Adrian Wooley guides Louisville in win over Miami
With less than 30 seconds remaining, Adrian Wooley had the ball in his hands with the Cardinals down one. He proceeded to make one of the biggest shots of Louisville’s season, a step-back 3-pointer, putting the Cardinals up with 18 seconds remaining.
Louisville held on to finish the job, winning 92-89.
Following the victory, the Cardinals finished the regular season with a record of 22-9 (11-7). This win over Miami (FL) gives them arguably their best win of the season, and the program’s first road win versus a top 25 team since 2020.
Louisville’s guards stepped up in a major way, with Ryan Conwell leading the scoring charge with 24 points. Isaac McKneely also added 15 points, four rebounds, and five assists.
However, Wooley’s performance was arguably the most instrumental in their success. He was their closer and someone they relied on to guide them to the finish line.
“Adrian was phenomenal down the stretch. He made a huge, huge, huge shot,” Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey said following the win. “He was the go-to guy for us down the stretch. He is a terrific one-on-one player.”
Adrian Wooley steps up
The sophomore guard was a major part of Louisville’s road victory, especially with the absence of star freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr.
He stepped into a lead-guard role and blended his playmaking and scoring at an efficient rate. For the game, he finished with 15 points, six assists, and four rebounds. He also shot 5-for-9 from the field, while also not committing a single turnover in the process.
“Adrian, Isaac, and Aly combined had 16 assists to one turnover. We had 22 assists to seven turnovers as a team,” said Kelsey regarding how his team took care of the ball.
This was a positive development considering the turnover issues they have had in previous games. Coming into today’s game, they were averaging 11.8 turnovers per game for the season.
Additionally, the Kennesaw State transfer’s assist total was his highest mark in a game since joining the Cardinals. His previous high was four, which he hit in three other games this season.
Furthermore, where Wooley found success was getting into the teeth of the defense and capitalizing as both a playmaker and a slasher.
As a slasher, he uses his strength and footwork to create finishing angles for himself around the rim. The Alabama native also doesn’t shy away from contact, as he earned multiple trips to the free-throw line.
When generating looks for teammates, he was effective dishing out to open shooters on the perimeter. He would collapse the defense with his self-creation abilities, then find a way to spray the ball out to Louisville’s perimeter shooters. He was also successful as a connector, making the extra pass, while dumping passes off to Louisville’s bigs underneath the rim for finishes on drives.
What’s next?
Louisville now turns its attention to the ACC tournament, as today’s game was the final game of the Cardinals’ regular season. The ACC tournament begins Tuesday, March 10th. Hopefully, this can be a turning point for the Cardinals, as postseason play is next on the horizon.
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