Over these last couple of weeks, I have been writing about these players finding their roles on this team and it sounds like Coach Mack is starting to see that develop. But also knows that if just one decides not to show up it could mean trouble for his group.

Now that they are settling into those roles and coming together as the team we knew they could be the final stretch of conference play is going to test that. Sometimes over the next few weeks, that’s going to mean playing better than other teams who are also starting to find it and in the case with games like tonight not playing down to teams who haven’t.

Ryan Mack also talked with the media yesterday. He talked about the February trip to Boston College last season. That game was also a 9:00 pm start on a Wednesday night. A game where a more talented Louisville squad came out and played down to their opponent.

Boston College’s gym also doubles as a hockey rink. Ryan talked about it being cold and how there was no energy in the building that night. He talked about how they let that dictate their gameplay that evening and how that resulted in a loss.

I think games like tonight at BC will test this team’s mettle. Will they let some of those bad habits from earlier this season and last season slip back in or will they come out and continue to build upon the successes they have had recently and can they keep building on that until Tourney time.

Our Cardinals will have the upper hand in this match-up. They have the 33rd ranked scoring defense in the country allowing on average just 62 points a game. The Eagles don’t have a potent offense and are averaging less than 65 points a game ranked 321st in scoring offense.

Another big advantage for this Louisville team tonight will be on the boards. They dominated Clemson on the boards over the weekend, outrebounding them 41 to 29. The Cardinals rank 37th in the country in offensive rebounding while BC ranks 316th in defensive rebounding. There should be plenty of second-chance opportunities for our guys tonight.

The Cardinals have won 6 straight, while the Eagles have won 4 of their last 5 games. Louisville has won those games by coming out and playing up to their abilities while this BC team has relied upon teams to play down to those abilities in order to grab one. There is so much disparity between these teams that it really shouldn’t be that close.

This Louisville team didn’t come out swinging in the last game. They played a sluggish brand of basketball letting the Yellow Jackets hang around until the very end. Due to the Cardinal’s effort on the glass (14 offensive rebounds) and their active defense down the stretch forcing 17 Tech turnovers they were able to survive.

I get it… I have days I don’t really want to be at the office. Athletes are no different. They aren’t robots that can be programmed for maximum effort every time they play. While I’m not concerned with this team playing down to the competition right now it is an ugly habit that can cause a team to have an early exit come Tourney Time.

I think Coach Mack would love to see his team come out with elite effort and win these types of games without the dramatics. Saturday is another opportunity for them to do that. Even tho Clemson has struggled away from home, posting a 2-4 record they have put together a nice little stretch of basketball winning three of their last four. During that stretch, they’ve beat NC State, UNC, Duke, and Wake Forest.

This Clemson team doesn’t really do anything that great with a defense ranked in the 100’s and offense ranked in 200’s but they have some scrappy guys who are playing some clutch basketball at times. They’ve had several come from behind wins this season. They are that team that hopes you come out sluggish and not ready to play. Clemson is 45-2 when teams score 50 or less on them.

We wanted to see more weapons emerge for this Louisville team. David Johnson and Malik Williams have been those guys. David has been a breakout star while Williams has been clutch over the last couple of weeks. He recorded 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots leading Louisville against Tech.

Now I think we’d all like to see this team start to put all of it together.

They are doing a lot of the tangible things well 67th field goal percentage, 18th three-point field goal percentage, top 100 scoring offense, 37th scoring defense, 8th field goal defense, 30th three-point field goal percentage defense, 67th rebounds and 67th in assist/turnover ratio.

It’s the intangibles that start to separate the great team’s from the good ones down the stretch. Things like attitude/effort and coming out every game playing to their ability regardless of the opponent. If this Louisville team can improve upon some of the little things it could mean big things ahead.

I’m not ready to say this team has found themselves just yet. But do think they’ve come a helluva long way over the last couple of weeks. And I do think they have found a young point guard along the way.

David Johnson has 16 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and a blocked shot in the last two games for Louisville. He was clutch in that win at Pitt and made some big plays in both of the Cardinals last two hard-fought victories. Today he’ll have that momentum tested and can’t wait to see him take another step forward. We need David to be ready for that run.

Speaking of runs this Louisville team has a decent one going. They’ve won three straight and 5 of the last 7. They are one of the better offensive teams averaging 74.6 points per game which ranks 108th in college basketball while shooting 46.1% from the field and are one the best three-point shooting teams in the country with the team shooting 38.2% from beyond the arc.

