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Quick Hitters
-It’s been a while, but I figured this post should finally make a return on a day where there seemed to be a buzz and new life within the fanbase, so let’s get to it.
-I’ll go ahead and get this stat out of the way since it was the story of the game for me. Duke had 20 offensive rebounds and Louisville had 10. The second chance points were 22-5 in favor of the Blue Devils. Sometimes it’s as simple as rebounding the ball, and for me that was it in this one. The Cards made one less free throw but two more threes than Duke, so you can’t really point to those. But they also had nine less shot attempts and five less makes. Offensive rebounds for Duke made all the difference in this one.
-Need a bucket? El Ellis says he is not afraid to go get you one. He played with no fear and was a huge spark off of the bench for the Cards with 18 points on 7/16 shooting and 3/6 from three. He also had two assists with zero turnovers.
-While Ellis took over a lot of the second half, the first half positives belonged to Dre Davis. With the Cards down by 16, Davis went on his own 7-0 run to keep Louisville from getting run out of their own gym. He ended up with 16 points on 7/13 shooting, two rebounds, three blocks, and one steal. Good Dre Davis is certainly a fun one to watch.
-Combined stats for Noah Locke, Sam Williamson, and Matt Cross: 50 minutes, nine points, 2/8 shooting, seven rebounds, zero assists, zero steals, zero blocks, three turnovers. Yeah, going to need more than that.
-The walk by Malik at the end of the half. Brutal. Just pass the ball. Also when you are leading the break, just pass the ball.
-Denny Crum is a treasure and it was really cool seeing he and Coach K have their moment before the game.
-Sydney Curry got absolutely destroyed on his attempted dunk where he stayed on the floor for an extended amount of time. Just because he is massive does not mean that people don’t foul him. In fact, they probably foul him even more out of necessity. I promise you are allowed to call those, no matter how big he is.
-The crowd seemed really into it. Coming back from down 16 to be in a fight the rest of the way was very promising and encouraging. From booed off the floor last game to having the biggest crowd of the season this game, it was nice to just see some positives out there for this team. Hopefully the rest of the season is fun to watch and the team can scrape together some wins along the way.
-If he doesn’t end up as a head coach at another school, finding a place for Mike Pegues somewhere on the next staff would be just fine with me. That guy appears to get it.
-As always, I appreciate you checking this out. Go Cards…Go Krogering!
Film Review
Story of the game to me was Duke getting 20 offensive rebounds and outscoring the Cards 22-5 on second chance points. Needed to show an example. Malik just stands there when the shot goes up, and that just doesn’t work. pic.twitter.com/Jo16pBsRSQ
— Justin Renck (@JustinRenck) January 30, 2022
This is just a bad shot. One dribble, step back with 14 seconds on the shot clock and clearly a challenged shot. No need to force it. pic.twitter.com/Rgy7fKcnP1
— Justin Renck (@JustinRenck) January 30, 2022
Now it’s Sam not blocking out. He puts a hand on the chest of the Duke player, but that’s not going to cut it at this level, or any level. Blue Devils eventually get two points on this possession. pic.twitter.com/FUVcQfSuV0
— Justin Renck (@JustinRenck) January 30, 2022
The coaches lose their minds on this one and luckily Duke doesn’t take advantage. Ball goes to the wing, Malik is fronting his man and Withers chases his guy instead of staying in help. No backside help at all and the easy lob is there, but Duke doesn’t see it. pic.twitter.com/McIrr5RDGo
— Justin Renck (@JustinRenck) January 30, 2022
No Xs and Os to even look at here. Just find your guard and give them the ball and get down the floor.
— Justin Renck (@JustinRenck) January 30, 2022
Again, forced and it doesn’t work out. pic.twitter.com/SHzxBpD0Pk
Excellent example of driving into a bigger defender and using his body against him. Absorb the contact, stay under control, and get the bucket. El Ellis drove with a purpose during this game. pic.twitter.com/ikHe9CH9nM
— Justin Renck (@JustinRenck) January 30, 2022
I’ve pointed out plenty of negative with him so here is a positive. Great extra pass from Malik here to Locke for the open three. Passing up a shot for your teammate to get the better shot usually results in beautiful basketball. pic.twitter.com/0f4P18z5rO
— Justin Renck (@JustinRenck) January 30, 2022
Wanted to show this because the transition three from Dre Davis is fun to watch, but the head bobbing from Mike Pegues steals the clip for me. pic.twitter.com/VlzP396iGy
— Justin Renck (@JustinRenck) January 30, 2022
Defense to offense! Dre Davis plays great defense and gets the block to start the play. On the other end, a quick screen from Malik gets Duke to switch and Ellis uses the mismatch to drive, draw two defenders, and dish to Curry. Solid sequence all around. pic.twitter.com/eDrikLIais
— Justin Renck (@JustinRenck) January 30, 2022
Set play. Ball goes to the corner, Sam is bringing his man away from the paint, and El Ellis sets a backscreen for the open look. Draws a foul on this one. pic.twitter.com/De3FE2WQLX
— Justin Renck (@JustinRenck) January 30, 2022
Last one. Wanted to stop before things went south. El Ellis was the spark that the Cards needed, and this step back three was huge. Just had to include it and end on a positive. pic.twitter.com/uSFRSP3xtw
— Justin Renck (@JustinRenck) January 30, 2022