Analysis | Cards struggle in loss to Orange
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The University of Louisville men's basketball team came to this ice-cold basketball city looking for a change, a boost in morale that might jump-start a frustrating February.
Instead, 12th-ranked U of L left Syracuse with its third loss in four games, a 69-59 decision, and returned home wondering what's next.
It is mid-February, 26 games into the 2014-15 season, and Louisville has lost its identity. In Wednesday's loss, Louisville (20-6, 8-5 in the ACC) was rudely reminded that its margin of error has become razor thin.
"We played well ... What's stopping us from being a very good basketball team is, the last three years, we've been one of the feared most defensive teams in the nation with steals, turnovers," Pitino said. "We've been void of both ... We're falling short of it."
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If anything goes wrong, especially if more than one thing goes wrong, U of L will have trouble beating many of the solid opponents left on its schedule. And on Wednesday night, a lot went wrong.
Wayne Blackshear contributed nothing — zero points, zero rebounds, zero assists — and was saddled with foul trouble for most of the game. Chris Jones was suspended for violating team rules. And Chinanu Onuaku, Anas Mahmoud and Mangok Mathiang could not defend Syracuse big man Rakeem Christmas, who finished with 29 points and eight rebounds.
That's more than enough to hand Louisville another disappointing result. And that disappointing result was enough to prompt sophomore guard Terry Rozier and junior forward Montrezl Harrell, the team's vocal leader, to contemplate having a players-only team meeting.
"At this point in the season, a few more losses and we're going to be one of those teams on the bubble to even make the NCAA tournament," Harrell said. "We worked too hard over the summer, too hard over this year to not be one of those teams that gets a chance to make the run toward the big stage ... We shouldn't have anyone who's in their feelings or anybody who doesn't want to take criticism from the coaches or other players."
Rozier had his own thoughts on the matter: "I'm going to talk to (Harrell). I'm going to call a team meeting for us, just for the players. We have to figure out something we have to do to come together on defense ... There's too much individual (stuff) from the defensive standpoint. We're not talking enough. We're not going to win games if our defense is not together."
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At its best this campaign, Louisville was a sound defensive team, a unit capable of stifling just about anyone and finding enough scoring from its core four players that it could get by and win.
Whether it was Terry Rozier, Jones or Blackshear scoring from the perimeter, or Montrezl Harrell patrolling the lane and imposing his physical presence, Louisville had just enough talent in those four players to get the job done, win 20 games and remain in the top 10 for the first three months of the season.
But U of L learned at Syracuse that it is not what it once was, at least right now. And it returns home wondering if that is a reachable goal at this point in the season.
On Chris Jones's suspension: Rick Pitino had some choice words for suspended starting point guard Chris Jones, who didn't make the trip with the team. Let me get out of the way here and just post his full comments on Jones:
"We missed him a lot, but it's his selfishness that hurt the team," Pitino started. "I'm not one that believes in game suspensions. I believe in punishment where you get up in the morning and you lift weights and you have curfew at night, but this was not a decision by me. It's all cleared up. He could play next game if he does what the assistant coach tells him to do. If he doesn't, he sits again. I don't care if he sits all season, to tell you the truth. I couldn't care less. If he doesn't do the right things and act like a Louisville man, he could move on and try to go to Belgium somewhere.
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• Blackshear's rough night: Sometimes the criticism of Blackshear seems to go over the top, but any frustration directed his way on Wednesday night was probably fair. The 6-foot-5 Blackshear deserves credit for drawing a first-half charge and playing solid defense at times, but he also spent the end of the first half in foul trouble and picked up his fourth foul with 15:16 left in the game.
He fouled out with 5:16 to play, and his final stat line left a lot to be desired. He was 0 for 2, with zero points, zero rebounds and zero assists. When Jones already isn't on the floor, Louisville needs production from Blackshear. The Cards didn't get any.
"It was missed free throws and Wayne Blackshear's not being on the court that really hurt us," Pitino said.
No Shaqquan Aaron. A lot of fans on Twitter wondered why Pitino didn't use 6-foot-7 freshman wing Shaqquan Aaron at all. I asked if he hadn't been practicing well, which is usually why Pitino sits players.
"He just doesn't have a Louisville attitude. He's not a Louisville man in terms of the way we practice, the way we go about it," Pitino said.
So I asked if he can get there.
"If he doesn't, he'll be at another school," Pitino said. "That's the way it will be. He's never going to step on the court until he gets that attitude."
• New bench rotation? The first three players off Louisville's bench were Mahmoud, David Levitch and Anton Gill. Just like you expected, right? Gill struggled, losing two turnovers and looking confused again. But Levitch and Mahmoud played well. Mahmoud, the 7-foot freshman, hit a soft elbow jumper in the first half, and he made a nice post move for a bucket early in the second.
Mathiang didn't make his first appearance until the 8:36 mark of the second half, and Aaron didn't play at all.
Reach U of L beat writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).
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