Louisville basketball’s big problem vs Miami may lead to early NCAA exit

CHARLOTTE, NC — Miami’s size proved more lethal than Louisville basketball’s shooters Thursday in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. The Cardinals suffered a 78-73 defeat to the Hurricanes in a game that could foreshadow the fate awaiting the Cards in the NCAA Tournament.

Should they get the wrong draw and face a team with as imposing a frontcourt as the Canes, it could lead to an early exit.

Miami utilized its size advantage in the second half when it made getting the ball to 6-foot-9 forward Malik Reneau who was defended by the generously listed 6-foot-7 forward J’Vonne Hadley. Reneau scored 18 of his game-high 24 points in the second half including seven of the Canes’ first 12 points as they forged ahead 49-41.

Hadley’s been used as an undersized power forward the better part of his two seasons with the Cards. It often works in his favor offensively just as it did in the quarterfinals, as he scored 19 points.

But the shots from outside again weren’t falling for UofL. It followed a 6-for-26 performance from 3-point range against SMU in the second round with a 6-for-24 outing against Miami.

UofL’s sharpshooting guard Isaac McKneely had a particularly rough outing more than going 1-for-6 from 3.

Just four minutes into the game, he collided with Ryan Conwell and was on the floor bleeding from his head and grabbing his left shoulder. He’d re-enter the game after getting staples in his head to keep the cut closed and would wear a heat warming pack on his shoulder when he came to the bench.

Meanwhile, the Canes kept pounding the ball inside, running up 44 points in the paint including on a late possession when they had to have it.

Louisville cut an eight-point deficit down to 69-68 with 1:23 left. Miami coach Jai Lucas took a timeout to draw up a layup for Reneau. And the Cards never had the ball with a chance to tie again.

This column will be updated.

Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@gannett.com, follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to make sure you never miss one of his columns.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville vs Miami, UofL March Madness projections, Pat Kelsey record

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