Isaac McKneely leads the way in NCAA Tournament victory over South Florida
After an underwhelming effort versus Miami (FL) in the ACC Tournament, Louisville guard Isaac McKneely was on the front end of a lot of criticism. He had timely turnovers in crunch time, was inefficient from the field, and struggled to hold up defensively.
However, today, in the most pressure-filled situation of the season, he responded. He approached this game with a fresh slate and didn’t let his previous performance weigh on him.
“It’s a brand new season,” said McKneely. Nothing matters, no matter what seed you are, no matter who you’re playing, this is a brand new season. We cut the slate clean and came out and fired on all cylinders.”
Louisville beat South Florida, 83-79, to advance in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.
The response from McKneely
The 6-foot-3 guard finished with 23 points, three rebounds, two assists, and one steal. He was also very efficient from the field, as he shot 8-for-11 from the field and 7-of-10 from the three-point line, tying his highest total for made threes in a game.
His shotmaking ability was on full display, and his confidence was arguably the highest it had been the whole season. He came out firing, knocking down three three-pointers in the first half and totaling 11 points.
“My teammates did a great job of finding me early in the game, and when you see a couple go down, your confidence continues to build,” said McKneely. “It wasn’t just me, everybody made plays down the stretch. We talked about Kobe’s rebound with a minute left, that was a huge play. We all made plays down the stretch and that is what we are going to have to do to continue to advance.”
As mentioned, he was coming off one of his worst performances of the season against Miami, in which he totaled six points on 2-for-8 shooting from the field, including 1-of-6 from three-point land. He also had three turnovers.
“I didn’t have my best week at the ACC Tournament last week, but as a shooter, you have to continue to think the next shot is going in always,” said the senior guard. “This past week, I even had some shoulder issues and wasn’t able to shoot a whole lot, but all glory to god. He blessed me with all these abilities and allowed me to be out here today. Our training staff did a great job and I’m super thankful to see some shots go down and I’m super happy with the win.”
Shooting versatility/importance of his performance
In totality, this was an all-around shooting display by McKneely, displaying his complete arsenal as a shotmaker.
The movement shooting was showcased at a high level, knocking down difficulty and timely shots throughout. The Virginia transfer did a great job of squaring his body to the rim off movement, either off inbound passes or coming off different screening actions off the ball. His knack for drifting to open space in defensive scrambles also freed him up for looks from distance. Lastly, he also utilized his shooting gravity to use escape dribbles on extended closeouts, where he could regather and get into his shot.
He was also lethal in transition, trailing plays for catch-and-shoot jumpers from behind the arc.
Additionally, his efficiency was even more valuable considering the performances from Adrian Wooley and Ryan Conwell, who finished 6-for-19 from the field, including 3-for-10 from the three-point line.
Following the victory over South Florida, the Cardinals will turn their attention to the win of North Dakota State and Michigan State. They will face the winner of that game this Saturday.
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