If you watched the Duke-Louisville game this past Saturday, it would have been impossible to note just how bad the Louisville offense is. The commentary hovered around duke's use of a zone to stifle Louisville, but Louisville had plenty of good lucks and just can't shoot. They shot 18-61 from the field in a 60 possession game and started 7-31, going a 6 minute stretch in the 1st half without a bucket.
This isn't an isolated incident. Coach Rick Pitino admitted as much during his halftime interview that his team is offensively challenged. They're 80th in AdjustedO which isn't terrible but it's a clear indication this team isn't a serious threat in March. They shoot 29.4% from 3, that's 311th in the nation. It's a team wide epidemic. Their best deep threat is Terry Rozier who only shoots 34%. Wayne Blackshear has chucked 101 attempts, making only 31, a cool 30%. My pre-season POY Montrezl Harrell has been okay but hardly a candidate for that award. Teams have been able to limit his game without any long range threats and little production from the post helping him.
Louisville doesn't help themselves at the line, making only 66.5% of their freebies. They do a fair job getting to the charity stripe, too, and they're one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the land (Though, missing a lot probably helps!).
While Louisville has been a solid defensive team, 4th best in tempo-free, the offense will be a limiting factor. Unless it improves dramatically over the next few weeks, Louisville isn't a real threat come March and would be a prime choice as a potential upset victim.
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