Louisville Basketball: 5 Cards that are trending up after the win over SIU
We take a look at three Louisville basketball players whose stock is trending upward after a win over Southern Illinois on Wednesday.
The Louisville basketball team was able to pick up their eight win in nine games after a win over Southern Illinois on Wednesday night. To many Cardinals fans’ delight, this game was never close, therefore it gave everyone the opportunity to sit back, relax, and be reminded just how bad this team is at shooting the basketball.
All kidding aside, the Cards played as well as we could have expected after a road trip at Grand Canyon last Saturday night.
With that being said, here are the five Cardinals who are trending up after a solid win over SIU:
Nov 13, 2015; Louisville, KY, USA; Samford Bulldogs guard Darius Jones-Gibson (15) moves against Louisville Cardinals guard Quentin Snider (2) during the first half at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
5. Quentin Snider | Guard | University of Louisville
It was very refreshing to see Snider find his shot from behind the three point line against SIU. As of late, he had been struggling, but hopefully this game will give him some confidence moving forward.
However, I don’t think the issue was a lack of confidence. One of his two 3-pointers came off of a turnover that he shot right off of receiving the pass. Again, it was pretty impressive for a player who has been trying to find his stroke.
We all know that Quentin Snider does a great job on defense and does an even better job of leading his team on the floor. These are two qualities that I wish every Louisville basketball player would have.
With that being said, his jump shot needs to continue to improve if the Cards want any chance of beating Kentucky in a few weeks.
Nov 30, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals forward Ray Spalding (13) battles Purdue Boilermakers forward Caleb Swanigan (50) for a rebound during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville defeated Purdue 71-64. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
4. Ray Spalding | Forward | University of Louisville
Ray Spalding has been playing some great basketball over the past couple of weeks. Not to mention, he has stepped his game up ever since Anas Mahmoud went down with his concussion. The experience Spalding is getting right now will prove to be huge for the Cardinals throughout this season.
He finished the game against Southern Illinois with 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. It has been pretty impressive to see his physicality and defensive awareness on the court this year. He looks much, much better than he did in his freshman season under Pitino.
Spalding has a high-ceiling with this basketball team, let’s hope this is the start of many great things to come from the second-year player from Louisville, Kentucky.
3. Deng Adel | Forward | University of Louisville
It was about dang time that Deng Adel had a game where he showed what he is capable of. The even better news, is that I felt like he could have played even better against Southern Illinois on Wednesday night.
Adel was able to get a double-double, after grabbing 12 rebounds and scoring 12 points. While he wasn’t able to hit either of his shots from three, he was 6-12 from the rest of the field.
Every week, we hear about how Adel is one of the best NBA prospects that Louisville has on their roster, however there have been few times where we have seen that talent.
Again, take this with a grain of salt because it was against SIU, but this is the type of performance that we need to grow accustomed to seeing from Deng Adel.
Nov 14, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals forward Jaylen Johnson (10) shoots against William & Mary Tribe forward Jack Whitman (41) and forward Greg Malinowski (5) during the first half at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
2. Jaylen Johnson | Forward | University of Louisville
Just like Deng Adel, Jaylen Johnson shook off his bad couple of weeks and had a solid game against SIU. He came so close to getting another double-double this season, but ended up just one point short of achieving that feat.
However, that’s what you deserve when you finish 3-7 from the Free Throw line.
The good news is that Johnson looked and played like he wanted to be there on Wednesday night. There have been moments over the past couple of games where he hasn’t looked focused and therefore, his play hasn’t been physical and dominant enough.
I saw a guy on Wednesday night that wanted to grab the rebound, take it down court, and slam it in the basket.
That is exactly the player Rick Pitino needs him to be this season.
1. Mangok Mathiang | Forward | University of Louisville
I’m sure that I won’t be the first person to say Mangok Mathiang had one of his best games as a Louisville Cardinal against Southern Illinois. He led all Louisville scorers with 15 points and dominated the Salukis in the paint.
It was clear that Mathiang and the Cards wanted to come out and set a tone against SIU early in the first half, as he scored the team’s first seven points of the night.
How refreshing was it to see his shots finally go in? It seems like it has been forever since he has shot the basketball that efficient.
Mathiang is more experienced than anyone on the Cardinals’ roster and they need him to continue being a factor in the paint.
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