Chris Mack Frustrated by Inconsistent Play, Defensive Slide
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - In college basketball, this is typically around the time of year where you start to have an idea of what you have on your team.
Normally around the halfway point of the season, you're typically settled on a lot of things regarding your roster. What your starting five is, who your reliable scorers are, who you trust to take big shots in big moments, who you can trust to get defensive stops, who your first guys off the bench, and so on and so forth.
Unfortunately for Louisville, it doesn't seem they are any closer to figuring out what they truly have on their team than they were when the season started over two months ago.
Wednesday night's game against NC State was a perfect example. Hosting a Wolfpack squad that sat at just .500 on the year, a team which they had previously taken down on the road to kick off conference play, the Cardinals inexplicably fell 79-63 in a game in which the starting five only accounted for 11 total points.
To say that it left head coach Chris Mack exasperated was an understatement.
“I feel like I'm reevaluating constantly," Mack said. "I don't know what I'm getting when I put a player in. Usually when you put a guy in, you know what he's going to bring to the table. To have three starters at halftime out of the five with zero points, and be outscored 31-6 by their starting five, only then go out and get down 8-0 in the second half. I have no explanation.”
Just like Louisville's season up to this point, several players have had roller coaster stretches.
Malik Williams has scored just 12 combined points over the last three games after a stretch of seven consecutive double digit scoring performances. El Ellis, in his first ever start after a pair of really strong performances, scored just three against NC State. Samuell Williamson put up zero points after scoring 13 in the previous game against Florida State. Noah Locke and Jarrod West scored just two points a piece. Mason Faulkner had just four points after scoring double digits in four of his previous five games.
"It's frustrating to say the least," Mack said. "You have to know, as a coach, when you put a guy in what you are getting. How can you coach a game where a guy will get 12 and nine and play solid defense and next game not scratch and turn the ball over three times? I’m not saying the guy’s got to get 12 every single game, but, my goodness we’ve got some juniors and seniors.”
The inconsistencies were not the only thing Mack was upset with. NC State came into the game with Louisville shooting just 42.2 percent from the field and 31.8 percent on three-point attempts for the year. Against the Cardinals, the Wolfpack shot 56.1 percent for the game and 12-25 on threes - including a second half where they went 66.7 percent and 5-9. Matt Cross was the only starter to not finish with a +/- or -19 or worse, and even he was -5.
This was not a fluke, but actually the continuation of a recent trend. In Louisville's last three games - vs Pitt, at Florida State, vs. NC State - the Cardinals have allowed their opposition to shoot 48.8 percent from the field and 39.1 percent on three point attempts. Entering that stretch, Louisville was allowing only 38.8 and 30.4.
Once sporting a defense that ranked 12th in efficiency, according to KenPom, it now sits at 51st.
"It's called effort and intensity and we've lacked that in the last three games," Mack said. "To the point that we need to defend the teams that were playing ... We get guys straightlined, our answer becomes fouling and not defending without fouling and the challenges only get greater.”
What's troubling with the inconsistencies and the recent defensive slide is that it seems to be getting manifested in practice. Mack said that they "see a lot of the same mistakes in practice," and that the team has to be "able to value practice so that we can transfer it over to the games."
Soon, it won't be getting any easier for Louisville. They have Pitt and Boston College coming up, but then have a stretch where they play Virginia, Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse and Notre Dame twice. Time is starting to run out to get the Cardinals' various issues fixed
"We have to address both things," Mack said. "You only have so many hours in the day, but we're going to keep at it. It's a long season, but we need to improve quickly and rapidly."
(Photo of Chris Mack, Louisville Players: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)
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