Takeaways from U of L’s encouraging-but-frustrating showing

NEW YORK — The saying goes: If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.

Louisville men’s basketball left the Big Apple hoping it rings true.

The Cardinals, across back-to-back games at Madison Square Garden, played at a level previously unseen during Year 2 of Kenny Payne’s rebuild — one that was hard to come by during the head coach’s first 35 at the helm of his alma mater.

But it wasn’t enough to get a win at the Empire Classic.

On Sunday, U of L led No. 17 Texas by a point with 7.9 seconds remaining before the Longhorns’ Max Abmas rose up over Skyy Clark for a game-winning jumper. On Monday, it blew a seven-point lead over cross-state rival Indiana by allowing a 13-2 Hoosiers run during the final three minutes and change of the second half.

“If we tighten up a few things,” Payne said after the loss to IU, “where would we be sitting now?”

The question was rhetorical, but this is the answer: Louisville would be taking the court for a 1 p.m. tipoff Sunday at the KFC Yum! Center against New Mexico State at 4-1, not 2-3, with its fan base believing in Payne’s rebuilding process with a conviction it hasn’t felt since the beginning of his tenure gave way to the worst season in modern program history.

Some good news: There’s plenty of time left in the 2023-24 campaign — and a foundation to build on.

The 0-2 run in New York, Clark said, is “only something that we can learn from.”

“I think we showed a lot of people that we can compete with some of the top teams in the country and only have so much more to grow,” he added. “And by the time we get nearer to ACC play or the end of the year, those things will be fixed.”

Here are three takeaways from a performance that was as frustrating as it was encouraging in the city that never sleeps:

Kenny Payne can’t be ‘tricked’ again

Payne said before the season tipped off he had been running back the tape of U of L’s nine single-digit losses from the 2022-23 campaign and assessing his decision-making ability on the bench.

It didn’t show when Indiana coach Mike Woodson threw a 2-3 zone at the Cards down the stretch Monday.

“I’ve never been a big zone guy,” Woodson told the Hoosiers’ play-by-play announcer, Don Fischer, during a postgame radio interview, according to the team’s official website. “(Assistant coaches) mentioned it in the huddle. I said, ‘Why not?’ and it changed the whole game.”

Payne told reporters afterward he did not discuss with his team the possibility of facing a zone against his friend and former New York Knicks colleague. “I knew Woody wouldn’t play zone,” he said. “Or I thought (he wouldn’t). He tricked me.”

Payne delivered that line with a smile on his face. But this is not an instance of, “Fool me once, shame on you.”

Louisville made only 2 of 8 shot attempts, five of which came from 3-point range, after Woodson initiated the zone during the final seven minutes and change. It turned the ball over four times between the 6:15 mark and the 3:11 mark. Its players looked out of sorts as Payne tried orchestrating a plan of attack from the sideline.

“We didn’t move the ball the way that we’ve been doing,” Payne said, “and then we became passive.”

Woodson in September told The Indianapolis Star he installed the zone over the summer to keep “in our back pocket.”

“I just think there’s some things we can do,” he said then, “to junk it up a little bit from a defensive standpoint.”

It worked to muddled perfection. And the most damning thing about it for U of L is Payne did not call a timeout until only 1:16 remained on the clock, by which point IU had scored seven straight to go from trailing 64-61 to holding a 68-64 advantage in a little more than three minutes.

“The best players, the best teams, they make adjustments quick,” he said.

The coach was answering a question about his young guards but needs to follow his own advice moving forward.

Ty-Laur Johnson deserves shot at starting point guard

Payne tells Ty-Laur Johnson he needs to be “the fightingest little Mighty Mouse in the country” if he wants to “survive amongst giants.”

“I just need him to understand that his discipline is vital,” Payne said after the season-opening win over UMBC. “He is the smallest guy on the court and can never take a moment to relax.”

The 6-foot freshman from Brooklyn slammed his foot on the gas when his number was called off the bench during the Empire Classic. He was Louisville’s most fearless driver, its most creative passer and its most frequent visitor to the free-throw line. His strong homecoming performance warrants consideration of handing him the keys to the offense and having Clark move off the ball.

Across 42 minutes in New York, Johnson totaled 20 points and 10 assists (against only three turnovers) with a steal and a block to boot. Fourteen of those points came against an experienced Texas backcourt. The other six led the Cards’ 23-9 run to go out in front 60-53 over Indiana that prompted Woodson to go zone.

He drew a whopping 17.9 fouls during the two-game stretch, per StatBroadcast Systems’ advanced analytics, and went 14 for 16 from the charity stripe. He posted assists rates of 49% and 53%, respectively.

“Ty-Laur gives us a spark every time he gets on the court,” said fellow freshman Kaleb Glenn, whose two baskets against IU came via passes from Johnson. “He always does the right thing; he’s always looking for his teammates.”

There will be lapses as Johnson continues to find his footing at the Division I level. But, after seeing the impact he had on both games at the Garden — and feeling his absence when he asked to be subbed out at the 5:01 mark of the second half against Indiana due to a groin injury — Payne needs to turn to “Mighty Mouse” early and often.

The change shouldn’t limit Clark’s involvement, because the sophomore Illinois transfer was at his best with Johnson directing traffic. Clark was named to the Empire Classic’s All-Tournament team for his scoring (39 points), not his facilitating.

“I love (Ty-Laur) and Skyy on the court together,” Payne said, “because you have a hard time keeping them in front (of you). They both can score; they both can distribute. And they’re both really good defenders when they’re locked in.”

Louisville can’t keep squandering first halves

It’s not the easiest ask on less than 24 hours’ rest, but, if Louisville came out of the gate firing on all cylinders against Indiana like it did against Texas, there’s a good chance the Cards would have left New York with a win.

U of L played its most efficient opening 20 minutes of the season against the Longhorns, scoring 38 points on 42.9% shooting.

For the first time since Game 1 against UMBC, it scored on more than half of its possessions and had five players contribute five or more points. It passed the ball and moved on the court like a cohesive unit, posting a season-high six assists before the break, at which point it trailed a top-25 team by only three, 41-38.

“Now that we’ve seen it for ourselves,” Clark said after the loss, “we know the standard that we need to hold to ourselves, to each other.”

That standard fell by the wayside when Monday’s third-place game tipped off. The Cards instead reverted to the stagnant pace that bogged down their first three games against mid-major opponents at the Yum! Center.

They scored on a season-low 38.2% of their possessions due in large part to two droughts that totaled more than six minutes. Their 9-for-30 shooting clip tied their worst of the campaign, 30%, set during a Nov. 10 loss to Chattanooga.

“When you talk about lulls in the game, we settle for jump shots,” Payne said. “And a lot of the jump shots are one pass and a shot or no pass and a shot. That’s losing basketball.”

Perhaps most alarming, though: Less than 24 hours after Tre White said rebounding was a big part of the team’s identity, it lost the first-half battle of the boards for the first time all season, 21-19, to an opponent that entered the game ranking among the worst in the country in corralling missed shots.