CARDINALS

Pitino: U of L making up for Jones' departure

Jeff Greer

@jeffgreer_cj

Louisville's Quentin Snider celebrates as Virginia's Darion Atkins feels the game slipping away Saturday.

Every now and again, University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino wades into the world of social media or sports talk radio and the sparks fly.

Pitino is strong in his anti-Twitter stance and he swears he doesn't listen to sports radio or read the local newspaper (though he does frequently appear as a guest on radio shows). On Tuesday, at his pre-Sweet 16 press conference before Louisville leaves for Friday's game against NC State in Syracuse, Pitino reminded everyone why he struggles with sports radio.

He was asked for his thoughts on sports show callers here in Louisville suggesting that Pitino's U of L team is better since dismissing starting point guard Chris Jones in February. Louisville is 5-2 since Jones's dismissal, including two wins in the NCAA tournament, but the Cardinals' statistics are just about the same across the board.

Pitino wasted no time shooting down the theory.

"I really think that people should stop calling in and showing their ignorance," he told reporters gathered at U of L's on-campus practice facility. "I think they should just listen to all of you (media) and stop calling. Every time they call in and say something like that, they just show their ignorance. We could have blown out Irvine with Chris Jones by 15 or 20 points (in the first round). Instead of giving all the guys credit for execution and great play, they try to blame someone. I can guarantee the person who called in is not successful at what they do. I can guarantee he has not accomplished very much in the world of sports.

"Now, you can call in and say, 'I really think the guys are coming together. They're executing well because Terry's taking less bad shots and this guy's doing this' -- intelligent things. But right away, they come up with cynicism. That's why you guys have to pay attention to it and I'm extremely happy I don't have to."

To Bob Valvano, the former college coach who hosts a daily afternoon show on ESPN 680 and is a regular color analyst for U of L games, the entire premise that Louisville is better off without Jones was "ridiculous." He said his show took multiple calls this week from listeners who believe the theory.

Pitino's answer, Valvano added, was perfect.

"Ask Rick Pitino if he'd still like to have Chris Jones's skill set," Valvano said. "There's no question they don't play defense the way they did."

The truth, Pitino and his players say, is that Louisville (26-8) has had to adjust without Jones and beef up in other areas.

In the weeks since Jones left the team, a significant mark on the timeline of the 2014-15 season, Louisville has altered its style of play to accommodate for freshman point guard Quentin Snider's learning curve on defense. Pitino at first eliminated some of the defensive schemes that called for players to switch defenses based on where the ball is on the floor and scaled back the responsibilities in defensive assignments, though he said Tuesday that those complexities are coming back piece by piece.

Louisville is still creating turnovers at a similar level -- 21.9 percent of opponents' possessions without Jones vs. 21.7 with him. The Cardinals' shooting percentages are similar, as are the assist and turnover rates.

So, how has Louisville maintained its stats and winning ways and looked better each game? Wayne Blackshear's scoring is up three points a game. Terry Rozier took fewer challenged shots against Northern Iowa. Snider's production has been more than welcome. And the bench, much maligned as it was this season, has helped, especially on defense.

"We're much smarter the last month than we have been," Pitino said. "I think that's why we've become a better basketball team. I think we constantly got beat because we were in the wrong place and I had to give up on certain things.

"Everybody's understanding where their position is on the court and they understand they have to talk in order to make the thing work."

Last week, before the UC-Irvine game, Pitino talked at length about the same subject. Louisville, he explained, lost its best on-ball defender, its best shooter and its toughest guy in the backcourt when Jones left.

"I said, 'So if you think our freshman, Quentin Snider, or anybody else could make up for him leaving, you're wrong,'" Pitino said Thursday. "What we have to do is get more out of Montrezl (Harrell), more out of Terry, more out of Wayne, more out of our (centeres), and that's the only way to make up the difference in that. They have done that."

Reach U of L beat writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).