For starters, when you begin the season as the number eight team in the nation, with the number one recruiting class, a 5-5 record cannot make you happy.  Nothing could embody that more than Coach Jeff Walz’s reaction after last night’s game where the Cards (5-5) dispatched the Big Green from Dartmouth (2-9) by a score of 94-52.  “I thought offensively we did a pretty good job.  Defensively, it’s not very good.”  “We are really good at fouling. If there is such a thing as being good at something, we can foul with the best.”

Areas of concern for Walz stem in part from energy and effort, and in part from execution.  “Look, they average 52 points a game and that is exactly what we held them to.”  “We scored 94 that’s fantastic, but we didn’t do anything but hold them to their average defensively, we’ve got to figure out a way to take a lot more pride in our defense.”  The frustration was not reserved simply for the post game comments.  With 5:20 left to play in the first quarter a massive substitution was in order.  All five starters were replaced with five freshmen and the energy level went up noticeably.

Highlights of the game for Louisville included:

Three Point Shooting – Louisville shot 10-22 from behind the arc for the game, led by Briahanna Jackson’s 4-6 performance.

Rebounding – Louisville owned the glass against the Big Green out rebounding Dartmouth 45-27, including a 16-4 advantage on the offensive glass.

Turnovers – Louisville forced the Big Green into 22 miscues, while only committing 10 for the game.

Overall Field Goal % – Louisville shot 52% for the game, including 63.6% in the second half.  This was a drastic improvement for the Cards who had only broken the 50% barrier one other time this season. (Louisville’s 85-78 win over Michigan State.)

Freshman Output – Against IUPUI on Sunday, the freshman class accounted for exactly 0 points.  On Tuesday night, the freshman class pitched in 44 of the team’s 94 points.  They were led by Sam Fuehring’s 14 points, and followed closely by Asia Durr’s 12.

Next up for the Cards is a road game against Tennessee Tech Friday the 18th at 6:30.  The Golden Eagles dropped their last game to Clemson on Sunday 71-53.  They come into Friday’s game with a record of 3-6.

 

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Keith Poynter

Keith Poynter graduated from the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law in May of 2011. While in law school, Keith studied Sports Law as well as other core curriculum. Prior to becoming an attorney, Keith worked in the insurance industry for 6 years, and was a police officer in both Kentucky and Tennessee for 6 years. As an avid sports fan, former basketball official and current youth sports coach, Keith is heavily involved in sports when not at work or with his family at the lake. Keith's diverse background makes him an excellent source for legal opinion about issues surrounding the sporting world. Whether the matter be criminal or contractual, Keith's unique experience and education allows him to offer insight that may be missed by the casual fan. Keith is available for commentary on any legal issues that may arise in the Kentuckiana area and will routinely post articles concerning local and national sports law topics.

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