Louisville defeats Winthrop, 76-61

Published on 11/22/24

The Louisville Cardinals defeated the Winthrop Eagles, 76-61, in what can only be described as an extremely sloppy game on both sides. The teams combined for 39 turnovers and 44 fouls. In terms of team shooting, Louisville shot pretty well at 48% (26-54), but shot poorly from 3 (7-26). For Winthrop, it had an awful offensive night courtesy of Louisville's defense.  The Eagles shot 6-29 from 3 and 22-70 from the floor. They picked up a ton of offensive rebounds at 19, but were unable to convert on many of those extra chances.

In terms of individual play, the only person who really showed up for the Cardinals was sharpshooter, Reyne Smith, who poured in 20 points off the bench. There were only three other players to score in double figures for the night, as the Cards were allergic to taking care of the ball. There were a whopping three players with 4 or more turnovers. The team also only had an abysmal 12 assists to 20 turnovers.

Winthrop, believe it or not, was even worse. They had several double figure scorers from its starting lineup, but were also marred by awful offensive--having 19 turnovers to only 8 assists. Winthrop's next game will be at home against the Long Island Dolphins out of the Northeastern Conference.

For Louisville, they will once again be facing a huge step up in competition, as they head to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis next Wednesday. Their first opponent is regional rival, Indiana, but will face a challenge in all three of the games they'll play. To have a chance against these better teams, Louisville will not only have to shoot better from 3, but also be tougher with the ball on both sides of the ball. The assist to turnover ratio, which was about as good as it gets in the first few exhibitions game, has been miserable as of late. Furthermore, the team's lack of size and strength on the backboard will allow them to be blown out if their collective shooting is off.

Tonight, the defense was on the money for Louisville. The individual defenders stayed in front, and help was always close by, with high hedgers forcing ball handlers further out on the court. The Cards also had 10 blocks tonight, with center, James Scott, having 5 of his own. If they can guard like that against better opponents, they will be able to make up for a lack of offensive production. Koren Johnson's offensive capabilities are also sorely missed. Chucky Hepburn can only play so many minutes, so the Cards will be extremely relieved when (and if) he can come back. There is currently no disclosed timetable for his return to action. 

The bottom line is that Louisville is a solid but currently undisciplined team. It's early in the season, so, if they can clean up the issues with turnovers and rebounding/toughness, they can become a formidable squad. Until then, they'll be able to stomp on mid-majors and bad power 4 competition, but will suffer pretty deflating losses to legit opponents.