The Cardinals couldn’t buy a three-pointer in their KFC Yum! Center exhibition debut, but they didn’t need one to put away Mercyhurst.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB+WAVE) — Whatever shooting touch Louisville took to Kansas last week apparently missed the flight home.
The Cardinals made 11 three-pointers in their 89-83 exhibition victory at Allen Fieldhouse. Wednesday night, in their first appearance at the KFC Yum! Center, they made two.
Two. In 13 attempts.
For a Pat Kelsey basketball team, that’s practically a clerical error.
Fortunately for Louisville, Mercyhurst wasn’t Kansas. And Flory Bidunga was still Flory Bidunga.
The Cardinals turned a nine-point halftime lead into a 71-39 victory, hardly the kind of performance that will send people rushing to the ticket office, but a useful reminder that this team has ways to score that don’t require launching the ball from somewhere near the concession stands.
It outscored Mercyhurst 56-14 in the paint.
Louisville shot 18.2% from three-point range, committed 17 turnovers and at times looked like a collection of talented players waiting for somebody to tell them where to go.
It was an exhibition. There were plenty of substitutions, plenty of combinations and plenty of things for Kelsey to discuss in the film room.
There also was a comfortable victory, even if it took a while to look comfortable.
Some observations from Louisville’s final exhibition:
When in doubt, find Flory
Louisville spent much of the first half trying to establish some kind of offensive rhythm. At halftime, the Cardinals led 30-21, having missed all six of their three-point attempts.
Then somebody apparently remembered that Bidunga was available.
Louisville opened the second half by going directly to its big man, who threw down dunks on the Cardinals’ first two possessions. He added another basket shortly afterward, and the Cardinals continued feeding him as the lead grew.
Bidunga finished with 19 points and nine rebounds, making nine of 13 shots. He also blocked two shots.
He wasn’t particularly interested in the three-point line. His office was considerably closer to the basket.
There will be nights when Louisville needs its perimeter shooting to win. There also will be nights when the Cardinals would be wise to remember that Bidunga can do a lot of damage without requiring the offense to be especially complicated.
Against Mercyhurst, that was more than enough.
The offense is still looking for its conductor
Kansas showed what Louisville’s offense can look like when the shots are falling. Mercyhurst showed what happens when they aren’t.
The Cardinals didn’t just miss three-pointers. They sometimes struggled to create good shots, with possessions that went nowhere and a rotating cast of players trying to make something happen.
Seth Trimble finished with five assists, several of them feeding Bidunga. Alvaro Folgueiras added four. But Louisville’s 17 turnovers were a reminder that assembling talented players and assembling an offense aren’t quite the same thing.
Kelsey has plenty of scoring options. What remains to be seen is who consistently organizes them.
The Cardinals shot 58.8% in the second half, largely because they quit making things so difficult for themselves.
The defense was better than the offense
Mercyhurst scored on only about 25% of its possessions. That’s a pretty good way to keep an opponent from getting comfortable.
The Lakers shot 23.9% from the field, made five of 26 three-pointers and managed only 18 second-half points.
Louisville finished with seven blocked shots, including three by Obinna Ekezie Jr., and forced 20 turnovers.
It wasn’t a defensive masterpiece against an overmatched opponent. But it was solid work, and on a night when the offense spent long stretches searching for itself, the defense made sure the outcome was never in doubt.
A first look at home for the newcomers
The atmosphere was a far cry from Allen Fieldhouse, and the basketball wasn’t particularly stirring.
But for a roster full of newcomers, it was a first opportunity to play in the Yum! Center.
Freshmen Isaac Ellis and Boyuan Zhang both got on the floor. Ellis scored five points, including one of Louisville’s two three-pointers. Zhang scored his first basket.
De’Shayne Montgomery added 10 points, and Ekezie followed his four-three-pointer performance at Kansas with six points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
Not quite the same fireworks. But another indication that Ekezie might contribute in more ways than anybody expected.
And there was enough time for nearly everybody to get a look, including walk-on Will Hanke in the final minute.
The Bottom Line
Louisville was supposed to beat Mercyhurst easily. It did.
The Kansas exhibition showed how explosive these Cardinals might be. Wednesday’s game showed some of the things they still need to work on.
Neither game counts in the standings. Both gave Kelsey something to take back to practice.
And if nothing else, Wednesday established one useful principle for the season ahead.
When the three-pointers aren’t falling, there is no rule against dunking.