LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Five teams ranked ahead of the University of Louisville in the Associated Press Top 25 lost on Saturday.
Five.
If that sounded like an opportunity for the No. 16 Cardinals to climb in the rankings, it should have also flashed as a warning: No gimmes in college basketball this season.
The Cardinals discovered that Saturday night, losing to struggling Miami, 78-72, at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Florida.
The loss ended Louisville’s five-game winning streak, dropping the Cards to 9-2 and 4-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They slipped into second place, behind 5-0 Virginia. Louisville dropped from No. 27 to 30 in Ken Pomeroy's computer power formula.
"We started the game as if we didn't understand how to run our offense, and our defense was just as bad," Louisville coach Chris Mack said. "We shot three or four air balls to start the game. It felt like a summer league ... .
"... I thought our entire team was MIA (missing in action). We can't win with one guy or two guys playing well at either end of the court."
"All I can really say is we weren't prepared to play tonight," U of L forward Jae'Lyn Withers added.
They certainly were not prepared to attack the Miami defense and make shots.
Louisville missed 17 of its 20 3-point attempts and got outworked on the glass while trailing for the final 34 minutes. Miami, meanwhile, made 8 of 20 from 3-point range.
Carlik Jones scored 25, and Withers added 18, but David Johnson and Samuell Williamson had off nights, combining for only 9 points.
The Cards' offense seemed out of balance with Jones taking taking 20 shots, a third of the team's 60 attempts. They also got only 9 bench points.
Isaiah Wong, a sophomore guard who averages 16.5 points per game, scored a career-high 30 for the Hurricanes. Matt Cross, a freshman forward, punished Louisville by making four shots from distance.
"He is a terrific scorer," Miami coach Jim Larranaga said. "When he has the ball in his hands, he has a nose for the basket."
This was Miami, which lost on the same court to Florida Gulf Coast, which just got swept at home by Bellarmine.
This was Miami, which four days earlier gave up 18 3-pointers and lost to Boston College by 22.
This was Miami, which was without four guys who were projected as starters before the season. The Hurricanes were 5-6, winners of only one of their first five ACC games.
Mack said his concern started Friday when his team delivered a lackluster practice. "In basketball you can't turn it on and turn it off," he said.
The Cards played the first half as if they spent too much time in the South Florida sun. They missed all 10 of their shots from distance. They were out-rebounded by 10. They played as if they thought they could win the game with five good minutes.
"They had some very good open looks from three, but they missed them," Larranaga said.
David Johnson scored 2 points. Samuell Williamson didn’t score any. It was the first time Louisville trailed at halftime since the Cardinals forgettable visit to Wisconsin in December.
But the Cards' energy and focus returned in the second half. After giving up a 3-pointer to fall behind by 15, Louisville outscored the Hurricanes 17-7, cutting the lead to 40-35 while forcing Miami’s Jim Larranaga to call timeout.
The Hurricanes steadied and stretched the lead to 56-48 with less than eight minutes to play. The Cards could not control Wong, who scored 24 of the Hurricanes’ first 56 points.
Wong also scored the dagger, dropping a floater from the middle of the lane with 3½ minutes to play that ended a three-shot Miami possession that was stretched by two offensive rebounds. Miami had several possessions in the second half hat were extended by offensive rebounds. The Hurricanes grabbed a dozen offensive boards.
"It's sickening to be honest with you," Mack said. "I didn't like the way we practiced yesterday and I certainly didn't like the way we played tonight."
Louisville will play its next three at home — Monday night against Florida State, Duke next Saturday and Boston College on Jan. 30. The Cards will not return to the road until they visit Syracuse on Feb. 3.
The FSU game will be a difficult turnaround. The Cards were not expected to arrive home until 3 a.m. Sunday. Florida State improved to 7-2 on Saturday by defeating North Carolina in Tallahassee.
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