Analysis | U of L holds off feisty Miami 55-53
Miami came to the KFC Yum! Center and gave the University of Louisville basketball team everything it had, but Louisville finally found a way to break through after a frustrating run of three losses in four games.
How did they do it?
Defense and big games from Montrezl Harrell and Chris Jones lifted the Cards to a 55-53 victory over Miami.
Yes, that Chris Jones, the formerly suspended point guard who missed Wednesday's game because of an unspecified violation of team rules. (After the game, Jones had no comment on the reason for his suspension.)
On Saturday, the 5-foot-10 point guard came to play, and he made a huge difference on both ends of the floor, squashing the belief held by some that Louisville is better off without the senior from Memphis.
"He's playing great," U of L coach Rick Pitino said. "I think Montrezl and Chris have been our two best players in conference play. It's really amazing what he can do in dogging the basketball ... Chris works hard at his game, all the time. That's why I appreciate him."
Jones penetrated, hit big shots and, most of all, absolutely harried every ball handler he covered. He finished with 17 points, five rebounds, two steals and two assists in 36 minutes. Miami point guard Angel Rodriguez, the Hurricanes' second-leading scoring, was 1 of 12 with four turnovers with Jones guarding him.
"I'll take the blame for that (Syracuse loss) any day of the week. It's my fault," Jones said, referring to Louisville's defeat on Wednesday.
"It's just something I'll learn from. It hurt me to watch my team struggle ... I knew I had to gain the fans' respect back, y'all's respect back, my teammates -- that's why I played my heart out."
Louisville (21-6, 9-5 in the ACC) needed him, and he came through in a big way. And so did Harrell, who finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds, and made three pivotal free throws in the final minute.
"It shows that we have a lot of fight, a lot of heart," Harrell said. "(If) we're locked in on every defensive possession, we'll be fine."
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Credit Miami. The Hurricanes took a ton of punches from Louisville, especially in the second half, and kept fighting. They didn't get much from their second-leading scorer, Angel Rodriguez, who has struggled immensely in two games against U of L, but like they did in the first matchup, the 'Canes got double-digit scoring from one of its 6-foot-5 wings. Sheldon McClellan (17 points, 7-of-13 shooting) hit several big shots and helped Miami keep Louisville at arm's length.
"This conference reminds me much more of the Big East than I thought it would," Pitino said. "It takes that type of defense to win in this conference. We knew what was at stake for Miami."
Steals up. After racking up two steals in three of their last four games, the Cardinals had five steals by halftime on Saturday and finished with nine. They also blocked eight shots and looked far scrappier on the defensive end, though they still had a few early-game miscommunications that led to easy Miami baskets. The return of Jones, who has to be one of the top on-ball defenders in the country, certainly helped. But above all else, Pitino was thrilled that his team had met the 35-deflection threshold.
"I'm buying beer because we finally got 35 deflections," he joked.
Aggressive Blackshear. Another big issue on Wednesday was Blackshear's apprehension. He recorded zero points and zero rebounds, and he was credited with zero assists, though Pitino said Friday that Blackshear should have received an assist in the stat book. Either way, he fouled out in a critical game without contributing anything. Pitino keeps saying the 6-foot-5 Blackshear plays well in practice, but the performances don't reflect that. Saturday's, however, did.
"I keep telling Wayne to drive to the basket," Pitino said. "He's doing a better job of that. I just think he's having a very good year. I base it on not just the games, but also practice."
Aaron plays. Three days after Pitino benched and slammed freshman wing Shaqquan Aaron for not being "a Louisville Man," the 6-foot-7 Seattle native came off the bench in the first half and played well. He didn't compile a ton of stats by any stretch, but he grabbed a rebound in the middle of a scrum and also dished out what should've been an beautiful assist, but Rozier missed the layup.
"He practiced like a Louisville basketball player," Pitino said. "That's all he did. He practiced. I'm sure his father and mother got after him because I had a conversation with them, and you don't mess with those people. I'm being serious."
