LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The time has come to ask a legitimate question people have not raised around the University of Louisville men’s basketball team for decades:
Will the Cardinals win another game this season?
They did not win Wednesday night against Miami, the program's seventh straight defeat. The Cards were beaten, 70-63, at the KFC Yum! Center. After the game, which U of L led for less than 2 1/2 minutes, interim coach Mike Pegues confirmed what has been obvious about this team for weeks:
It's not a group receptive to coaching or a team with the maturity to overcome adversity. And adversity, including the suspension as well as the dismissal of former head coach Chris Mack, has swallowed this team.
"Tired of getting in front of you guys and having to talk about what we didn't do right to win the game," Pegues said. "It's extremely frustrating.
"Had a long talk with the guys in the back and probably the most disappointing thing was we didn't come out and play hard in the first half. I thought we were listless, no energy, no pop.
"I don't really understand why because the practices haven't been that way. In practices guys are excited, spirited, competitive, trash talking, and we didn't bring that to the table in the first half.
"Obviously, we showed we can compete in the second half, but I'm tired of talking about that, so I'm not going to talk about that any more. We've got to put a whole game together, find five guys that want to compete for 40 minutes.
"Our whole team, and I'll say this as a blanket statement, our whole team throughout the entire year has had an issue with coach-ability at times. Just doing things the right way, handling coaching and in addition to that, productivity.
"Those are the two most important things to me. Respect, being coachable, listening, doing your best every day. Not having answers, maybe you have questions, but you don't have the answers.
"You let the coaches coach. That's who you've got to be, and then on top of that you've got to be productive. You have to go in the game and make some things happen. I've been searching for guys to bring both of those things to the table all season."
The rant was the most illuminating exchange yet to explain how Louisville has slipped from 10-4 and 4-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference to 11-14 and 5-10.
The Cards have tumbled to 11th place in the ACC. This was history. Mark it down as the program’s first 7-game losing streak since 1941, when the Cardinals lost 12 straight over two seasons. In those days the program was playing Centre College, Kentucky Wesleyan and Alfred Holbrook.
The computer power formulas project the Cards to lose their five remaining regular-season games before they travel to Brooklyn for the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
Dre Davis led the Cards with 18 points while El Ellis had 17. A more telling stat was Louisville managed only 6 assists on 27 field goals. Not one player had more than single assist, something Pegues credited to a change in the offense, not selfishness.
"We're trying," Ellis said. "We really are. I feel like we're playing as hard as we can at this point."
"Losing is difficult," Davis said. "Nobody likes to lose. I wouldn't say there was bad energy in the locker room."
Against Miami, Louisville never led by more than a point. The Hurricanes went ahead and stayed ahead after more than 4 1/2 minutes.
The Cards fell behind by 10 points at halftime. They cut the deficit to one possession — 3 points — with about 8 1/2 minutes to play. But the Cards missed their next four shots and never got closer.
The game appeared to be over with 3:31 to play when Jae’Lyn Withers fouled Miami guard Isaiah Wong as he made a 3-point attempt from the right wing. Wong also made the free throw. That put the Hurricanes ahead 64-54.
Louisville scored the next seven points. Ellis scored from 12 feet in the lane to pull Louisville within three — 64-61.
But Miami responded with a jumper by Kameron McGusty after a scramble for a loose ball with 34.4 seconds left. An air ball by Ellis followed. Ball game.
Pegues shuffled the starting lineup — again. After not playing for 13 consecutive games, JJ Traynor left the bench to play eight minutes against Notre Dame last Wednesday and went into the starting lineup against the Hurricanes. He scored 2 points with 7 rebounds in 28 minutes.
He was joined by Davis, Withers, Jarrod West and Ellis.
Two guys who started multiple games this season did not play — center Malik Williams and forward Samuell Williamson (who has not played in consecutive games). Pegues said those two guys were not being punished and that he expected to use them again this season.
But Pegues also returned to the point about the major reason Louisville has been losing -- the players and coaches not having the same mindsets and agendas.
"It’s easy to nod your head in agreement after the fact," Pegues said. "But who are you in those moments when a coach addresses you for not doing something right?
"Who are you when things aren’t going your way, when you’re having a bad day?
"Can you snap out of it in the moment and be coachable and do what you’re asked to do and not do it begrudgingly and not pout about it and not suck your teeth about it?
"This is Power Five college basketball. Guys come here and become pros. You can’t do that.
"We don’t have guys that are elite enough for a coach to even handle it, to take that. We don’t.
"Even an elite player, high character elite players, they’re coachable. They’re extensions of the coaching staffs.
"We just need more of that. Guys are capable of doing it. I’m not trying to paint the picture that these guys are bad people.
"But they’re young. They’re discouraged and it affects their behavior and their coachability. And it can’t. Even though it’s a hard time. You still have to adhere to what the coaches are trying to instruct you on. And we have to be able to accept it, grow and get better."
Louisville will return downtown Saturday to host Clemson at 3 p.m., one of Louisville’s two remaining home games.
"We've just got to focus on the next game, try to get a win and get rolling again," Davis said.
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