Eerily similar to the back and forth between the Louisville and Michigan State basketball teams in the NCAA regional final last season, the Spartans prevailing again, this time 71-67 in Lansing.
Michigan State, remember, outlasted UofL 76-70 in overtime in March, denying the Cardinals what would have been a surprising return to the Final Four.
Making this team competitive was supposed to consume most of the season but UofL is ahead of schedule, already a force to be reckoned in early December. The Cardinals will get better, it’s inevitable, all Rick Piitno teams do as the season continues.
Pitino piecing together another team almost from scratch to take this year’s third-ranked MSU to the wire again. More testament to his Hall of Fame coaching abilities. Adding Damion Lee and Trey Lewis for scoring punch, squeezing some muscle and hustle from his assortment of awkward big guys, refusing to concede anything to anybody.
Count on freshmen like Donovan Mitchell to learn not to foul the other team’s leading free throw shooter in the final minute, UofL conceding six of six free throws to him in the final minute. Better to deny him the ball.
Expect Anas Mahmoud, if he’s still playing that late in the game, to stay in the face of three-point shooters like Bryan Forbes, he who was connecting on five of nine tries beyond the arc. Better still, watch for players like Deng Adel and Raymond Spalding to be there instead applying the defense. Where was Spalding in this one, playing only six minutes? The injured Adel was unavailable.
Lee and Lewis will never be bashful when it comes to shooting, thriving on their time in the national spotlight, collecting 23 and 21 points, respectively. Donovan Mitchell will inevitably contribute more than his latest production of six points — if his defense earns him more playing time. Same for Spalding but he, too, had best get with it on defense. Sooner the better.
The big guys, Chinanu Onuaku, Mangok Mathiang, Mahmoud, even Matz Stockman, well, at least one or two of them have to get better. They have already but there wasn’t much evidence in this game. Small steps forward for the guys in the big shoes could make a major difference.
This UofL team is already further along than anyone thought it would be, having significantly raised expectations. This early test against Michigan State provides a blueprint for more dramatic progress in the weeks and months ahead. A good team will only get better, Pitino will see to that.