College Basketball

Louisville Basketball: 5 things we learned about UofL from the Battle 4 Atlantis

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:50 p.m. ET

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We take a look at five things we learned about the Louisville basketball team from the Battle 4 Atlantis.

The Louisville basketball team is heading back home at 5-1 after losing to Baylor in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. It was an interesting week of basketball that had all of us on the edge of our seats.

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The Cardinals will now head back to Louisville to square off with Purdue next week.

Fans should be pretty excited and proud of how this team played in the Bahamas. There were definitely times where we concerned, but overall, everyone should be proud of their Louisville basketball team.

With that being said, here are five things we learned about the Cards from the Battle 4 Atlantis:

Nov 24, 2016; Paradise Island, BAHAMAS; Louisville Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell (45) shoots over Wichita State Shockers forward Markis McDuffie (32) during the second half in the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis in the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

5. Louisville’s shooting is still a work in progress

We shouldn’t probably ever be surprised that the Cardinals have trouble shooting the basketball. There was a bit of optimism heading into the season that they would be better, but they haven’t been able to consistently make their open shots thus far.

However, that doesn’t mean that the Cards don’t have the guys to become a good scoring team. If you think back to the 2013 National Championship team, a ton of their points came from steals that were turned into layups or dunks.

However, they did have guys like Russ Smith and Luke Hancock that could knock down the occasional three-pointer.

If this team can keep forcing other teams to throw the ball away, then it’s just a matter of time before they start finishing at the rim as well.

Donovan Mitchell and Deng Adel are two guys that have to be the leaders for this team, especially when it comes to scoring. Mitchell has been finding his groove at the end of games, but Adel has gone completely silent in a few games this season.

Adel has to find more ways to get to the rim other than settling for the jumper.

Nov 23, 2016; Paradise Island, BAHAMAS; Louisville Cardinals guard Quentin Snider (4) and Old Dominion Monarchs guard Travis Fields (2) battle for the ball during the second half in the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis in the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

4. Louisville’s defense is legit

The Cardinals have been playing some high-level defense this season. They aren’t quite there yet, but it has given every team that they have played some serious trouble. It has been their effort and pressure on defense that has forced teams into taking bad shots and giving Louisville an opportunity at the end of games.

Their schedule only gets harder as we go through December. The Cards don’t have the talented shooters that Kentucky, Duke, and North Carolina has, but everyone knows what shuts down great offenses.

Yup, you probably guessed it, great defense changes games and changes the way a great offense has to play and run their sets.

We all see how Virginia’s defense can just suffocate the other teams in the ACC. Hopefully the Cardinals can learn to play defense in the same way the Cavaliers have learned to over the years.

They haven’t had great scorers, they have just played sound defense and been well-coached.

Nov 24, 2016; Paradise Island, BAHAMAS; Louisville Cardinals forward Anas Mahmoud (14) and Wichita State Shockers center Rauno Nurger (20) go for the ball during the first half in the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis in the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

3. Pitino has many different forwards that can make a legit difference

Jaylen Johnson came into this tournament as Louisville’s best forward on the roster. He dominated the first couple games for Louisville, but became almost non-existent through most of the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Actually, that may have been the best thing that could have happened for the Cardinals over the week of Thanksgiving.

This forced Anas Mahmoud and Ray Spalding to get some serious minutes in the Cards’ first two wins of the tournament. Spalding obviously had some rough patches, but both players ended up making key plays on defense to help their team.

This showed that Rick Pitino can trust more than just Jaylen Johnson to come out and make a difference against a tough ACC slate of teams.

Nov 24, 2016; Paradise Island, BAHAMAS; Louisville Cardinals forward Mangok Mathiang (12) and teammates celebrate the victory against the Wichita State Shockers in the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis in the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

2. This is a very scrappy team that won’t quit

Louisville was tested in many ways over the course of this tournament and quite honestly, it didn’t phase them too much. Whether they don’t know any better or their youth is full of optimism, these Cardinals know how to weather a storm.

The year is still young, but these Cardinals are simply not going to quit, despite the situation or circumstances of the game.

This is the type of team that end up going far in March because they aren’t intimidated by any team or any adversity. The Cards will have many games this season where things aren’t going to go well and there isn’t getting around it.

Games against Kentucky, Indiania, Purdue, Virginia, Duke, and North Carolina will prove to be tough tests, but it seems as though Louisville may be built to withstand those challenges.

They learned a lot over this tournament and this experience will help them going forward.

Nov 24, 2016; Paradise Island, BAHAMAS; Louisville Cardinals forward Mangok Mathiang (12) hugs guard Donovan Mitchell (45) after the victory against the Wichita State Shockers in the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis in the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

1. They aren’t “there” just yet

As well as these guys played in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, they still aren’t at the level that we look like to see them at. Yes, they are the tenth ranked team in the country, but this team is still a work in progress.

To be an elite level team, they must learn to shoot the ball better and be more effective on offense. They go through spurts where they look like they haven’t ever played with each other before. We can contribute that to the overall youth of this team.

However, what you need to know is that this is a squad that can get to that point. They have more than a few players that can raise their games’ to a high level and become a team to be reckoned with.

Rick Pitino’s teams always get better at the season moves along and there is no reason to believe that this team won’t continue to progress.

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