LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- With an overall record of 15-2 and a 4-0 start in ACC play to currently sit in first place in the conference, you'd have a hard time giving No. 13 Louisville a critical progress report.
Head coach Jeff Walz does too — for certain stretches of games.
"There's moments that we play really, really well," Walz said. "Our problem right now is our range of play within a game is too severe. Compare it to school: We'll get 94s and then, all of a sudden, we'll throw a 48 on the board. It's so drastic. That's what we got to solve and get taken care of. When you can play the 94 for a stretch, if things go bad, it's got to go down to an 86. But it can't get to a 48."
That is even more critical when you take your team on the road. Louisville has back-to-back ACC away games, starting with a trip to Clemson on Thursday night before facing No. 23 North Carolina on Sunday. A calling card for the Cardinal program under Walz has been its defense, which has improved since ACC play started.
Louisville has carried over a tenacious ability to turn teams over into conference play, forcing three ACC opponents into at least 20 giveaways. Three conference foes have also already had at least one single-digit scoring quarter while trying to figure out UofL's defense. Walz sees better three-point defending and overall buy-in from his players for what it takes to play strong team defense, something that can bring you success anywhere.
"It's really important to have that consistency on the road," Walz said. "And you've got to have the defensive consistency. As I always say, your defense can travel with you because it's not about are you hot, are you making shots? It's about your positioning on the floor. It's about your effort. It's about the small things. It's not necessarily all about talent. So, if we can bring our defense, that's at least going to give you a chance."
The small things resonate more when your top players are consistently displaying them. Right now, senior leader Olivia Cochran and star James Madison transfer Kiki Jefferson are two players leading by example for Louisville.
As one of just four returning players with any playing experience for UofL, Cochran knew she would need to embrace more of a leadership role. The forward has responded to it well from a production standpoint, leading the team in rebounds (5.9), steals (1.6) and blocks (0.6) per game while ranking second in scoring (11.8). But what she is bringing outside of a box score is what her head coach has been most impressed with.Â
"You can talk the talk, but if you're not consistent every day in practice, no one's going to listen," Walz said. "And I think that's where she's made the biggest strides. She's much more consistent in practice with her effort or attitude. She doesn't get as frustrated as often."
Olivia Cochran hugs Jayda Curry after a half-court shot banked in to end the third quarter of Louisville's 83-62 win over Wake Forest on Jan. 14, 2023 in the KFC Yum! Center.
Her improvement came at the right time with so many new faces on the roster. But Walz believes she was due to become this type of player regardless of how the rest of the team looked.
"It's the growth that she's made year in and year out," Walz said. "If we had returning players, I think she'd still have made the same progress because she wants to be elite. She wants a chance to play after after college. She wants to be an all-conference performer. If you want those things, everything else comes with it. You've got to be willing to put the time in the gym. You've got to be able to have consistency. She's doing that. And that's what has impressed me."
Out of the transfers, Jefferson has assertively fit well into UofL's culture. Jefferson is Louisville's leading scorer, averaging 12.2 points per game while scoring in double figures 12 times. The graduate transfer guard has been efficient too, shooting at least 50% from the floor in 11 of 17 games.
"She's as good of a person as we've had here in my 17 years," Walz said. "She genuinely cares about everybody. She's someone that will just send you a text message out of the blue just checking on you. It's just who she is. She gets excited for others. You can watch her during games, somebody else makes a shot and she's just as excited as when she makes it.
"And she's performing at a high level for us. She's somebody that we need her to continue to attack, continue to drive the basketball and look to score. Because once she gets fouled, I got to give the kid credit. She makes her free throws."
On paper, Clemson does not appear to be an intimidating matchup for Louisville. The Tigers are on a four-game losing streak that's taken them to 8-9 overall and 1-4 in the ACC. Walz still thinks it's a dangerous team with weapons like Amari Robinson, who ranks sixth in the ACC in scoring at 18.2 points per game.
"You've got to look at it and understand you're going to get their best effort," Walz said. "The Robinson kid is as good as any player in this league. It's been a long time since I've seen a kid shoot close to 60% from the field, 41% from three and 83% from the free throw line. It's really impressive. She is playing at a high level right now."
Louisville tips off at Clemson at 7 p.m. Thursday. You can stream the game on ACC Network Extra.
