Pegues: Louisville's 'Spirit is Broken'

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - If you had to describe the way that the Louisville men's basketball program has looked over their last two games, you'd be hard pressed to find a word that was positive in any way, shape or form.

A recent trend on the Cardinals' season was that they had been putting themselves in positions to win games late, only to collapse down the stretch and let the game escape them. At both Wake Forest and Virginia Tech, Louisville was anything but in position to win.

The Cardinals lost by a combined 54 points against the Demon Deacons and the Hokies. In their most recent game, a 75-43 thumping in Blacksburg, Va., Louisville saw their 17-game win streak against Tech come to an end, and produced their lowest scoring output since 1981.

From the outside looking in, given that the season has, at a minimum, just two games left, one could surmise that the Cardinals have mailed in the season and are simply coasting to the finish line.

Interim head coach Mike Pegues implores that his guys have not quit, but admits that the losses that have piled up - in particular the two blowouts - have taken a toll on the team.

"I wouldn't say that they've quit. I will say that clearly their spirit is broken," he said. "When you lose in the fashion that you do the last two games, it's hard to stay in the fight and compete every possession the way that you need to."

Even though Louisville was thoroughly dispatched in both games, there were moments you could point to where they were competitive. They fell behind big early against both Wake Forest and Virginia Tech, only to battle back in the later portions of the first half and first couples minute after halftime.

It's a behavior that, Pegues says, is mirrored in their daily practices. Instead of looking listless and lethargic, the team enthusiastic and energetic. Most importantly, guys remain competitive, but not so much where they come to blows with each other.

But when it's time to face someone else, this behavior mysteriously vanishes. The camaraderie and communication that was so prevalent in practice completely ceases to exist.

"Offensively, we just are disconnected," Pegues said. "I feel like I'm having to call a set play every time down just to get us organized. When I don't call one, we aren't necessarily flowing the way we need to flow, and is creating some incongruence amongst the group. Guys are a little disconnected, and I'm sure that led to some of those turnovers."

Pegues goes on to add that he believes some of this behavior can be attributed to the lack of season-long connectivity, stemming from the suspension and later mutual parting of ways with Chris Mack.

"The teams that we're playing right now are really connected," he said. "They have a really good feel for what they're trying to do. They've been able to progress throughout the season under the same leadership, under the same continuity on both ends of the floor. They know what they want to do, they attack it.

"At some point during the game, we become a little disjointed or we miss something, and leads build and that's when guys start to splinter a little bit in terms of their spirit."

Pegues stated last week that while Louisville is not exactly playing for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, as they have lost 13 of their last 15 games and are five games under. 500, they are still playing for pride. For hope that they can win a game, and that they might be able to mount some sort of rally at the ACC Tournament in Brooklyn, N.Y.

But with just one game left in the regular season, senior day against Virginia on Saturday, Mar. 5 at noon, morale is at an all-time low. The process for Pegues and the rest of the coaching staff to find a way to motivate and will this team to a strong finish will not be easy.

"Again, I do not think guys have quit. I just think that they're broken right now, and their confidence is low," he said. "We have to find a way as a staff, and as a team, to bring them back up. To get off the mat, and find a way to compete every possession the right way against UVA."

(Photo of Mike Pegues: Matt Stone - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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