BY DYLAN O’LOUGHLIN
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Louisville Cardinals (23-10/11-7) out of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) are back in the NCAA DI Men’s Basketball Tournament for the 45th time in program history and second year in a row. The Cardinals enter the tournament as the sixth seed in search of its fourth national championship in school history.
Last year, Louisville fell to Creighton 89-75 in the first round as an eight seed.
“I haven’t thought about that specific game at all,” Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey said. “It’s all about tomorrow’s game, tomorrow’s opponent, what we need to do to put our players in the best position to beat a really, really good South Florida team. The philosophy is built around the process, being elite all the time and the results will take care of themselves.”
The Cardinals enter the first round matchup with victories in two of their last three matchups. In the ACC Tournament, Louisville fell to the Miami Hurricanes (25-8/13-5) in the quarterfinals 78-73.
“Miami is a really good team,” senior guard Isaac McKneely said. “Obivously, we wanted to win the ACC championship, but you’ve always got to have a positive lens on everything. I think it could have been a blessing in disguise, gave us a little more rest coming into the tournament. March Madness is the big deal that you want to get prepared for and Coach Kelsey scheduled a tough schedule all season long to prepare us for this moment. We’ve been working really hard for this moment since June 5, when we walked on campus.”
On the season, Louisville averages 84.8 points per game shooting 47 percent from the field and 36 percent from three while holding opponents to 72.2 points a game. Louisville has six different Cardinals averaging at least nine points a game including senior guard Ryan Conwell (18.7), freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr (18.2), sixth year guard J’Vonne Hadley (11.8), McKneely (10.6), junior center Sananda Fru (9.2) and sophomore guard Adrian Wooley (8.5).
“I think it makes it easier on all of us just being such a diverse team, being able to score in a multitude of ways,” Conwell said. “I think it allows all of us to get more open looks as long as we continue to trust each other and play off one another, we’ll continue to be effective out their on the floor.”
Conwell and McKneely are both transfers who joined Louisville this year. Conwell, who started his collegiate career at South Florida and transferred from Xavier last year has had an instant impact.
The senior leads the team in scoring shooting 41 percent from the field and 34 percent from beyond the arc. To go along with that, Conwell averages 4.8 rebounds per game (RPG), 2.5 assists per game (APG) and has garnered 37 steals on the season. The senior has scored double-figures in 26 straight games and in 31 of 32 outings this season. Conwell has a season-high of 32 points and has scored 20 or more in four of Louisville’s last six outings including a 20-point, nine-rebound and three-assist performance in the last matchup against Miami.
“The transition, they made it easy for me. They welcomed me in and allowed me to be myself,” Conwell said. “I have grown so much, not only as a player, but as a man throughout the season. I’m just thankful to even have made it this far and pray to make it further.”
McKneely transferred from Virginia after playing in a starter role for the past three seasons. In the senior’s first season at Louisville, McKneely averages 10.6 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 1.4 APG while shooting 41 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point land. The senior is a playmaker as well, scoring 10-plus points in three of the last four outings along with five or more assists in two of Louisville’s last three matchups.
“I never would have dreamed I would have transferred. When I committed to Virginia, I was expecting to be there four years and graduate there,” McKneely said. “God works in mysterious wats and he challenged me last year with a coaching change and coach gets fired at the end of the year, so I’m wondering what to do. I decided to enter the transfer portal and it was probably the best decision I ever could have made.”
One player that Louisville will be without for the first-round matchup is freshman Mikel Brown Jr. The first year standout is dealing with a lingering back injury that will keep him sidelined for the opening weekend of March Madness. On the season, Brown Jr. averages 18.2 PPG, 4.7 APG, 3.3 RPG and dropped a career-high 45 points against NC State back on Feb. 9. On the season with the freshman in the lineup, the Cardinals are 16-5.
“That happens a lot in sports and life; injuries occur,” Kelsey said. “Those guys never blinked, they never wavered. When someone goes out of the lineup, no matter who it is, everybody on the team has to adjust a little bit. Roles change a little bit, but we have never and will never make any excuses. The guys that are able to play tomorrow and that are healthy are bright eyed, bushy tailed and they’re excited about playing in the national tournament. They’ve had a couple of phenomenal days at practice.”
Louisville will be going up against a South Florida team that rides an 11-game winning streak including a victory in the American Conference championship over Wichita State 70-55. The Bulls have scored at least 80 points nine times in that stretch and have held opponents to under 70 on seven different occasions as well.
“It’s two teams with very similar philosophies. Both value pace, they play at a face pace and we play at a fast pace,” Kelsey said. “I can tell you this: Both the people that are here in the building and then the people that are watching around the country at home on their television, they’re going to be entertained. It’s going to be a really, really fun game. That what makes it so great. The sports mindset in America is locked on this great event and we play a good team tomorrow. We’re a good team and we’re excited.”
Tip-off for the Louisville Cardinals is scheduled for Thursday, March 19 at 1:30 p.m. in the KeyBank Center. The game will be televised on TNT.
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