Three Key Takeaways.
- Davidson Failed to Capitalize. With about 11 minutes to go in the First Half, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino gambled by bringing his center, Gorgui Dieng, already with a couple of nasty blocks but also two fouls, back into the game. Within 30 seconds, Dieng had picked up his third foul and was headed back to the bench for the remainder. At the time, Davidson was within one point (16-15). Yet, even with Dieng’s defensive presence on the bench the remainder of the half, Louisville outscored the Wildcats 17-10 the rest of the way. This was a major missed opportunity for Bob McKillop’s team.
- Davidson Wasn’t Just Cold As Much As the Shots Weren’t There. Davidson came into this game not as an elite three-point shooting team, but the Wildcats were somewhat remarkable in that every starter had hit 34% or better from deep this season. None of the seven players who attempted a trey for the team surpassed that mark today. The team collectively shot 22% from beyond the arc, and it was clear very early on that Louisville’s game plan was to force dribble drives at the three-point line and dominate the paint with Dieng and Behanan inside. The strategy was successful.
- Louisville’s Lack of Offense Is Clearly Their Fatal Flaw. No secret here, but it’s even more apparent when you see the Cardinals live. They just don’t have consistent scoring options but today there was a general feeling that they’ll just find a way to scrape enough points together to get the win. Louisville hit for only 40% from the field and a ridiculous 1-5 from three-point range. This won’t be a winning formula against more talented teams, perhaps as soon as the next round. And if Rick Pitino’s team comes up against a team that gets a big early lead, we have to believe that it’ll be lights out for the Cards.
Star of the Game. Chane Behanan, Louisville. Peyton Siva was good (17/6 assts), but it was Behanan who saved the day in the first half when Dieng was attached to the bench. In the last 10 minutes of the half, Behanan provided four points, a couple of offensive boards, an assist and a block while acting as a human wrecking ball inside the paint. He ended the game with a very nice dub-dub of 14/11 with six offensive boards and a lot of man-sized defense underneath.
Quotable. Rick Pitino, on an interviewer beginning a question about New Mexico, a possible opponent in the next round. “I know nothing about New Mexico.”
Sights & Sounds. The 10:40 AM PDT local start was not the best way to start a hyped pod of tournament basketball, but this mid-sized city of Portland represented well with a fairly full complement of people by the start of the second half. The early timing kept fans waiting for something on the court to excite them, but this wasn’t necessarily the game to make that happen.
What’s Next? Louisville advances to face the winner of #5 New Mexico and #12 Long Beach State in the next round, and either team would provide an interesting contrast with Davidson in that they are much more athletic and capable of putting points on the board to challenge the stout Cardinal defense.