U of L needs Blackshear as March approaches

When Wayne Blackshear clanked two early free throws on Monday night, University of Louisville coach Rick Pitino harkened back to earlier this season.

"It would have bothered us," Pitino said. "It always happens that way. You lose your confidence. I got after them at halftime and I said, 'Man, you were open twice and you didn't shoot. There's only one way to get hot in basketball, and that's to shoot.'"

Blackshear and sophomore guard Terry Rozier took Pitino's halftime encouragement to heart, unleashing 26 combined second-half points and splashing important shot after important shot in a 52-51 comeback win at Georgia Tech.

Five days later, 17th-ranked U of L (22-6, 10-5 in the ACC) has another road challenge in a 12 p.m. tip-off at Florida State, and it will yet again need Blackshear and Rozier's perimeter scoring as the team moves on from the dismissal of starting point guard Chris Jones.

Rozier has been Louisville's star guard all season and has had the most consistent campaign of anyone on the team. He has scored double-digit points in all but three of U of L's games this season and is a strong candidate to earn first-team All-ACC honors.

Blackshear, however, has long been the source of frustration for many U of L fans and even Pitino. A former McDonald's All-American who made a booming entrance onto the national scene in the 2012 Final Four, Blackshear's potential has always outsized his production.

Louisville is four months into its season, which will be Blackshear's last in a Cardinals uniform. He has had big games – 19 points vs. NC State, 22 vs. Ohio State – and he has had clunkers – zero points vs. Syracuse, three vs. North Carolina.

There was a growing consensus that Blackshear, a 6-foot-5 Chicago native who is a solid shooter and effective penetrator when he wants to be, might have reached the point in his career where he just simply is what he is: A role player with lots of potential.

But Monday's performance at Georgia Tech gave glimpses of what role Blackshear can play going forward for a Louisville team that desperately needs a consistent third scorer to fill Jones's shoes.

"I know I can hit my shots," said Blackshear, who finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.

"My team has a lot of confidence in me. They never doubt me for anything, so I thank them for that."

Don't get carried away: It's unfair to expect triple-doubles from Blackshear. But it's also not unfair to expect more scoring from Blackshear in the wake of the Jones dismissal.

Yes, there are other players on the team capable of chipping away at the 13-plus points a game that Jones provided, but Blackshear appears to have the most potential to boost his productivity as Louisville's bench players try to gain confidence and moxie on the floor.

"They're just getting thrown into the fire right now, but they're coming along," Blackshear said.

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Meanwhile Pitino has started a new campaign in recent weeks. Blackshear, the coach says, is due for a breakout March.

"Wayne's playing great basketball," Pitino said last Friday. "I don't base it just on the games. He's playing great in practice – I mean great.

"He's doing things I haven't seen him do before – taking off and dunking on people, getting fouled."

That's exactly what Louisville needs, and it's close to what Louisville got on Monday. Blackshear hit two pivotal 3-pointers, and in recent games, he has been more assertive in collecting passes on the wing and attacking the basket.

With three regular-season games left to prove that they are still worthy of a favorable seed in the NCAA tournament, the Cardinals need Blackshear to keep doing just that.

After all, as Pitino put it, there's only one way to get hot in basketball.

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

TODAY'S GAME

NO. 17 LOUISVILLE AT FLORIDA STATE

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