There have been many great UofL teams in the past but I think the style of play and player has changed a bunch and it’s really apparent in this year’s team.
There is more than one way to be successful, obviously, but I really like this teams approach and the way they play.
1) We’ve seen a complete change in defensive philosophy. Pitino’s teams hung their hat on speeding other teams up to force mistakes and turnovers and that’s where a lot of their offense came from. Now, Louisville is starting to get guys in who really take pride in sitting down and guarding for 30 seconds. Their whole defense is predicated on not allowing easy buckets.
2) This year there seems to always be 4-5 guys on the court who are threats to impact the game in multiple ways on both offense and defense. Pitino’s teams seemed to always have 1-2 big time shot blockers and offensive rebounders in the game at once which made it difficult for teams to finish at the rim and finish possessions on defense, but also those big guys would have trouble guarding ball screens at time and guarding in transition, etc. This year’s team is very flexible on both offense and defense. They may not have a big time shot blocker but their defensive philosophy makes it tough to get those shots at the rims anyway.
A couple more points:
- I was not very high on Louisville going into last year, but I was and am very high on this Louisville team. Maybe some of that comes with expectations (last year’s team expected to be one of the best in the country, this year’s team unranked), but I really love how this team plays.
- I think DJ and Jones are superstars and we all know that is important in college basketball, but especially when you rely on your guards to create much of your offense.
- The young guys have looked very promising this year. I think what might be their most important attribute is their competitiveness. A lot of times young players struggle for multiple reasons (adjusting to speed of the game, strength, mental, etc.) but competitiveness covers up a lot of those flaws early in their careers so I think it’s great seeing these freshmen making big plays early in the year.
There is more than one way to be successful, obviously, but I really like this teams approach and the way they play.
1) We’ve seen a complete change in defensive philosophy. Pitino’s teams hung their hat on speeding other teams up to force mistakes and turnovers and that’s where a lot of their offense came from. Now, Louisville is starting to get guys in who really take pride in sitting down and guarding for 30 seconds. Their whole defense is predicated on not allowing easy buckets.
2) This year there seems to always be 4-5 guys on the court who are threats to impact the game in multiple ways on both offense and defense. Pitino’s teams seemed to always have 1-2 big time shot blockers and offensive rebounders in the game at once which made it difficult for teams to finish at the rim and finish possessions on defense, but also those big guys would have trouble guarding ball screens at time and guarding in transition, etc. This year’s team is very flexible on both offense and defense. They may not have a big time shot blocker but their defensive philosophy makes it tough to get those shots at the rims anyway.
A couple more points:
- I was not very high on Louisville going into last year, but I was and am very high on this Louisville team. Maybe some of that comes with expectations (last year’s team expected to be one of the best in the country, this year’s team unranked), but I really love how this team plays.
- I think DJ and Jones are superstars and we all know that is important in college basketball, but especially when you rely on your guards to create much of your offense.
- The young guys have looked very promising this year. I think what might be their most important attribute is their competitiveness. A lot of times young players struggle for multiple reasons (adjusting to speed of the game, strength, mental, etc.) but competitiveness covers up a lot of those flaws early in their careers so I think it’s great seeing these freshmen making big plays early in the year.