They also boast one of the better defenses in the country. Louisville’s defense has held opponents to 61.6 points per game to rank them 34th in the college basketball while opponents are shooting just 36.8% from the field and 29.5% from three.

Have they found themselves? They are coming around with maybe the biggest test of the regular season today.

Duke got a pretty good team themselves. The Blue Devis offense is one of the best in the country this season averaging 83.1 points per game to rank 5th in college basketball. Duke is very efficient this season shooting 48.9% from the field which ranks them 9th in the NCAA and 36.9% from the three-point line. They got a pretty good freshman on their team also. Vernon Carey who averages 17.6 points per game and 8.5 rebounds per game, both of which lead his team.

Duke also solid on defense. Duke’s defense is allowing 63.8 points which rank 59th in college basketball, Duke opponents are shooting 41.6% from the field and 30.3% from the three-point line. Their guys are very athletic and quick on both sides of the ball.

Looking forward to watching these teams go at it today. Looking forward to seeing how David handles himself against not only some other freshman but elite freshmen in the country. Also looking forward to that battle with Enoch and Carey down low. This is the big stage. The first College Gameday of the College Basketball season. Jordan Nwora has missed his opportunities so far this season in these types of games. He could really put himself in a good position for the POY in this game today. I hope he makes it count.

I think that Coach Jeff Capel has turned the vibe around at Pitt and has them headed in the right direction. You can bet that he has invested in getting that student section involved again as well. The Cardinals will face another stout conference road game tonight.

The Cardinals have scored an average of 74.8 points per game while allowing 61.2 points per game. The Panthers have scored 66.2 points per game while allowing 61 points per game. In their last 5 games, the Cardinals are 3-2 and have won 2 games in a row while the Panthers are also 3-2.

The Pitt guards Johnson and McGowan are the kind of guys that can take over a game. They combine for around 23 points and 10 rebounds a game. The Cardinal defense doesn’t want to give these guys any momentum tonight.

I think this is another great game for this Louisville team to grow. They battled in a tough environment for a win in the last game and just might have to do that tonight. Hope to see David and Sam get more reps. We need those guys.

I don’t think there is a group of five players who really groove together on the court yet. It’s one thing when the coach doesn’t feel it but a bigger issue if the players can’t find it. I’m hoping this team finds whatever “it” is during this road swing. We’ve had many Louisville teams find themselves on the road during conference play.

We’ve had a few Louisville teams start that journey in South Bend. The game with Notre Dame has provided some entertainment over the last decade. There have been two overtime games, a double-overtime game and one that took five overtimes to settle. Louisville leads this series 24-15 and the Cardinals have had the upper hand lately winning the last four. It’s never an easy game with them and won’t be Saturday afternoon.

The Irish have made a name for themselves playing very efficient basketball on both ends of the floor. The names on the jersey change over the years but that program’s vibe stays the same. They are gonna take and make sure their teammates get good shots while protecting the basketball. They are hovering around the top 50 ranked 54th in offensive efficiency and are ranked #1 in assist/turnover ratio.

Notre Dame always has that big 6-9 white dude that becomes a floor general for them. This year’s version of that guy is senior forward, John Mooney. Mooney is leading the Fighting Irish in scoring and rebounds, averaging 15.8 points per game and 13.6 rebounds per game. Mooney is a beast.

Jordan Nwora is Louisville’s floor general averaging 20.9 points per game and grabbing 7.7 rebounds per game. This dude is shooting 48.7% from the field. But at times I don’t think he knows he’s the floor general and lets himself get in a funk. It all goes back to finding the guys to put on the floor who all feel confident about their roles on this team. And feel confident in each other.

Coach Mack had multiple combinations on the floor in the Cards last game as was expected but Cardinal great Luke Hancock said it best on Twitter. The best lineup Louisville has is Enoch, Nwora, Williamson, Perry, and Johnson. I think Sam and David have to come along for this season to be what a lot of us expected. And can this group learn to play together? This group proved to be pretty efficient in the game against Miami when on the court together. This is it.

The teams who will be cutting nets down in March are the ones who will learn how to play together in the most confident and efficient way over the next two months. The road can be unkind in conference play but it can also be a battleground where these guys bond during those battles. This Louisville team can use these next three games to build some great momentum heading towards that goal.