Nothing to say that can defend this performance. Looked totally inept for long stretches of the game. Low BB IQ and appear poorly coached.
Mack is failing
- Thread starter shadow force
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Time to turn things around but things are troubling:
- DePaul was athletically superior. A clear indictment of our recruiting
- Withers and Williamson were supposed to be strength of team. They combined to go 0-5 with 6 rebounds.
- Distinct lack of player development. Davis only guy who seems to have grown as a player. Others have regressed, flat-lined or transferred
- Fires two assistants and replacements show little improvement. The “new” offense is ineffective.
- Has committed NCAA violations
- DePaul was athletically superior. A clear indictment of our recruiting
- Withers and Williamson were supposed to be strength of team. They combined to go 0-5 with 6 rebounds.
- Distinct lack of player development. Davis only guy who seems to have grown as a player. Others have regressed, flat-lined or transferred
- Fires two assistants and replacements show little improvement. The “new” offense is ineffective.
- Has committed NCAA violations
A guy from DePaul drops 33 on us, a guy from Detroit Mercy scores 27 and a guy from Furman scores 30. Just a total failure. They weren’t just guys going bonkers on us. They were the best players on the floor when we played them. Unacceptable
Tried to merge threads. This is Knucklehank1 s thread but I agree with his thoughts.
They are trying they just aren't very good. When things go wrong they aren't good enough to overcome it.
They are probably playing too many guys. Can't get a rhythm. But I don't have the answers.
They are probably playing too many guys. Can't get a rhythm. But I don't have the answers.
I agree about playing too many guys. If we ran a pressing defense maybe you utilize all these pieces. But otherwise we seem to just ensure lack of continuity with our revolving door of guys coming in and out.
I never want to jump on the negative bandwagon but I have never liked Mack after his first year here. Prickly and insecure is totally cool if you have some substance.
His seat is James Brown in the hot tub hot 🔥🔥🔥
He is just randomly subbing dudes just no defensive pressure most games offense a well defended 3 pt shot prayer too often.
Got nothing out of VJ King looking the same with Sam and Withers doing a moonwalk. Johnson's 2nd year was no Bien compared to his first.
Losses to Furman and DePaul nobody expects this team to be within 20 of UK and the ACC is lousy but damn if you can't do better than what they have shown how do they play .500 in even this league?
Had em pegged as a bubble team lots of games left but right now they look pretty gross.
Still love them!!!!
He is just randomly subbing dudes just no defensive pressure most games offense a well defended 3 pt shot prayer too often.
Got nothing out of VJ King looking the same with Sam and Withers doing a moonwalk. Johnson's 2nd year was no Bien compared to his first.
Losses to Furman and DePaul nobody expects this team to be within 20 of UK and the ACC is lousy but damn if you can't do better than what they have shown how do they play .500 in even this league?
Had em pegged as a bubble team lots of games left but right now they look pretty gross.
Still love them!!!!
Mack lamenting the lack of free throws post game. Thirty three 3 pt fg attempts probably means you're not gonna shoot many free throws.
But they're wide open looks. Ever wonder why??
But they're wide open looks. Ever wonder why??
Not sure they are actually open not always. Many are taken off the dribble and not in good flow. Recall Locke hitting one in first half where Cross made a great extra pass. It was just great rhythm play. Don't see much of that overall.
Too many average players that don’t know the offense and how to play together.
The issue is they can’t make shots which is an offensive execution.
Like someone said DePaul/Furman/Detroit Mercy shouldn’t have the best players on the court.
At this point I really don’t know if he can make it work. The NCAA ruling needs to come quickly, however other programs are still landing players with their cloud. Something just isn’t right.
The issue is they can’t make shots which is an offensive execution.
Like someone said DePaul/Furman/Detroit Mercy shouldn’t have the best players on the court.
At this point I really don’t know if he can make it work. The NCAA ruling needs to come quickly, however other programs are still landing players with their cloud. Something just isn’t right.
The other schools weren’t already on probation. We were on probation when this Bowen stuff occurred and then Mack put the finishing touches on it with his shenanigans. It’s amazing we can get anybody because we’re going to get hammered!
Watching the game on the ACC channel, did anyone recall the image of Mack kneeling on the sideline looking down as if to be praying during the closing minutes? It seemed like at least 8-10 seconds. Not a good look at all. Someone else in a very high profile position did this at the podium and was hammered by a few media sources.
With the off season changes in staff, offense strategy, seems things have gotten worse. The one bright spot is the rebounding but most of that is being done by 2-3 guys.
If something isn’t done, Louisville basketball could become Indiana basketball. Go ahead a pull an Auburn and self impose a tourney ban for this year & hopefully the ncaa will go lightly on the sanctions.
With the off season changes in staff, offense strategy, seems things have gotten worse. The one bright spot is the rebounding but most of that is being done by 2-3 guys.
If something isn’t done, Louisville basketball could become Indiana basketball. Go ahead a pull an Auburn and self impose a tourney ban for this year & hopefully the ncaa will go lightly on the sanctions.
