Defensive lapses and subpar backcourt performance lead to 79-70 loss to Virginia
The Louisville Cardinals lost to the Virginia Cavaliers tonight, 79-70, bringing their record to 12-5 (2-3).
This contest was an uphill battle from the beginning, as Louisville dug itself a 14-0 lead to begin the game. The Cardinals played from behind throughout and weren’t able to turn the tide in the second half.
Louisville did respond to cut the lead to five right before the end of the half, but Virginia consistently weathered the punches thrown from Louisville.
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Off-Ball Defense
What was a consistent issue throughout was off-ball defense. Louisville got lost on rotations and had blundered assignments, which resulted in a multitude of three-point attempts and makes for Virginia.
On the night, Virginia converted 14-of-34 attempts from distance. Coming into the game, Virginia ranked in the top 50 in three three-point categories: three-point percentage (47th), three-pointers made per game (29th), and three-pointers attempted per game (40th), according to TeamRankings.
They checked all of the boxes in terms of their three-point usage, even surpassing their three-pointers made per game average, which set at 10.3 three-pointers made per game coming into the game.
“We can’t allow a team to come in here that is a very, very good three-point shooting team and let them make 14 threes,” said Pat Kelsey following the loss.
Malik Thomas led the charge from deep, as he finished six-of-eight from deep. There were multiple lapses getting out to him, whether it was in transition or failed communication on screens. Louisville’s lack of attentiveness off the ball was an issue throughout this game and must improve going forward.
“Far, far too many defensive lapses and breakdowns in the second half, whether it was just relaxing off the ball, allowing them to get easy open looks in transition. Just undisciplined, off-ball gaps where we lose sight of who we are guarding, where we are at on the floor, and they spray for open shots. That is a sign of a team that is very undisciplined and undisciplined players are coached by undisciplined coaches,” added Kelsey in regards to his team’s off-ball defense.
Virginia also found success finding their bigs on the three-point line, as Johann Grünloh was a recepient of those actions as a pick-and-pop big. He knocked down three-of-four attempts from deep.
Offensive production from the backcourt
In the absence of Mikel Brown Jr., all of Louisville’s other guards have been asked to scale up in role. This has led some of them to even play out of position, especially Ryan Conwell.
He’s been tasked with being a primary offensive creator, both as a scorer and contributor in terms of reps as a point guard. When arguably your best player is out, others are asked to do more, and that can lead to issues with efficiency.
On the night, Conwell finished 14 points on 5-of-21 field goal attempts. The absence of Mikel has no question increased his usage and his shot diet. When playing alongside someone as dynamic as Brown, shots are created for you, and that is where Conwell excels. He is now being asked to take on some point-guard duties while also taking on a massive scoring burden, which unfortunately led to an inefficient performance tonight.
“I’ve got to be better, this team needs me,” said Conwell. He also added, “I’m really just disappointed in how I’m playing.”
Adrian Wooley has also taken on a higher usage rate offensively, which has been a mixed bag so far. However, tonight especially was a rough go for him. He finished the night 1-of-9 from the field and 0-for-4 from the three-point line. He struggled to knock down open shots and had success getting to his spots off the dribble. This led to some forced, difficult shots around the rim.
On the night in totality, the two guards combined were 6-of-30 from the field. They have to be better to compete against the toughest competition that the ACC has to offer.
The lone bright spot in tonight’s backcourt was Isaac McKneely. He tallied 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field.
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