The Louisville Cardinals have emerged from the toughest stretch of their non-conference schedule sitting at 9-2, but their recent performances have raised more questions than answers. After splitting four key games-wins over Indiana and DePaul, and losses to Arkansas and Tennessee-Louisville fans are left grappling not just with the results, but with how those games unfolded. The Cards didn’t just lose to Arkansas and Tennessee; they were outplayed in ways that exposed some critical flaws, especially with ACC play looming just around the corner.
There's one final tune-up left before the grind of conference play begins: a Saturday matchup against Montana. After that, it’s straight into the fire.
Louisville opens ACC action with a West Coast road swing at Cal and Stanford before returning home to host Duke on January 6. And make no mistake-this year’s ACC is a step up in quality.
The league looks deeper, more competitive, and less forgiving than it did last season, when Louisville went an impressive 18-2 in conference play.
If the Cardinals want to replicate that kind of dominance-or even stay in the upper tier of the standings-they’ll need to tighten up in a few key areas. Let’s start with the most pressing one: finding a consistent third scoring option.
The Third Scorer Problem
So far this season, it’s been the Ryan Conwell and Mikel Brown Jr. show on offense. Those two have been steady, often spectacular, and clearly the engines that drive this team. But basketball seasons are long, and no team can rely on just two scorers to carry the load every night-especially not in a conference as rugged as the ACC.
Through 11 games, six different players not named Conwell or Brown Jr. have stepped up as a top-three scorer in at least one game. On paper, that sounds like depth.
In reality, it reveals a lack of consistency. The supporting cast has been more of a revolving door than a reliable foundation.
Take Isaac McKneely. He lit up Indiana with five threes and looked like he might be turning a corner.
But in the next two games, he went just 1-for-10 from deep. That kind of swing is tough to build around.
J’Vonne Hadley and Adrian Wooley have also had moments, but neither has established themselves as someone the team can count on night in and night out.
Then there’s Sananda Fru. The forward had a stretch where he scored at least 11 points in three straight games, showing signs of becoming that elusive third option.
But against Tennessee, with Brown Jr. sidelined, Fru managed just four points. That’s the kind of missed opportunity that can come back to haunt a team once the schedule gets tougher.
When the offense is humming, Louisville looks dangerous. But when Conwell or Brown Jr. struggles-or worse, is unavailable-the Cardinals don’t yet have a clear Plan B. That’s a problem that needs solving, fast.
What’s Next
The good news? There’s still time.
The Montana game offers one last chance to experiment, to test combinations, and to see who might be ready to step into a bigger role. After that, the margin for error shrinks dramatically.
Louisville’s ACC opener at Cal won’t be a cakewalk, and Stanford is no pushover either. Then comes Duke, a team that doesn’t need an invitation to exploit offensive inconsistency. If the Cardinals are going to hang with the league’s elite, they’ll need more than just their top two scorers firing.
They’ll need a third option to emerge-and not just occasionally, but consistently. Whether that’s McKneely regaining his shooting touch, Fru finding his rhythm again, or someone else entirely stepping up, the answer has to come from within.
Because in the ACC, talent alone isn’t enough. You need reliability.
You need depth. And above all, you need to know who you can count on when the game tightens up and the pressure rises.
Louisville has the pieces. Now it’s about putting them together before the real season begins.