Louisville basketball put away a game Wake Forest team on the road to improve to 9-1.
It started ugly, had some great moments in the middle, and finished with a lot of back-and-forth moments. However, after getting out to a 16-point lead early in the second half and allowing Wake Forest to pull within one point, Louisville basketball was able to put away a young but talented Demon Deacons squad on Wednesday night.
Louisville finished with a solid push and showed that they are capable of playing multiple styles in Winston Salem, North Carolina. Ultimately, we saw a ton of good moments and a lot of room for improvement in a tough road win.
The Cards improved to 9-1 and 4-0 in the ACC conference. Let’s take a look at some quick takeaways for Louisville basketball against the Deacs.
Samuell Williamson has what it takes
Samuell Williamson isn’t VJ King.
Hell, Samuell Williamson isn’t even Wayne Blackshear. However, Wayne Blackshear was still vastly underappreciated, and that’s a hill I will die on. But that is for another day.
Anyways, Williamson is an important piece for this Louisville basketball team. He showed that on Wednesday night.
Williamson finished with a season-high 15 points and 11 rebounds; his second double-double of the season.
As Louisville basketball fans, we want to lump Williamson in with the rest of McDonald’s All-Americans that never panned out as we envisioned. However, I’m here to tell you that the sophomore can and probably will live up to his billing.
Williamson was active on both ends of the floor on Wednesday. He was searching for his shot early, he was aggressive getting into the lane, a man on the boards, and a problem on defense.
That’s the player we expected upon his arrival in 2019. That is what we saw from start to finish against Wake Forest. Finally, that is the player that can be the third major piece for the Cards and take Louisville to new heights as the season progresses.
Scheduled post about Carlik Jones
It is difficult to put into words just how valuable Carlik MF Jones- He is Carlik MF Jones on this site from now on, btw- is to this team.
Jones finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists.
I mean, this dude is unreal. It’s literally impossible to imagine this Louisville basketball team without him.
Louisville basketball has improved as the year has progressed. However, jones it the glue that holds this team together. The role players look to him to make things happen. He is an elite college basketball player, and I feel strong emotions about him.
I want to see more Charles Minlend
Louisville basketball grad transfer Charles Minlend is expected to be a signifcant contributor off the bench for this team. He was finally cleared to play on Wednesday after a significant knee injury sidelined him in the offseason. Still, he was not able to get more than a minute against one of the worst teams in the league.
Related: How Charles Minlend can help Louisville basketball
The Cards should get a chance to get Minlend into the rotation sooner rather than later. Still, it was sad to see Minlend not get much of a chance after all he has been through.
Louisville basketball has gamers of all ages
They are still trying to figure things out, but the bottom line is that Louisville basketball has some absolute gamers all over the floor. From true freshmen to fifth-year seniors, Chris Mack finally has a group of guys who just get it done.
The schedule only gets harder from here, but it is so promising that Louisville can find a way to win regardless of the way the game is played.
The Cardinals hit the road once again on Saturday to take on a young Miami team in Coral Gables. Stay locked in to State of Louisville for updates on the game.
Presley, what I saw last night was Mack giving Minland a chance to just get on the floor, he wasn’t expecting anything out of him just letting him get a feel to it. I don’t think we need to hurry this process just give him the time to help later on as he gets better.