Pitino: 2014-15 team eerily similar to 11-12

The 2014-15 version of the University of Louisville basketball team reminds coach Rick Pitino of one of his most famous groups.

Three years ago, U of L ranked 116th in offensive efficiency and ranked in the bottom half of college basketball in field-goal percentage, making 42.5 percent of its shots. But that team, fueled by a surprise run to the Big East tournament title and the nation's most efficient defense, reached the Final Four.

"This (season's) team, statistically, reminds me so much of our team three years ago," Pitino said Monday. "We both shot the 3 at a low percentage. We had difficulty scoring points. It's almost eerie of how close the two teams are. I'm just hoping we have the end result of that year's team."

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It is, as he said, almost eerie how similar the statistical profiles of the two teams are. This season's U of L (15-3) shoots 42.7 percent as a team and ranks 77th nationally in offensive efficiency, but the Cardinals also have the nation's fourth-most efficient defense.

The biggest difference between the teams is the center position.

Gorgui Dieng, a rapidly improving sophomore during that 2011-12 campaign, averaged 9.1 points and 9.1 rebounds in 32.8 minutes per game.

This season's group doesn't have a primary center, but the two players who share the role -- Mangok Mathiang and Chinanu Onuaku -- average 6.7 points and 10.8 rebounds a game. Louisville's centers this season have contributed just 9.4 percent of the Cards' scoring. That figure ranks 350th in the nation and is 9.5 percent below the national average.

"We were much better defensively back then, and we had a better 5 man back then," Pitino said.

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A few other items of note from the ACC coaches' teleconference on Monday:

* Pitino said Louisville "was very much prepared" for Duke's 2-3 zone on Saturday. "Every single team plays us zone," he said. "That's the defense to play against us." The problem wasn't so much the zone, he explained. Instead, his team missed five shots around the basket and "10 to 12 open shots," Pitino said.

"It was just one of those nights it's not going in," he said.

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* Terry Rozier didn't shoot well against Duke, but he continued his impressive run this season of double-digit points in all but one Louisville game. The 6-foot-1 sophomore guard averages a team-high 17.4 points per game, and he's scored 15 or more points in 11 consecutive games.

"He's having a great year," Pitino said. "He's very consistent. He's very consistent with his attitude ... I call him "The Professional." He's having as good a year as any guard in the country. He stays humble. He stays quiet about it.

"I can't find a flaw in his game. He plays (both guard spots) for us. He rebounds. He's a good defender. I haven't found a flaw in his game. I try to yell at him once in a while in practice, so it doesn't seem like I'm babying him."

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* Pitino said he's tried to keep a positive spin on things despite losing two of the last three games, including a pretty heavy thumping by Duke and a heartbreaking one-point road loss to UNC.

"There are some times when we get a victory and I say I'm very disappointed in our guys," Pitino said. "This time, we just had a lot of shots we didn't make ... We have a very tough schedule. There's no room in a coach's life or a player's life to get down.

"You can't get down in this game; you have to get up and get inspired."

Follow U of L beat writer Jeff Greer on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj) for up-to-the-minute Cards updates.