NCAA Basketball: Carey, Winston lead National Player of the Year race
By Brian Rauf
player. 438. . . Previous: 7th. Jordan Nwora. 6
Stats: 20.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg
Something has been missing with Jordan Nwora this season. We know he’s a great player – he proved that last year and has solidified it with his play this year – but he has yet to rise to any big moment.
The 6-7, 225-pounder already has nine games in which he scored at least 20 points, and the Cardinals are 8-1 in those games. However, in Louisville’s two biggest games away from home – against Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden and at Kentucky – he had his two worst performances, scoring 14 and eight points, respectively, while shooting a combined 6/26 from the field.
Nwora did shake that narrative a bit at home against Florida State (he had 32 points and 10 rebounds in that one) yet Louisville still lost.
The larger problem with Louisville is that they are too reliant on Nwora to carry them offensively. When he isn’t able to, as he wasn’t against Texas Tech and Kentucky, the Cardinals lose pretty easily. The Florida State game was alarming because, from a statistical standpoint, he held up his end of the bargain yet they still lost.
Therein lies the problem with Nwora’s Player of the Year candidacy. He has only led the Cardinals to one notable win (Michigan) and hasn’t been able to elevate the play of the rest of his teammates.
The Cardinals are still a quality team and Nwora is producing at a high level, but both team and player need to take things to the next level if he’s going to break into the top five.