Fair point it is hard to quantify how hard it has been to recruit. We can only go by what he has and it clearly isn’t good enough.
This is a pretty interesting point. I think his behavior/demeanor gets further under a microscope with the team under performing.
Fans tolerate goofy/bizarre mannerisms from winners. If your'e not winning, your entire personal gets sliced up and evaluated.
He does appear to lack self awareness even if he probably understands this situation overall.
Stick a Fork in him and them. He's lost the team and he's lost support at UofL. It's over with.
Going to be interesting to see what interim AD does with him starting on Tuesday or Wednesday next week.
A few times Mack could be seen showing his frustration when we missed wide open shots. He pounded the table when Locke missed a wide open 3 when we were down 5.
He's definitely feeling the pressure. I think his suspension really messed up the start of the season and he feels like he's in a deep hole as he tries to find the identity of this group.
It's obvious not all the players are on board. I won't be surprised if one or more guys enter the portal. It may be why he isn't playing Traynor as he knows the sophomore is leaving so what's the point playing him?
I think we all know Louisville hoops has to get past the NCAA before we ever get back to the top level program we have been. And I think that probably means Mack will have to go.
Tough times in the ville no doubt.
He's definitely feeling the pressure. I think his suspension really messed up the start of the season and he feels like he's in a deep hole as he tries to find the identity of this group.
It's obvious not all the players are on board. I won't be surprised if one or more guys enter the portal. It may be why he isn't playing Traynor as he knows the sophomore is leaving so what's the point playing him?
I think we all know Louisville hoops has to get past the NCAA before we ever get back to the top level program we have been. And I think that probably means Mack will have to go.
Tough times in the ville no doubt.
That was the worst I’ve seen a Louisville men’s basketball team play since the last years of the Crum era. I fear it may get worse as the season pans out. We are soft, we are slow, we are fundamentally unsound. UofL may not even make the NIT.
We were across from court side. Mostly in the 2nd half, Mack would come seemingly to half court, try to tell the team to get into a defensive posture and then just throw his hands up in frustration after DePaul scored either an easy put back or get an offensive rebound. At one time, he turned and slammed both fists down on the table behind him. I would have like to have seen the faces of those people. Maybe Kenny Klein.
This. It's not solely the fact that they lost, it was how they lost. The fact that they looked utterly inept and without direction when facing a zone, on defense, passing, shooting, dribbling the ball off their own feet, etc. That's what is so frustrating to me.
I was impressed with DePaul athleticism, and their energy; but an examination of the box score statistics show balance in virtually everything except FTs. This UL roster has talent and there have been periods where it is evident that each of these kids can execute, the problem is absolutely no consistency or continuity.
Ellis and Williamson have had 1 or 2 games where they were most impressive, but only to come back and play absolutely horrible. Withers is the one with an alibi; he has struggled moving from the 5 to the 4, but no one expected this much fall. Locke arrived as a legitimate 40% 3-point shooter, but for whatever reason his shout is not falling.
I am fine with Cross and Williams, but Davis, Withers, Williamson, Faulkner, Locke, Ellis and West have disappointed thus far. I confess that I did not see this coming at all.
Ellis and Williamson have had 1 or 2 games where they were most impressive, but only to come back and play absolutely horrible. Withers is the one with an alibi; he has struggled moving from the 5 to the 4, but no one expected this much fall. Locke arrived as a legitimate 40% 3-point shooter, but for whatever reason his shout is not falling.
I am fine with Cross and Williams, but Davis, Withers, Williamson, Faulkner, Locke, Ellis and West have disappointed thus far. I confess that I did not see this coming at all.
The game was a disaster but it was really frustrating towards the end of the game when we were trying to make a comeback. Ellis had the ball and drove to the right side of the court. Instead of passing to a wide open Cross in the corner he tries to go up against 2 big men himself and we got nothing. You could hear the whole arena moan. I think Mack needs to abandon this new offensive strategy and go back to his original style of play.
Our guys are emotionally affected when they miss shots they know they should be making. I watched the replay this morning as tough as that was, and I counted 17 missed three point shots that were wide open and good shots. I'm not talking wide open 25 footers.
Had we shot just our meek average from downtown we would have won handily. Instead, we allowed one DePaul player to beat us.
Malik Williams was the only player who played like he wanted to win. The others let their shooting woes effect their overall game. It's what has happened to Sam and Withers. A great example is Samuel Williamson who tried to do a Julius Irving layup attempt around two defenders when he could of passed the ball to a teammate in the paint. Here's a guy who knows he's been struggling and he does that. Mack took him out right after that terrible shot.
As I see it Williamson and Withers are not on board with what the offense is trying to do. Locke and Cross are good 3 point shooters when they're set up for the shot, not off the dribble. Davis plays hard and does the intangibles but he can't get it through his head he's not a 3 point shooter.
As for the point guards, I believe Faulkner and Ellis should play more than West, especially if they're running the high pace offense. He's too slow for that. He would be better in a half court offense. I also think Wheeler and or Curry should get more touches but when the offense is shoot the first open 3, there's not much chance of that.
