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Louisville Cardinals: Have They Stopped the Bleeding?

By Beaumont Rand

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No team has had a more tumultuous 48 hours this season than the Louisville Cardinals (22-6, 10-5 ACC) have had since Saturday afternoon. As college basketball fans have slowly been made aware of not just former PG Chris Jones’ dismissal but the conditions surrounding it, off the court drama has threatened to submerge a season many Cardinal fans believe to be sinking.

The Louisville Cardinals’ 52-51 eyesore of a win at Georgia Tech on Monday night has not completely stopped the February hemorrhaging that began on the court with a home loss to NC State over a week ago. No, Terry Rozier’s 22-point return to form (including the game-winning layup) doesn’t make the Cards the top ten team they may have been before these uncharacteristic late-season struggles. Chinanu Onuaku’s victory-sealing rejection of Travis Jorgenson doesn’t alter Louisville’s trajectory just yet.

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Yet, considering how turbulent the past 48 hours have been for the Cardinals, any good vibes are welcomed. Buried in a 13-point hole by a flurry of Yellow Jacket dunks with less than 10 minutes remaining, to rise up on the shoulders of Rozier, (who has shot just an average of 27 percent the past three games) shows a resolve that the Cardinals appeared to previously lack. When facing double-digit second half deficits to NC State and Syracuse, Louisville rushed shots, turned the ball over and eventually folded. Georgia Tech (12-16, 3-13 ACC) is no Duke or Virginia, but the Cards have taken their first real positive step since their late January 18-point comeback against UNC.

Now, the question is if Louisville can build upon these good vibes. Their final stretch will be as tough as any (@FSU, vs. Notre Dame, Virginia). And, besides Rozier’s output Monday night, not much has happened to suggest their offense will begin to click consistently. The Louisville Cardinals likely still sit tenuously on the four/five seed line and face two more top-ten teams with the possibility of another in the ACC tournament. To get through this gauntlet in better shape than when they entered, Louisville will need to avoid a bad loss and likely steal one or two wins against the ACC’s upper-echelon. This most certainly will require someone to help replace Jones’ significant offensive output and on-ball defense besides Rozier. The most likely candidates are true freshmen guards Quentin Snider (2.4 PPG) and Shaqquan Aaron (1.7 PPG), along with inexperienced sophomore guard Anton Gill (1.4 PPG).

Louisville has not completely undone the damage done to their tourney stock in the past week and a half. But the Rozier-led rally Monday night is a positive sign for a team in serious need of one.

Next: Virginia Cavaliers: London Perrantes Day-To-Day

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