LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Now, we’ll find out how formidable this University of Louisville men’s basketball team is.
Four games away from home against at least three Power 5 and two likely NCAA Tournament teams will say considerably more about the Cardinals’ strengths and issues than the four buy games Louisville has played at the KFC Yum! Center to open the season.
They outlasted Detroit Mercy, 73-67, Saturday — and lost ground in the computer power rankings, which already have the Cardinals as the 8th best team in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
So far the Cards have won three, lost one and dazzled nobody — including their acting head coach Mike Pegues.
“You cannot accept in victory which you wouldn’t accept in defeat,” Pegues said. “I did not think we guarded the ball very well today. I don’t think that we guarded the three-point line very well …
“… although we won the rebounding margin, the rebounding battle by four. There were still way too many offensive rebounds. They got 11 offensive rebounds. Like I said in the last press conference, I hate to have to come back in here and say it again.
“That means our coaching staff has to do a better job of convincing our guys that it matters. We couldn’t have emphasized it more in the last few days. We have to get better all-around on the defensive end and on the glass.”
A winless Detroit program that lost to Wyoming by 38 and hasn't beaten an opponent from a power 5 conference since 2011 played elbow to elbow with Louisville into the final minute.
The Cards couldn't exhale and celebrate their victory until Noah Locke broke a 67-67 tie with a contested three-point shot with 1:17 to play.
Jarrod West added three free throws. Louisville forced turnovers on Detroit’s next two possessions. They finally stopped undersized Detroit guard Antoine Davis from wiggling free on the perimeter, where he scored most of his 27 points by making six shots from distance.
That’s how Louisville escaped without another Furman Moment.
But neither Southern nor Furman nor Navy nor Detroit are walking through that door for Louisville over the next five games. Southeastern Louisiana (Dec. 14) is the next team that will come to town to take a loss in exchange for a check.
Nope, next is a Thursday night match in The Bahamas against a Mississippi State team that beat Detroit by 13 points three days ago.
Toss in another game in Nassau against either Maryland or Richmond and then visits to Michigan State and North Carolina State.
Chris Mack will return from suspension to coach his team after the two games in the Bahamas. He will be on the bench in East Lansing when U of L plays Michigan State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Dec. 1. Maybe that will change the mojo.
Or maybe the Cards haven't been inspired by a schedule that has yet to feature a brand name. I asked Pegues if that has been an issue for his guys.
“Well, if that is the mindset of these guys, then we have the wrong mindset,” Pegues said. “As you can see none of these were easy.
“Even Navy we pull away late, but that was a tough game. And every one of these other ones were tough. I don’t expect for us to turn on a switch.
“We have to get better, and it doesn’t matter who we play whether it’s an ACC school, SEC school, a MAC school. We have to do some things a lot better on the defensive end and on the glass in order to beat anybody.”
Credit Pegues with being direct, informative and entertaining during his media availabilities since he has been in charge.
After getting out-rebounded in the two previous games, the Cards were plus-4 in that category against Detroit. But the issue was that the Titans had 11 offensive rebounds and 11 second-chance points.
That won’t work against full-sized teams. In case Pegues needs some bulletin board information, Mississippi State has outrebounded its first three opponents by 10 per game.
Although Louisville limited Detroit to 44% shooting on two-point attempts, the Titans stayed in the game by making nine shots from distance.
Toss in 15 Louisville turnovers, limited minutes (12) for Matt Cross because of dehydration and an uninspired performance by Jae’Lyn Withers (2 points, 3 rebounds, no blocks or steals in 21 minutes) and Detroit was in position to steal a victory even after Louisville surged ahead with an 18-0 scoring blitz that ended the first half and opened the second.
“Like you said, it’s only four games in,” said Malik Williams, the Cards’ veteran leader. “Just something that’s eye-opening is just consistency.
“Consistency in guys, not even just in play, but just the attitude and the want and the mood to be in it every day. That’s the No. 1 thing for us right now is just bringing it every day.”
Starting in The Bahamas.
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