LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Over the first two months of the season, the University of Louisville men’s basketball team lost four games to teams that don’t figure to make the NCAA Tournament.
They didn’t need to lose a fifth in spectacularly ugly fashion.
But they did, dragging the Cardinals' chances of making the tournament to a place where it should not be.
Less than six weeks after Louisville won at North Carolina State, the Cards were beaten by the Wolfpack, 79-63, Wednesday night at the KFC Yum! Center.
"They came to play," U of L coach Chris Mack said. "Some of our guys didn't ... I have no explanation."
Mack was asked several times about his team's inconsistency and inability to sustain focus and energy.
"It think about it 24/7," he said. "That's all I think about. My family doesn't even know I'm in the house."
The Cards slipped to 10-6 overall and 4-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. It is the worst record for the program after 16 games since the Cards started 5-11 in 2000-01, which was Denny Crum’s final season.
Mark it down as Louisville's third home loss -- and the first two were Furman and DePaul, teams unlikely to make the NCAA Tournament. The announced crowd was 11,973, less than 55 percent of capacity.
"It's called effort, intensity," Mack said. "We've lacked those things the last three games we've played."
Louisville took major hits in the computer power ratings. They fell from No. 65 nationally to No. 86 in Ken Pomeroy's formula and from No. 76 to No. 92 in BartTorvik.com.
The Cards started the day ranked No. 86 in the NET rankings, a primary tool the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee uses while selecting the field. No. 86 would be well outside the tournament cut line.
But Mack has harsher concerns beyond the tournament -- like basic offense, defense and persistent effort.
He changed the starting lineup, inserting El Ellis at guard instead of Noah Locke.
It didn't work. Louisville's starters managed 11 points in a combined 77 minutes of playing time. Samuell Williamson failed to score in 11 minutes, missing four shots. Matt Cross had 4 turnovers and one basket in 14 minutes. Even Malik Williams struggled, missing 4 of 5 attempts while scoring 4.
Williams, Williamson and Cross failed to score while playing only 7 minutes in the second half. Jae'Lyn Withers earned 3 total minutes, contributing only a turnover.
"I feel like I never know what I'm going to get when I put a player in," Mack said.
Plodding on offense, dispirited on defense, Louisville got solid games from Sydney Curry, Locke and Dre Davis and essentially nothing from anybody else.
Curry (22 points), Davis (13) and Locke (13) combined for 48 of the Cards' 63 points. Nobody else scored more than 4 on a night when 14 Louisville turnovers led to 20 Wolfpack points.
Louisville watched North Carolina State make 12 of 25 shots from a distance. NC State averages nearly 8 three-pointers a game.
"We have to worry about Pitt," Curry said. "We can't get this game back."
Offense remains a mystery for the Cards. They put themselves in a king-sized hole with an ugly first-half stretch. For 4 minutes and 6 seconds, Mack’s team failed to score. For 6 minutes and 21 seconds, they did not make a field goal.
Meanwhile N.C. State dropped 16 consecutive points on the Cards while building a 31-18 lead.
Then after the Cards cut the Wolfpack lead to 35-27 at halftime, Louisville started the second half with less energy and focus.
North Carolina State scored the first 8 points. Louisville started the second half by having a shot blocked, back-to-back turnovers, a missed three-pointer and having another shot blocked shot.
Timeout.
Curry ignited a Louisville rally. He made four field goals in about 4 1/2 minutes, part of a stretch when U of L made 11 of 12 shots. But the Cardinals never got closer than five points in the final 26 1/2 minutes.
This has not been a North Carolina State team to fear. Louisville beat the Wolfpack, 73-68, in Raleigh on Dec. 4. N.C. State started Wednesday ranked No. 138 in the NCAA NET computer rankings and No. 116 in Ken Pomeroy’s formula.
On Saturday the Cards face another rematch game. They travel to Pittsburgh. U of L defeated the Panthers at the KFC Yum! Center, 75-72, on Jan. 5.
Next week Louisville will play home games with Boston College (Wednesday) and Notre Dame Jan. 22.
"It's a long season," Mack said. "We need to improve quickly. Rapidly."
Probably faster than that.
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