The Cardinals will need to regroup after a surprisingly lackluster performance in Atlanta.
Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
After sweeping the month of January, the Louisville men’s basketball team is still looking for its first win of February.
The Cards saw their first 10-game winning streak in five years come to an end the same way the previous one did: With a stunning road loss to Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets erased an 11-point halftime deficit to pull off a 77-70 upset and hand Louisville just its second ACC loss of the season.
The defeat ended a streak of 134 consecutive games that U of L had won when leading by more than 10 points at halftime. That streak had dated back to 2004.
Make no mistake about it, the defeat was deserved.
Some hot early outside shooting masked the fact that Louisville wasn’t nearly as sharp defensively as it had been over the previous four weeks. The Cardinals were consistently late on their rotations, allowing open three after open three to Georgia Tech’s handful of solid outside shooters. Eventually, that lack of intensity — coupled with some uncharacteristic sloppiness with the ball, poor free-throw shooting and a 1-for-8 effort from beyond the arc in the second half — sealed U of L’s fate in its first loss since before Christmas.
Atlanta native Terrence Edwards led Louisville with 22 points, while Chucky Hepburn added 17 points and J’Vonne Hadley chipped in 16. The team’s only bench production came from Aboubacar Traore, who scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds, but went just 4-for-8 from the free-throw line.
I never expected Louisville to pull off the 20-game win streak and finish the ACC season 19-1, but I must admit, I’m very surprised that the streak ended like this.
For the first time since the Eastern Kentucky game at the end of December, U of L didn’t come out looking the more prepared and hungrier team. Georgia Tech seemed to win every 50-50 ball, they seemed more prepared for what we were going to do than vice versa, and they took advantage of every silly mistake we made in the game’s most crucial moments.
Thankfully, Louisville being perfect over the last month allowed it to build a bit of a safety net for its resume. It can absorb a blow like this one from a bad team. Another one, though, and then legitimate worry can start to set in.
It’s time to go back to work.
