College Basketball Power 10: Seven of Top 10 Went Down Last Week
By Jeremy Karll
6. Louisville (18-4)
Louisville’s biggest problem this season has been its offense. They hold teams to just 62.1 points per game but only score 78 per game themselves, which ranks 78th in the nation.
Led by Donovan Mitchell‘s 29 points against Pittsburgh and 28 points against North Carolina State, the nation saw how good Louisville can be if they have a consistent offense. The Cardinals scored a season-high 106 points against Pittsburgh and 85 against NC State.
The Cardinals scored at least points twice last week after only doing so six times in their first 20 games of the season. No, Pittsburgh and NC State aren’t elite defenses, but it’s not like Louisville usually beats up on mediocre defenses.
They managed to score fewer than 80 points against Grand Canyon and Southern Illinois this year.
Now, Louisville has to show they can consistently score. They don’t need to average 95.5 points per game, but need to score more than the 73 points per game they averaged in their first seven ACC games.
Plus, it’s unknown if Mitchell can continue to be a reliable scorer, as he only averages 14.8 points per game on 40.3 percent shooting.
Louisville is hanging around the two seed line with away games at Boston College and Virginia this week.