Before anyone asks, Barry University is located in Miami Shores, Fla., is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, has just over 4,000 students, is a member of the Sunshine State Athletic Conference, and had a 19-9 record last season.
A program that competes on the Division II level, with just enough connections to make it onto the University of Louisville basketball team’s two-game exhibition schedule. Good enough to expose some of UofL’s flaws, and that’s what Rick Pitino said he needed to confirm.
There was no shortage of flaws in Louisville’s 91-71 win before an announced crowd of 19,237 at the KFC Yum! Center. Some of which may or may not be serious.
Chris Jones seems a little slow getting out of the gate after three public appearances. Nine points in this one on three of eight shot attempts while credited with five assists, four fouls and four turnovers.
Despite UofL’s significant height advantage, Barry owned a 53-41 rebounding edge. One of those games where the bounces always seemed to favor the opposition. Pitino said it was a lack of technique, with players not being in the right position to get the ball. “We’re running to the rim and the only thing you can do that there is take the ball out of bounds,” he stated.
The offense appeared to be haphazard and disorganized at times, resulting more from being bigger and more physical. The coach actually admitting he was holding back a little. “We are not running a lot of our sets right now because, our early opponents, we don’t want to give them too much,” said Pitino. “Every game of ours is on television, so we don’t want to show as much as we would for a regular game.”
Depth has to be a concern, with Pitino playing only seven players most of the game. Barry got 37 points from the bench while UofL had 16. Free throw shooting needs continued work, with UofL hitting only 10 of 20 attempts.
Surprising that Shaqquan Aaron never checked into the game. “I can’t play everybody,” said Pitino. “I really can’t. I got to work on getting ready for Minnesota. It’s a different schedule this year, so I know you want him to play, but I can’t put him in because you want him to play.”
That last comment a possible indication that Pitino is getting the jump a lot of second guessing as he attempts to figure this team out in the weeks ahead.