Preview: Louisville with a sense of urgency against Syracuse
There has been some sense of urgency for Louisville men’s basketball as it tries to end a two-game losing streak when it hosts Syracuse at the KFC Yum! Center Feb. 19. The Cardinals (21-5 overall, 12-3 in the ACC) held a “players only” meeting after consecutive lackluster offensive performances that resulted in road losses to Georgia Tech and Clemson last week.
Coach Chris Mack said Louisville is a good practice team, but that needs to carry over to games. He said the Cardinals were locked in and practiced with energy following the loss to Clemson.
“I think our guys are doing a really good job at practice,” Mack said. “I have never been a guy that has complained about how our team has practiced, but you always want to see response like we saw as a coaching staff yesterday.”
Louisville’s offense struggled mightily last week. The Cardinals shot 33.9 percent from the field along with 16 turnovers against Georgia Tech.
Louisville was just as bad, if not worse, against Clemson. The Cardinals shot 15.6 percent from the field and scored 14 points in the first half in the loss.
Louisville ranks 12 in the nation in three-point field goal percentage at 38.3%, but went just 9 of 51 on shots from beyond the arc against Georgia Tech and Clemson.
Mack thought the offensive struggles impacted his team’s defense against Clemson.
“We can’t let our offense dictate how we defend,” Mack said. “We have been a team that has been top-15 in the country all year long holding other teams to a low field goal percentage.”
Syracuse (14-11 overall, 7-7 in the ACC) has won six of its last 10 games, but lost to Florida State last Saturday. Elijah Hughes, who leads the ACC in scoring with 18.9 points per game, is one of four Orange starters that score in double figures.
There won’t be any surprises for Louisville’s offense trying to score against Syracuse. Coach Jim Boeheim and the Orange utilize a 2-3 zone for the entire game.
Mack said Syracuse’s defense adapts to what opponents do.
“They generally understand what teams are looking for, they get a feel for where teams are trying to get the ball to,” Mack said. “Their players are very comfortable in what they do.”
Mack wouldn’t confirm if Jordan Nwora, Louisville’s leading scorer, would remain out of the Cardinals’ starting lineup for a second straight game. Nwora combined to go 2 of 11 from the field against Georgia Tech and Clemson.
Mack expects the junior to bounce back because he doesn’t lack confidence.
“He is a big part of our team, I think his teammates recognized that,” Mack said. “He needs to impact winning in every area that he can whether he is scoring the ball or not.”
