Louisville started 4-0 in the ACC, and “Packer and Durham” devoted a segment of its ACC Network show to whether or not Chris Mack’s guys could be 10-0 before hosting Duke on Jan. 29.
Mack didn’t end up making it to the Duke game. After a 64-52 loss at Virginia on Jan. 24, the fifth in six games, Mack was sacked.
Things have really gone downhill since. The Cardinals (12-17, 6-13 ACC) have lost eight of nine under interim coach Mike Pegues, who was left with a rotation featuring six transfers and holdover big man Malik Williams, who has been suspended twice for unspecified violations of team rules, including missing Tuesday’s 75-43 loss at Virginia Tech.
Williams will be back for the regular-season finale with Virginia on Saturday, but only because it’s Senior Day.
You read that right.
“I think, even despite everything that has gone on this season, I think that Malik deserves the opportunity to walk out on the floor for Senior Night,” Pegues said. “It’s unfortunate what’s transpired this season, but nonetheless, I just feel like that’s the right thing to do. So, that’s what we’re going to do.”
Dumpster fire would be a step up for Louisville basketball at this point, but a win over Virginia to close out an otherwise miserable season would be a step …
Sorry, that’s what you’re supposed to write.
None of these guys will be back next year. They just want this season to be over.
Rotation guys
Nobody is averaging double-figures in scoring. 6’3” Florida transfer Noah Locke (9.5 ppg, 36.3% FG, 34.3% 3FG) is the leading scorer, but he went scoreless in 28 minutes in the loss at Tech, on just three shots from the field.
Locke had three points on 1-of-8 shooting, 1-of-6 from three, in the loss to UVA in January.
Williams (9.3 ppg, 7.7 rebounds/g, 46.1% FG, 30.6% 3FG), is a talented, but obviously mercurial, 6’11” center.
Williams had 10 points and six boards in the Jan. 24 loss, including a 2-of-4 effort from three.
JUCO transfer El Ellis (8.8 ppg, 40.0% FG, 36.2% 3FG) can put the ball in the hole – he had 25 points in the OT loss to North Carolina on Feb. 1.
He had just one point in 19 minutes in the loss in JPJ back in January.
The big games in the loss in the first matchup came from Marshall transfer Jarrod West (5.8 ppg, 3.0 assists/g, 37.0% FG, 31.0% 3FG), a 5’11” guard, who had 14 points, and was 4-of-7 from three, in 27 minutes off the bench, and Matt Cross (6.0 ppg, 4.0 rebounds/g, 38.4% FG, 28.4% 3FG), a 6’7” Miami transfer, who had 11 points (5-of-14 FG, 1-of-6 3FG) and six boards in 29 minutes off the bench.
Key matchup
Assuming Williams doesn’t talk his way back to the bench after starting on Senior Day, which isn’t a safe assumption – he started and played just three minutes in the 99-77 loss at Wake Forest before the most recent suspension – Tony Bennett may give Jayden Gardner (15.5 ppg, 7.0 rebounds/g, 51.1% FG) some minutes on the big guy.
Williams, when he wants to play, can be a matchup problem for fives with his ability to stretch the floor with his perimeter shooting.
Gardner is better suited to keeping up with him on the perimeter, and at 6’6”, 246, he can bang with him in the post as needed.
The bigs
First time through, 6’11” sophomore Kadin Shedrick (6.8 ppg, 5.3 rebounds/g, 2.0 blocks/g, 62.9% FG) and 7’1” junior Francisco Caffaro (4.6 ppg, 4.7 rebounds/g, 51.6% FG) had solid nights – Shedrick with 11 points (4-of-7 FG, 3-of-5 FT) and six rebounds, Caffaro with nine points (2-of-3 FG, 5-of-6 FT) and five boards.
Shedrick was a ghost in Virginia’s 64-63 loss to Florida State last week – two points, four rebounds and a turnover in 11 minutes.
Caffaro had solid counting stats – seven points and 11 rebounds in 18 minutes – but Bennett subbed him out at the 15:56 mark of the second half after he got beat on a slip screen for a Tanor Ngom layup and then failed to close out on a Harrison Prieto three, and never brought him back in.
Going to need the good Shedrick and Caffaro for this one.
The points
6’3” sophomore Reece Beekman (7.9 ppg, 4.9 assists/g, 43.8% FG, 30.9% 3FG) had just two points in the Jan. 24 win, but his 11 assists kinda stood out.
5’9”-ish senior Kihei Clark (10.3 ppg, 4.2 assists/g, 39.7% FG, 36.8% 3FG) had 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting and added five assists in the earlier win.
Clark had seven points and six assists in the loss to FSU, but was just 3-of-16 from the floor.
Beekman had eight points and two assists in the loss to the ‘Noles.
The stakes
Last rites have been administered to Virginia’s NCAA Tournament at-large hopes, but there’s still a faint heartbeat.
A loss here, and we’re on the bubble for an NIT bid.
Story by Chris Graham
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