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U of L hopes offensive mojo continues at BC

Jeff Greer
@jeffgreer_cj
Louisville's Rick Pitino had plenty to say during a timeout with his team as the Cardinals lost to Duke 63-52 at the KFC Yum! Center Saturday. Jan. 17, 2015 By Matt Stone, The Courier-Journal

Asked how the University of Louisville basketball team's previously struggling offense thrived in Sunday's win at Pittsburgh, coach Rick Pitino dusted off his most famous quote and put a Louisville spin on it.

"Gorgui Dieng is not walking through that door," he said, grinning. "Neither is David Padgett – to bring out an old expression."

The line was a play on his well-known comment as the Boston Celtics' coach some 15 years ago, when he said, amid the Celtics' struggles, that Hall of Famers Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish weren't "walking through that door."

This time, he meant it in terms of why U of L had to change its offensive schemes and focus more on its penetration and guard play. The changes worked in a 65.2-percent shooting performance at Pitt, and Pitino hopes the changes work again on Wednesday night at Boston College.

The teams tip off at 9 p.m. at BC's Conte Forum, barring any late decisions to postpone the game due to weather.

Louisville centers Chinanu Onuaku and Mangok Mathiang "don't make the plays those other guys made," Pitino said.

"We ran some different offensive sets, which helped a lot. We did a lot of good things by getting into the paint with drives … If we could do that, I thought we could shoot a high percentage, and we did."

U of L (16-3, 4-2 in the ACC) had a bit of an offensive revelation in that Pitt game. The Cardinals set a new high mark for shooting percentage for an opponent at Pitt's Petersen Events Center, and they also shot the highest percentage ever by an opponent against a Jamie Dixon-coached team.

All that came eight days after Louisville's dismal 29.5-percent shooting in a 63-52 home loss to Duke.

"To go from the Duke game to that is quite astonishing," Pitino said Monday on his radio show. "Our defense was very average, and our offense was spectacular."

What, exactly, changed in the Pitt game?

First of all, it should be noted that Pitt, perhaps stubbornly, played man-to-man defense most of the game against Louisville, a move that allowed the Cardinals' speedy guards to get past their defenders and into the lane.

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Duke, long known for its man defense, packed into a 2-3 zone and dared Louisville's perimeter players to make jump shots. That strategy obviously paid off, and it prompted Pitino to say every U of L opponent the rest of the season should do the same thing.

At Pitt, U of L attacked off its pick-and-rolls and in transition, allowing guards Terry Rozier and Chris Jones the freedom to run at the defense.

With those two operating at their offensive best – Jones and Rozier combined for 43 points and 15 assists – forward Montrezl Harrell had the type of game that more closely resembles the preseason All-American tag he was given. He thundered in dunks and scored in the paint, finishing with 18 points and seven rebounds.

"We did a great job moving the ball against Duke, but at the same time, we were missing shots," Jones said. "When we miss shots, we drop our heads."

That didn't happen at Pitt, partly because the Cards started on a hot streak, partly because they were adamant in changing their attitudes.

Wednesday, though, presents a different kind of test. BC (9-9, 1-5 in the ACC) has struggled in many categories and appears to be in a dead heat with Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech in the battle for last place in the conference.

But Louisville's fighting bad weather and a potentially hairy trip north to Boston, and Pitino said Monday that BC might be the "toughest prep" among ACC teams. That's why he hopes the offensive mojo they found Sunday continues this week.

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

TODAY'S GAME

NO. 10 LOUISVILLE AT BOSTON COLLEGE

9 p.m., Chestnut Hill, Mass.

TV: WHAS-11 Radio: WHAS-840