Louisville's frontcourt guides Cards past Notre Dame
Louisville’s team has been associated with its backcourt the majority of the season, but the frontcourt is what led the team to victory over Notre Dame. Ryan Conwell and Mikel Brown Jr. struggled in the scoring department, so multiple frontcourt pieces stepped up to fill that void. The two combined were 5-for-22 from the field and totaled 18 points.
J’Vonne Hadley also wasn’t able to finish the game and exited early, which led Pat Kelsey to go deeper into his bench.
The Cardinals now move to 16-6 and 6-4 in the ACC following a 76-65 win over the Fighting Irish.
Rooths puts together another strong performance
Khani Rooths finished with his second straight double-double and is “blossoming before our eyes,” said Pat Kelsey. He was active on the glass on both ends of the floor, coming up with multiple rebounds in traffic on the offensive end, where he found open shooters on kickouts.
His motor revved high throughout, as Kelsey described him as someone who “raises the level of the intensity of the game when he comes in. He plays to exhaustion and is a tone setter for us from an effort standpoint.”
He was effective as a finisher around the rim. The sophomore forward even made some plays out of the post, using his physicality to get to his spots and finish over the top of defenders. He also stepped out and knocked down a corner triple.
Defensively, Rooths defended up and down the lineup and was active as a defensive playmaker. He jumped passing lanes and used his length to create deflections.
On the night, he finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds (four offensive), one assist, and two steals.
Pryor bounces back
In a previous press conference, Pat Kelsey was asked about Kasean Pryor and said that everyone, including him, needs to stay ready and do their jobs. Before tonight’s game, Pryor hadn’t played since the Pittsburgh game on January 17th and did not log minutes in three straight games.
In tonight’s game, Pryor took full advantage of his opportunity, finishing with 10 points, five rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
His energy was felt on the floor as he created deflections and flew in for rebounds. He was active as a play-finisher, especially when rolling to the rim after setting screens. He even showed some of his offensive package from last year, hitting a fadeaway from the mid-range.
“There’s been a change in the last couple of weeks in his process in practice. He’s practiced angry and desperate,” Kelsey said postgame. The head coach went on to say that he’s been a “beast” over the last two weeks of practice, as well.
In totality, Kelsey described Pryor’s performance as “phenomenal” in the victory over Notre Dame.
European bigs contribute
Sananda Fru also had a solid performance, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds, one assist, and three blocks. He shined on the defensive end with his activity level as a rim protector. He was patient on drives and timed up multiple blocks. The German big also held his own when switching onto perimeter players defensively, sliding his feet and blocking layup attempts by guards at the rim. Offensively, he was efficient as a roller, as he was the recipient of multiple Mikel Brown Jr. assists.
Vangelis Zougris also provided an energy boost from the bench. He displayed his versatility as a ball-screen defender, as he has the footspeed to hedge and recover. The Greek big also flashed some passing ability, making reads in short-roll actions.
The Louisville Cardinals will now turn their attention to Wake Forest, as they head on the road to face off with the Demon Deacons this Saturday, February 7th at 12pm ET.
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