Pitino to play Mahmoud more, get Harrell ball

Rick Pitino took to his radio show on Monday night and expressed the same exasperation he's expressed in the past 48 hours since Louisville's surprising 74-65 loss to NC State.

He'd said it earlier Monday on the ACC coaches teleconference, and in his post-game comments on Saturday, but with an hour to talk with show host Paul Rogers, Pitino expanded on his frustrations.

"I was very embarrassed," Pitino said, especially with former U of L stars Russ Smith and Gorgui Dieng sitting courtside for the loss. "I was embarrassed they had to see us play that way."

Louisville (20-5, 8-4 in the ACC) ran double sessions of practice on Monday despite the snow day for the university. Saturday's loss -- the only Cardinals' defeat against a team not in the RPI top 10 -- was, Pitino said, "the only game of the year where I was really disappointed."

So, what solutions has Pitino come up with, if any?

Well, there were a few, but two of them were rather resounding, at least that's how it came across through the radio waves.

Related:An in-depth look at U of L's tournament resume

First of all, Pitino, like many, many Louisville fans, was shocked that All-American forward Montrezl Harrell only attempted five shots in the NC State game and compiled just 13 paint touches. It was the second time this season that Harrell has only tried five shots. Part of it was Harrell's fault, Pitino said, because he wasn't "ducking in" hard enough from the weak side on penetration.

(Ducking in has become a popular phrase this season if you follow Louisville basketball. Here's a full primer on what that actually means -- see "side pick-and-pop.")

But the majority of the blame, Pitino continued, is on Harrell's teammates not passing him the ball. Part of that is on the shorter guards who can't see other big backcourts and throw entry passes. But still ... feed the man.

"I told them, 'If he's open and you don't get him the ball, you're coming out of the game,'" Pitino said.

Another issue that Pitino took on Monday night was the playing time of Anas Mahmoud, the 7-foot freshman who has seen inconsistent minutes since ACC play began.

He played 24 minutes vs. Ohio State and 13 against Indiana. He played 20-plus minutes against Cal State-Northridge and Western Kentucky. He played 17 minutes vs. Clemson and 21 against Long Beach State.

He also registered DNPs against Minnesota, UNC Wilmington, Kentucky, Clemson and North Carolina, and played less than 10 minutes in 13 other games.

But in the same vein as Pitino taking the training wheels off of Mangok Mathiang last season, he said he needs to do the same for Mahmoud. Louisville just isn't getting enough from Mathiang. Even if Mahmoud, at 207 pounds, isn't nearly strong enough or physically built enough to hold his ground to Pitino's liking, Louisville has to use him more.

"I've got to start to play him," Pitino said. "(Mathiang) is just not catching the ball and finishing inside, so I've got to start playing (Mahmoud) more and live with his weaknesses."