LOUISVILLE — On some level, things proceeded as expected in No. 4 Louisville’s 91-62 win over Indiana State on Wednesday night.
Jordan Nwora poured in 21 points for his third straight 20-point game to open the season, Dwayne Sutton logged a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Steven Enoch shared the team lead in rebounding, with 10.
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Louisville started the game 6-of-6 from beyond the arc and got stronger in the paint as the night progressed, with the only real threat coming in the first five minutes of the second half when Indiana State trimmed the deficit to 11 points. But the Cardinals pulled away and were up by 20 again with 12 minutes remaining, taking care to keep the Sycamores out of the lane and crash the glass.
The newcomers provided an added jolt. Samuell Williamson (15 points) and Fresh Kimble (13 points) tallied season highs, while Aidan Igiehon and Josh Nickelberry each scored their first college points.
Coach Chris Mack deemed it the most complete game his team has played this season, and while it could be tempting to dismiss a blowout over a Missouri Valley Conference team, the victory offered hidden nuggets about the Cardinals’ progress. Here’s what stood out.
Most improved: Rebounding
Mack bemoaned Youngstown State’s 19 offensive rebounds on Sunday, and Louisville did well to counter that effort against Indiana State. The Cardinals allowed the Sycamores just one offensive board in the first half and ended the night doubling the visitors on the glass, 42-21 (Louisville’s largest rebounding margin since Jan. 24, 2017).
On the offensive end, the Cardinals rebounded 11 of their 22 missed field goals thanks to better positioning and aggressive play — like when Williamson soared in to save Nwora’s missed jumper with a second-chance dunk.
Sutton, who grabbed just three boards against Youngstown State, rebounded nicely (pun intended). He and Enoch combined for 20 rebounds, and the guards and wings got in on the action too. Williamson and Nwora grabbed five rebounds apiece while Kimble came down with four, all on the defensive end.
“I thought our guys were battling for some,” Mack said. “There were a couple car crashes underneath because guys were going hard after the ball, and that’s who we have to be.”
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Biggest upside: Bench contribution
Led by Williamson and Kimble, Louisville got a season-high 36 points from its bench. The nice thing about blowouts is that it gives guys who wouldn’t normally see the floor an opportunity for some minutes, and Mack emptied his bench in the final moments to get his three walk-ons in the game.
Kimble’s first game playing more than 20 minutes also produced his first double-figure scoring game as a Cardinal. The grad transfer went 3-of-3 from the field in the first half — a driving layup, a paint jumper and a 3-pointer in a three-minute span — and finished 5-of-6 from the field. The Cardinals will need Kimble to be a lockdown defender and a more proactive scorer, and he proved up to the task against talented Indiana State guard Jordan Barnes.
Williamson’s bag of tricks on the offensive end was no different than what he showed in the first two games, but Mack pointed to his improved defense in fronting post players. Aidan Igiehon missed two free throws in the first half, but Louisville grabbed the rebound and the freshman center was in perfect position to receive a feed under the basket and slam home a dunk for his first college points.
The freshmen showed more poise during the closing minutes than they did in the opener at Miami, and the lineup of Kimble and four rookies outscored the Sycamores 10-9 in the final 4:22. They forced a shot-clock violation while holding Indiana State scoreless for nearly three minutes.
“When those freshmen are in there it should be no missed beat,” Kimble said. “I definitely take that upon myself when I’m out there to be even more of a vocal leader and get guys in their spots.”
Still needs work: Offensive efficiency
At face value, a 29-point victory with 58 percent shooting seems like a sparkling offensive performance. But Mack said after the game he believes the offense can still do with some improvements, namely sharing the ball and playing with more patience.
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“Good offense isn’t when shots go in,” Mack said. “It’s what shots are you creating?”
Louisville had trouble early finding clean looks down low. Sometimes the Cardinals made the most of it and kicked the ball back out to open shooters; on other occasions, they charged recklessly into traffic in an attempt to draw fouls.
Tenacious offensive rebounding and a size advantage under the basket helped the Cardinals shoot 47 percent in the paint, but the real boost came in the form of a 9-of-17 clip from beyond the arc. As Mack said after the Youngstown State game, good shooting can be “fool’s gold” and prompt teams to abandon creativity for the sake of a hot hand.
Louisville is still working a lot of new pieces into the offense, and as the season progresses Mack will expect his players to up their game.
(Photo of Steven Enoch: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)