LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — There was no game for the University of Louisville men’s basketball team Saturday, but the scoreboard never sleeps.
Your spot in the computer rankings can improve or slip with every result.
Here are the two Saturday results that were most alarming for the Cardinals:
- Duke 79, Clemson 53
- Wake Forest 66, Miami 54
Let the record show that Clemson has lost four of its last five. Louisville was the exception.
Let the record also show that in those four defeats, the Tigers allowed an average of nearly 82 points. The Cardinals scored 50 in their four-point defeat Wednesday.
Miami beat Louisville two weeks ago. Not only have the Hurricanes failed to win again, they have lost four straight, all by at least a dozen points.
By 8 a.m. Sunday, Louisville slipped to No. 41 in Ken Pomeroy’s computer power formula, the Cards’ lowest ranking this season. On Jan. 6, Louisville was No. 24 in Pomeroy.
The Cardinals (10-4) have tumbled from No. 33 to No. 65 over the last two weeks in Bart Torvik’s computer formula. The NCAA Net rating puts Louisville No. 46, fourth in the ACC.
They also lost one NCAA Tournament bracket line -- to an 8-seed from a 7 -- last week at BracketMatrix.com, a site that compiles bracket forecasts.
Louisville coach Chris Mack noticed the Clemson-Duke score Saturday before he answered questions about the Cards’ next game — Monday at 2 p.m. against Georgia Tech in the KFC Yum! Center.
Deplorable was one word that Mack used to describe Louisville’s offensive performance against Clemson. Bad was another.
Nobody argued.
“As I said before, I know (Clemson) got thrashed today, but at their best they're a really, really good defensive team and against us they really forced those two guys (U of L guards David Johnson and Carlik Jones) into making some decisions,” Mack said.
“… We've got to be able to capitalize, we've got to be able to hit a couple open shots. We have to play at a faster pace.
“Hard to play at a faster pace sometimes against Clemson, but I thought what Clemson does, they did extremely well on Wednesday night. They tried to take the ball out of David’s and Carlik's hands.
“While their pressure didn't force any turnovers, it forced guys to bring the ball up with a man in their back pocket the entire game. We've got to get guys to make a few shots and the ones we miss we've got to do a better job on the offensive glass.
“I was proud of our group in the sense that our offense was deplorable. Bad.
“We had every ability and every opportunity to win the game had we done some things differently down the stretch. With a young team, to hang our hat on our defense on the road and give ourselves a chance to win ... I'm disappointed with the loss and we've got to learn from it, but it's what I've told our team all along, (that) if we can defend at a high level, we'll give ourselves a chance to win.”
Mack said he was not certain if he would change his starting lineup against the Yellow Jackets (7-5), who ended a two-game losing streak by defeating Florida State, 75-65, Saturday.
He said forward Quin Slazinski has made solid contributions, many as a communicator. He also said he had to sit Slazinski against Clemson because of defensive issues early in the second half. Mack said he liked the way that Samuell Williamson has responded to being moved out of the starting lineup.
He said that Charles Minlend’s health has continued to improve. Mack said that at his best, Minlend should provide poise and outside shooting for the Cardinals.
“I wouldn’t be a truth teller to my team if I said, ‘Hey, the most effective players in practice are going to start,’ and then just roll out the same lineup — if those players weren’t the most effective in practice," Mack said.
“… that’s why I put the five that I did on the floor. Coaches don’t care who plays. The media, I don’t think you guys care who plays. Fans, ultimately, really don't care who plays. They want to win games, just as the coaches want to.
“We’re going to judge what we see in practice every single day and put the best five that we can on the floor.”
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