Mack has to decide what's the best offense to get his players to shoot better. The high pace offense is giving the players the green light to shoot whenever they want and it's pretty obvious that's not going to work.
Had we shot just our meek average from downtown we would have won handily. Instead, we allowed one DePaul player to beat us.
Malik Williams was the only player who played like he wanted to win. The others let their shooting woes effect their overall game. It's what has happened to Sam and Withers. A great example is Samuel Williamson who tried to do a Julius Irving layup attempt around two defenders when he could of passed the ball to a teammate in the paint. Here's a guy who knows he's been struggling and he does that. Mack took him out right after that terrible shot.
As I see it Williamson and Withers are not on board with what the offense is trying to do. Locke and Cross are good 3 point shooters when they're set up for the shot, not off the dribble. Davis plays hard and does the intangibles but he can't get it through his head he's not a 3 point shooter.
As for the point guards, I believe Faulkner and Ellis should play more than West, especially if they're running the high pace offense. He's too slow for that. He would be better in a half court offense. I also think Wheeler and or Curry should get more touches but when the offense is shoot the first open 3, there's not much chance of that.
Mack has to decide what's the best offense to get his players to shoot better. The high pace offense is giving the players the green light to shoot whenever they want and it's pretty obvious that's not going to work.
I wonder if going back to his original style is possible or something Mack is willing to to. Sure they had some late season drop offs but they never looked this bad. And they did beat some good teams in past seasons.
If he's sticking to this new style then he needs to shore it up and put some new wrinkles in a hurry.
Hard to believe that there are still UofL fans that think self imposing - or even cooperation - will mitigate penalties. I mean - we have actual firsthand evidence that doesn’t work.
The defense is horrible as well. Mack might call it the same thing but, it bears zero resemblance to UVA’s approach - and never has since he’s been here.
Just watched 5 min of OU vs Arky. I know random game, but both these teams are going full throttle 100%. Every player on both sides is diving for everything I know it's a bit of an old school rivalry but there's more to it than just that.
The bottom line is good teams have players sacrifice their points and shots to do the little things that are required to play winning basketball. The UofL roster has 2 or 3 players buying into that philosophy Malik, Cross, and West, maybe Dre also but he does try to do things he probably shouldn't be trying. The problem is the more talented guys on the team are currently not showing the intangibles of winning basketball. I wonder what the bench crowd response would be if a guy like Sam or Withers threw themselves into a pile for a loose ball aggressively, and how that might impact the rest of the team.
The bottom line is good teams have players sacrifice their points and shots to do the little things that are required to play winning basketball. The UofL roster has 2 or 3 players buying into that philosophy Malik, Cross, and West, maybe Dre also but he does try to do things he probably shouldn't be trying. The problem is the more talented guys on the team are currently not showing the intangibles of winning basketball. I wonder what the bench crowd response would be if a guy like Sam or Withers threw themselves into a pile for a loose ball aggressively, and how that might impact the rest of the team.
Can't understate the dysfunction at the top and how that drips down to the team, players and coaches. Mack has no idea who his boss will be. He is obviously in a perilous position. He played a role in his demise. He was in desperate need of this team to keep him employed here. Team is full of decent players but no alpha. A couple guys might already be tapping out. The rest of the staff has no clue where they will be this time next year. Hot mess.
I don't think the AD or the President has any effect on these players playing poorly. If they were playing great and kicking butt would it mean they're happy those two are gone?
I think it's all on Mack's absence due to the suspension. It was not just missing the six games it was having no contact with the team at all. Something I thought was ridiculous.
Now Mack is in a hole trying to meld a deep roster into what he was trying to implement and it's not going so well. He hasn't got a grasp yet on his lineups and his substitution patterns. That's something he would have discovered by now if not for the suspension.
Now he may be feeling the pressure that a new AD may come in and send him packing but that's not something that's going to effect his coaching. All these college coaches know a couple of bad seasons can get you fired. Mack's frustration is solely due to his players poor play.
I think it's all on Mack's absence due to the suspension. It was not just missing the six games it was having no contact with the team at all. Something I thought was ridiculous.
Now Mack is in a hole trying to meld a deep roster into what he was trying to implement and it's not going so well. He hasn't got a grasp yet on his lineups and his substitution patterns. That's something he would have discovered by now if not for the suspension.
Now he may be feeling the pressure that a new AD may come in and send him packing but that's not something that's going to effect his coaching. All these college coaches know a couple of bad seasons can get you fired. Mack's frustration is solely due to his players poor play.
It's all related and ties together to some degree.
If the HC and assistants don't know their futures do you think the players may be looking at their own situations and also feel uncertainty? Anything distracting staff/players from the opponents is a bad variable.
This is nothing like the standard HC in hot seat scenario. The layers to this are from the Twilight Zone. I believe that is exactly what you called it in another thread!
The team already has it's flaws piling on outside distraction is just one more nail.
