Khani Rooths and J'Vonne Hadley lead Louisville to victory over Wake Forest
Louisville’s versatile forward combo of Khani Rooths and J’Vonne Hadley led the Louisville Cardinals to victory over Wake Forest, 88-80.
Louisville led 43-34 at halftime, but Wake Forest stuck with the Cardinals and tied the game at 80-80 with 4:44 left in the game.
From that moment forward, the Cardinals didn’t allow a Wake Forest point, and a huge reason for that was the lineup combination of Hadley and Rooths.
When Rooths and Hadley were on the floor together, they didn’t allow one point. The score was 85-80 with about two minutes left, and Wake Forest failed to score during that stretch. Rooths described his team’s mindset as “desperate” at the end of the game, and that “we knew what we needed to do to win, so we got stops and just had to finish it with the boards.”
Defensive versatility of Rooths + Hadley
This forward pairing allowed the Cardinals to use different ball-screen coverages defensively, which played to Louisville’s favor to end the game. Both have the ability to switch and hedge/recover, which stunted Wake Forest’s offense in closing time.
In totality, Rooths was effective with size and length. This allows him to defend on the perimeter, but also guard frontcourt players, too. His explosiveness and movement combined allow him to add value as a rim protector, as he can chase down defenders from behind or rotate over quickly for blocks. He finished with two blocks in the game, including an impressive chasedown block on Juke Harris.
On the other hand, Hadley also defended multiple spots. His physicality and toughness allow him to do so.
Overall, when both of these guys are on the floor at the same time, it gives Louisville added flexibility defensively. Personally, I would love to see more minutes with both of them on the floor at the same time.
Offensive impact (Rooths + Hadley)
Not only were these two effective on the defensive end, but they added value on offense, as well. Together, the duo combined for 28 points. Rooths’ offensive production was felt more in the first half (nine points), while Hadley had double-figure points (10) in the second half.
On the night, Rooths finished with 13 points, four rebounds, and two blocks. This was arguably the most aggressive offensively he has been during a Louisville game this year, as he took 10 shots in total. This was the most shots he had taken in a game since the first game of the year, which came against South Carolina State, according to ESPN. He finished 4-for-10 from the field, 1-for-5 from three, and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line.
The sophomore forward made his presence felt around the basket, attacking from both the perimeter and the post. He showed some polished footwork around the rim, using pivots and spins to navigate space to finish at the rim. He also made himself a cutter, sliding in from the corners for dunks.
Additionally, Hadley was efficient offensively, converting five of his seven field goal attempts. He scored in an abundance of ways, whether it was running the floor for transition finishes, scoring from the post, or knocking down a spot-up triple. The Minnesota native ended the game with 15 points, five rebounds, and one assist. He also had a plus-minus of +14 for the game.
Following the victory over Wake Forest, Louisville resumes action Monday, February 9th, as they will take on NC State at 7 pm ET.
Don’t miss out on Cardinal Sports +
- Our premium community forums
- A full year of access to The Athletic
- Get a fast start on finding out breaking news and behind-the-scenes details
- In-depth Louisville basketball and football analysis
- On3 and Rivals national membership
Join the discussion at Cardinal Sports.
