RAPID REACTION | Arc Madness: Louisville finds range, outshoots Bucknell 99-76 in exhibition

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — On Tuesday night, inside the KFC Yum! Center, Louisville treated the two-point basket like a relic.

Like a $2 bill. Like dial-up internet. Like a landline.

Useless.

For long stretches of its 99-76 exhibition win over Bucknell, the Cardinals looked at anything inside the arc the way a vegan looks at a double cheeseburger — with disdain, suspicion, and no intention of partaking.

At the second media timeout of the second half, Louisville had scored 69 points. Only three of them came on two-point field goals.

That's as much manifesto as offense. It was an analytics guru fever dream.

They had 14 threes at halftime. Opened the second half with a (failed) lob to J’Vonne Hadley — a symbolic nod to interior offense — then said “never mind” and canned four more triples in five possessions.

For one eight-minute stretch in the first half, they attempted 15 consecutive threes. It was less of a shot chart and more of a NASA curiosity.

The Cardinals shot 23-for-46 from three (50 percent) and 8-for16 from two-point range (50 percent). They shot a higher percentage on threes than layups (33.3 percent). And, for the record, they made more threes than twos and free throws combined.

Of course, nothing in an exhibition is for the record. But if it were, the 23 three-pointers would've been a school record.

The shot chart looked like a smiley face. Or maybe a Picasso.

Now, you might argue they need more paint touches for points. And you wouldn’t be wrong. But whenever they tried it, the paint pushed back. Turnovers. Blocks. Missed bunnies. At one point, it took 14 minutes of game time between two-point makes.

But they were getting paint touches. They were just skip-passing and shooting Bucknell into submission. And anyway, isn’t the three-point arc technically made of paint?

Freshman Mikel Brown Jr., who couldn’t buy a bucket — two or three — against Kansas, cashed in against Bucknell. He scored 28 points on 8-for-11 shooting from three, most of them of them in rhythm, a few off the bounce.

He wasn’t alone.

Isaac McKneely added 18 points and six threes, his confidence rising with each one. Ryan Conwell knocked in four more. Even Khani Rooths and Adrian Wooley got in on the act.

All told, eight Cardinals made at least one three.

Louisville finished with 26 assists on 31 made field goals, a sign that even amid the long-distance chaos, there was method to the madness. The ball moved. The spacing was intentional. The rhythm was obvious.

As a team, Louisville shot 50.9% overall, but that number was pulled up by the threes — and propped up by the fact that they barely needed anything else.

This is not how Louisville will be able to play every night. Teams aren't going to give up three-point looks in that number. At least not intentionally. Head coach Pat Kelsey’s offense wants to stretch defenses, yes, but also collapse them. This team will need more paint production in ACC play — more post touches, more fouls drawn, more putbacks.

But for one night, against an overmatched Bucknell defense that chased shooters like a dog chasing a Roomba, Louisville found its release valve — and let it fly.

Final Score: Louisville 99, Bucknell 76 (exhibition)