CARDINALS

After rout, U of L onto Cleveland State

Jeff Greer

@jeffgreer_cj

University of Louisville head coach Rick Pitino talks with his player during a time out against Savannah State during the second half of play at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky, November 24, 2014.

Rick Pitino began his post-game press conference after Monday night's win with the classic, "You'll think I'm crazy but hear me out" style comment.

His University of Louisville basketball team had just blasted Savannah State 87-26, making national headlines for the nearly 16 minutes that the Cards held Savannah State without a point in the first half.

Two days before that game, Savannah State beat Cleveland State 87-83 in overtime. Cleveland State visits U of L at the KFC Yum! Center for a 7 p.m. meeting on Wednesday.

"I know what you are saying, 'Well, Savannah beat Cleveland State,'" Pitino said. "It is totally different. Cleveland State was in charge of the game. (Savannah State) made a run late and pressured them, up eight at their gym, and made a couple long 3-pointers and put it into overtime."

In fairness to Pitino, Cleveland State was picked to finish second in the Horizon League, a typically challenging mid-major conference that used to include Butler among its members.

Cleveland State (2-2) returned a core of players who'd combined for 118 starts in previous seasons. Trey Lewis, the Vikings' leading scorer averaging 16 points a game, made the Horizon League's preseason first team, and Anton Grady made the preseason second team.

But in four games this season, Cleveland State has looked nothing like a team that could challenge Green Bay for the league title. Or anything like the team that Pitino regularly listed this offseason as part of Louisville's tough nonconference slate.

The Vikings dropped their opener to a solid Iona team that lost the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title game to Manhattan last March. Yet they struggled to put away Jacksonville State and blew a 13-point lead against Savannah State.

U of L (4-0) beat both of those teams by a combined 110 points.

So the goal in games like this is to improve, to use them as practice, a 40-minute workout against someone other than the Cards' own teammates.

Wayne Blackshear, U of L's senior captain, said Monday's win over Savannah State was just that: A chance to get better in a game environment.

"That team was still playing hard on defense," Blackshear said. "It gave us a chance to run through our offense and come through the screens and set good screens."

One thing in particular that both Blackshear and 6-foot-8 forward Montrezl Harrell said U of L needed to do better was moving the ball. The Cards didn't pass it to Pitino's liking, and he pointed to their 17 assists on 31 baskets to make his case.

U of L's assist rate – the Cards have assists on just 45.7 percent of their field goals this season – ranks 264th in the nation.

"Our guys were hunting shots and that's what happens when you get a lead and everybody's looking to score so you can go home and tell mommy how many points you had," Pitino said.

That's why Pitino, even in the moments after his team walloped Savannah State by 61 points, wants U of L to take Cleveland State seriously.

Games like Wednesday's are valuable learning lessons. And Cleveland State presents the last chance for the Cards to tighten up some elements of their game before one of the biggest tests on their schedule.

Ohio State comes to town next Tuesday, and there can't be any shot hunting or coasting against the Buckeyes.

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