SPORTS

Instant Analysis | U of L's hoops scrimmage

Jeff Greer
@jeffgreer_cj
U of L’s Terry Rozier will face his home state team, Ohio State, this December.

Louisville basketball conducted its first public intrasquad scrimmage on Sunday. It was the first full look at the Cardinals before the 2014-15 season starts in about a month.

Rewind back through the game's live blog here . That live blog also has tons of great info from media day, too.

Here are five takeaways from the 40-minute exhibition:

Jones improvement. Point guard Chris Jones was, in my opinion, the player of the game. He was quick, decisive and sharp. The 10 pounds he lost this offseason have seemingly made a lot of difference. At 5-10, he's the smallest guy on the team, but he used that to his advantage. He split defenders. He slid into crevices. He didn't force his shots (too often). Perhaps the biggest impact was on defense, where he accelerated into passing lanes on a frequent basis. He finished with 18 points, seven assists, five steals and three rebounds, including the game-winning 3.

Gill confident. Last year, Rick Pitino praised freshman Anton Gill's offensive ability but worried that his physical presence and defense would limit him. Gill, a 6-foot-4 wing, didn't play a whole lot as a result. He added 10 pounds in the offseason, but more than anything to do with his body, the North Carolina native found some confidence. He was assertive and aggressive on offense, and perhaps even more important, he was calm and comfortable. That allowed him to put his offense on display, and he guarded well enough to show improvement. He's going to get minutes this year. He tallied 14 points and seven rebounds.

Mahmoud's skills. The 7-foot freshman Anas Mahmoud is listed at 200 pounds. He's probably a little lighter. But while his size isn't quite where it needs to be yet, his potential is abundantly clear. He quickly became the fan favorite in the scrimmage with a slew of impressive blocks, steals and dunks. Pitino even took the Yum Center mic in the second half and said he was the most impressed by "the Big Egyptian." His stat line reflected his activity: 12 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals. It's unclear just yet if he'll play a ton this season -- Pitino said it was unlikely earlier this month -- but he looked sharp enough today to maybe earn some time.

Vets impress. The usual suspects looked good in a scrimmage that involved six scholarship freshmen. Montrezl Harrell was his dominant self, posting 24 points and 12 rebounds. Terry Rozier is primed for a big season. He totaled a game-high 25 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Wayne Blackshear was confident and in always in attack mode, finishing with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Mangok Mathiang (six points, five rebounds) was effective at times.

Freshmen contributors? My biggest question from today is which freshmen will play this season. It's still very early. Quentin Snider looked timid and uncomfortable, and his stat line and performance showed it. He struggled through a 3-of-11 performance, but he will play this season. He has the talent. Mahmoud was sharp and impressive, but is he too skinny to play? Chinanu Onuaku, to me, is the only sure-fire contributor right now. He can be an asset on the glass and on defense, and he did convert a few layups. I'll have to see more Jaylen Johnson to know what his role might be. Matz Stockman is a project. Shaqquan Aaron should get some time because of his talent, though his strength will be a question mark.