighting back and preparing to take the lead from Louisville, one of the young freshmen has stepped up and given the entire team exactly what’s needed.
That trend is what makes this team not only so exciting to watch but also to think about what they could become by February and March once fully healthy. Without four starters/key contributors, Louisville basketball has answered just about every question that we had about them entering the season. Sure, it’s not always been pretty, but the constant cry over the last few years by Mack for more toughness and more grit on both ends, has been met early by his youngest team yet.
Thanks to even more scoring in the second half from Johnson and Jones (18 points), Louisville was able to push the lead to upwards of 20 points earning them another big win in the five game bubble. The mismatches were there for Western Kentucky to pick up the win. On paper it was a game that could go either way and it wouldn’t surprise anyone. In the end, that’s what makes the 21-point win such an impressive feat.
After being called out by their coach, Louisville’s players stood up to the test winning the rebounding battle, forcing 21 turnovers, and holding WKU to just 17% shooting from the field, the Cards literally suffocated a talented team that was capable of pulling the upset.
In the end, Davis finished with a game-high and career-high 21 points, with Johnson and Jones pitching in 17 and 18 respectively, while Withers led Louisville in rebounding for the second game in a row (8 rebounds), and Johnson finished with a game-high and season-high 8 assists.
Here are the big takeaways.
Dre Davis scoring is a dangerous addition
It’s taken four games to realize that the the recruiting writers and experts who determine the player rankings each year got it wrong with Dre Davis in the class of 2020. You’d be hard pressed to find five or six freshman who have played as well and meant as much to their team as Davis has this season for Louisville basketball, let alone 108, the number of players ranked ahead of him last year.
Davis’ play early in the season has provided a seamless transition from Dwayne Sutton, when it comes to toughness, lock down defense, rebounding, and doing all the dirty work as needed. From day one he’s provided all of those things that are essential from a young team, plus a dangerous scoring punch that was on full display against Western.
Scoring from literally all over the court, Davis provided Louisville’s offense a third scoring punch that was too much for Western’s already struggling defense. Shooting 7/9 from the field, including 2/3 from deep and 5/6 from the free throw line, there was no answer for Davis and it led to a career-high 21 points.
That performance marks three games straight of double-digit scoring and promise of a lethal two-way player. Davis’ toughness, rebounding, and defense were already a bright spot for Chris Mack, but if he’s consistently able to score in double-digits that could give the Cards a fourth and maybe fifth scoring option.
One of the many reasons to be excited about the future of team 107.
Every time Western Kentucky punched, Louisville punched back harder
The final score wouldn’t lead you to believe it, but at points in the matchup between Louisville basketball and Western Kentucky, things got pretty close; especially at the start of each half.
Chris Mack clearly wasn’t happy with the way his team started the game on Sunday against Prairie View A&M and as Jimmy Dykes explained on the broadcast, he challenged his team to put their finger print on the game from tip off. They rose to the challenge to start both half’s but it didn’t keep Western Kentucky from attempting a few big punches.
Both teams got off to a hot start in the first half with the lead being exchanged multiple times before the first tv timeout. It was Western who pushed the lead to eight points early on and honestly, made me think twice about the outcome of the game. After back-to-back three’s from the Tops that pushed the lead to its biggest margin, Louisville answered with a 10-0 run that ultimately gave them the lead.
Again in the second half, Louisville was able to get open looks and take advantage of it to start but allowed WKU to slowly crawl back in. Foul trouble and sloppy defense played a factor in Bassey, Hollingsworth, and others being able to get into the lane much easier than they did throughout the first half. 12 straight points in the paint & mid-range area put the result back in play, and once again made you question if Louisville could hold on for a third straight game.
The young squad grew up right before our eyes, showing up in a major way. How did they respond you ask? How about a 12-0 burst and a 17-2 run that pushed the game out of reach for good.
The way that Louisville fought back when the game got tough tonight, whether it be a small mistake here or a big run there, was what we wanted out of last year’s team more than anything. The mental toughness to keep crashing the glass, keep battling inside against formidable bigs, keep closing out and contesting open shots, and keep making shots was apparent and once again, it makes you so excited about what the ceiling can be.
Coach Mack received a lot of criticism during his first two seasons (albeit very mild) for his teams not being able to hold onto leads and deal with both mental and physical toughness. The way Louisville responded tonight, and in the first three games, should show that with the right team and team mentality, overcoming difficulties won’t be nearly as challenging long-term.
Louisville’s defense is sneaky good
Will Reddington and I talked with Mike Rutherford on the first episode of The Starting 502 Podcast about the Louisville basketball defense and what was going to be expected this season out of Mack’s young squad.
I mentioned that I thought Louisville was going to have to win a lot more games on the defensive end this season than they had in seasons past, something that could be achievable thanks to an upgrade in length, athleticism, size, and versatility within Mack’s pack line system. At the time I was in the boat that Louisville’s offense was going to struggle to some extent thanks to a lack of proven scorers and shooting, something that hasn’t been an issue yet, and the defense was going to have to bail them out.
The big surprise in all of this has obviously been the Louisville basketball’s offense which is averaging 77.7 points per game and is on pace to out score both of Mack’s previous squads. The scoring of Jones, Johnson, Withers, Davis, Slazinski, and even Traynor has been the talk of the town, which has caused the solid defensive performances to go under the radar.
You should be excited that Louisville has scored 70 points or more in all four games this season, but you should be even more excited that they are only allowing opponents to score 58 points per game. It’s a long season but the defensive pace set so far would outdo both 2018 and 2019’s teams final averages and would be a personal best for Mack since 2014-15.
Again, that is a huge deal considering the pieces that are available.. I don’t think any one would’ve expected the eight scholarship players playing for Mack to contribute at such a high level so quickly, especially to the tune of four straight wins.
The effort defensively against Western Kentucky was easily the most impressive of the year. To hold a team with dangerous scorers like Bassey, Williams, Hollingsworth, and McKnight to only 54 points shows not only the dangerousness of a long and athletic team coached by Mack but just how much progress is being made each time they take the floor.
The stats were gaudy and screamed complete performance. 21 total turnovers forced, nine steals, 43.4% from the field, and 16.7% from three. Louisville did all the little things needed to win and set the standard of what a nightly effort should look like.
Louisville basketball will now have two days off before one final showdown in the Wade Houston Classic which will come against one of the toughest mid-major’s in America – UNC Greensboro.
