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Pitino's case for Mangok Mathiang explained

Jeff Greer
@jeffgreer_cj
U of L's Mangok Mathiang, #12, shoots against Northern Iowa's Seth Tuttle, #10, at the KeyArena in Seattle during the third round of the NCAA tournament.
March 22, 2015

Rick Pitino trumpeted twice this weekend how valuable center Mangok Mathiang has been to the University of Louisville basketball team in two NCAA tournament wins.

He even bet that no one in the press conference after U of L's opening-round win over UC-Irvine would write about Mathiang's contributions. If someone picked up a stat sheet, Pitino said, they would not recognize Mathiang's impact on the games in Seattle.

"If you pick up a stat sheet, you say this guy can't play," Pitino said. "If you see him miss a layup, you're like, 'Oh my God, how can he miss a layup?' But what you don't see is all the things he does to help the basketball team win. Everybody can't score. If he tries to score, then he takes shots away from Terry Rozier, (Quentin Snider) and Wayne (Blackshear)."

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To make a case for Mathiang's significant playing time at center, there has to be a few acknowledgments of his flaws, points Pitino tried to make on Tuesday and over last weekend.

First of all, Mathiang's scoring production has been dismal this season, and that is no secret. He is 29 of 77 from the field this season (37.7 percent) and averages 2.5 points per game. Both of those stats are worse than last season, when he shot 52.8 percent and scored 3.6 points a game. He has two total points in 44 minutes of NCAA tournament action and is shooting a meager 29.4 percent on layup and dunk putbacks this season.

But, as Pitino said, Mathiang is not on the floor for his scoring, though it would certainly help if he made a few more shots. Instead, Mathiang is there for his communication, especially on defense, and his energy. Through that scope, Mathiang has actually been one of Louisville's most productive players.

Mathiang leads the team in offensive rebounding rate and free throws per shot attempt, two key offensive stats for big men. He grabs 14.2 percent of the offensive boards available to him, a number that actually ranks 23rd in the nation on Ken Pomeroy's advanced statistics site.

Related:U of L is not better without Chris Jones, Pitino says

On defense, Mathiang's role in the middle of Louisville's 2-3 zone is critical. He is the director of traffic, and his ability to see over the top of the defense and read offenses has helped U of L all season.

He has also developed enough quickness to offset his thin frame.

Mathiang blocked six shots in the last four games, including two against Northern Iowa -- one in particular was a weak-side help swat that would make most highlight reels. In that same game, Mathiang was responsible for All-American Seth Tuttle's quiet 14 points.

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He has six steals in that same four-game span, with two huge ones in the second half against UC-Irvine, essentially shutting off the Anteaters' post access to 7-foot-6 center Mamadou Ndiaye.

In other words, Mathiang did just enough to bother both players, and in intensely fought NCAA tournament games, that goes a long way toward a win. That's Pitino's case.

"He just does a lot of good things defensively," Pitino said. "He's always in the right place. He's always helping the right people."

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