Louisville Basketball: Cardinals' 5 Biggest Concerns in ACC Play

Adjusting to life in the ACC hasn't gone quite as smoothly as the Louisville Cardinals had hoped. With losses to North Carolina and Duke already on their ledger, the sixth-ranked Cardinals have their work cut out for them as conference play heats up.

The wins over Wake Forest, Clemson and Virginia Tech came as expected, but if Louisville cannot beat the top-tier teams in the conference, then chances are the ACC title will not be in this team’s future.

With 13 games left in the regular season—four of them against currently ranked teams—can Rick Pitino's squad shake off the early stumbles and emerge as a title contender in its inaugural season in the ACC?

Here's a look at the five biggest concerns for Louisville during the remainder of conference play.

Avoid Upsets

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The good news in Louisville’s two conference losses is they were against good teams, but the bad news is there are a bunch of good teams in the pressure cooker that is the ACC.

An easy example to demonstrate the ACC's strength is the five teams that are ranked No. 15 or higher in the AP poll, but the more impressive one would be the fact that all 15 teams possess a record of .500 or better.

We already saw what happened to Duke a week ago with its losses to N.C. State and Miami. If you take your foot off the pedal even just a little bit, any team in this conference can make you pay.

The Cardinals already had a few close calls themselves, having to rally for a win in both the Wake Forest and Clemson games.

It’s a dog-eat-dog kind of situation in the ACC, but if Louisville can take care of business when needed, it has a good chance of emerging with the least amount of damage when it’s all said and done.

Be Wary of the Road Games

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Since most upsets occur at the home of the underdogs, Louisville needs to be cautious when playing away from the KFC Yum! Center.

If you take a look at the remainder of the Cardinals' schedule, the games at Pitt (13-5, 3-2 ACC), Miami (12-5, 2-2 ACC) and Syracuse (13-5, 4-1 ACC) could all be potential trap games.

Louisville has already dropped one of its ACC road games in Chapel Hill and had to hold off a furious Wake Forest rally in Winston-Salem. One can only play with fire for so long.

Throw in the home games against No. 15 UNC, No. 12 Notre Dame and No. 2 Virginia, and the road wins would mean that much more.

Three-Point Shooting Woes

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After shooting 37.1 percent from three-point range last year, Louisville’s perimeter offense has been virtually a non-factor with a 29.4 percent accuracy this season, which ranks in the lower third of the conference.

Of course, most of the offense run through All-American candidate Montrezl Harrell on the inside, but if the Cardinals cannot knock down the shots from range, it’s just a matter of time before defenses figure out ways to smother Harrell in the post to force ill-advised shots and poor possessions.

In Louisville’s three losses, each one featured a poor shooting night from the Cardinals.

Pitino’s squad shot just 21.4 percent (3-for-14) against Kentucky, 31.6 percent (6-for-19) against UNC and 16 percent (4-for-25) against Duke.

This problem was most glaring in the loss to Duke, when the Blue Devils employed zone defense to prevent the inside penetration.

If the Cardinals could not find a way to answer a Duke defense that is considered average, what will happen when they face the likes of Syracuse and Virginia?

Chris Jones’ Contribution

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It’s safe to say sophomore guard Chris Jones has not shot the ball well this season.

With a 34.7 percent accuracy from the field, Jones has not provided the Cardinals with the consistency they had hoped, especially after he made 37.7 percent of his three-point attempts last season.

However, he seems to be turning a corner.

Apart from the Duke game—in which he tallied just five points, committed five turnovers and shot 2-for-10 from the field—he has averaged 17.5 points, 7.0 assists and 49 percent shooting in the four other ACC games.

If this is the type of production Jones can provide, then it could provide the Cardinals with another reliable weapon on offense and take the burden off both Harrell and Terry Rozier.

Avoid Sweep Against Virginia

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With two games yet to be played against the still-unbeaten Cavaliers, it is vital for the Cardinals to get at least one win over the ACC leaders.

Virginia has proven yet again it is not to be overlooked in a conference that has been dominated by Duke and UNC, but there is a chance for Louisville to dethrone the 2013-14 ACC champions with the way both schedules are set up.

The first matchup will take place Feb. 7 at Charlottesville, but Louisville will catch the hosts on the heels of back-to-back games against the Blue Devils and Tar Heels (the latter game on the road). It would be a perfect opportunity for the Cardinals to go for an upset bid, or so to speak, to close the gap between the two teams in the standings.

Meanwhile, the return game is scheduled for March 7 at Louisville, and it will be the regular-season conference finale for both teams.

The Cardinals will have a chance to build off a possible home win over No. 12 Notre Dame, while the Cavaliers have to deal with Syracuse at the Carrier Dome five days prior.

If Louisville can manage a split or even go for a sweep of its own, it can cause quite a few shakeups in the ACC title picture.