No. 25 Louisville focusses on sweeping Florida State

It’s been two months since No. 25 Louisville played Florida State. On Saturday, a very different Cardinals squad will host the rematch between the Atlantic Coast Conference schools. The Cardinals’ 90-76 victory in Tallahassee on December 21 sparked a 10-game winning run, making Louisville (20-6, 13-2) the topic of college basketball for the majority of January. The Cardinals, who have won 14 of their past 15, are tied for second place in the ACC with Clemson and can earn a double-bye in the league tournament next month if they win three of their remaining five regular-season games. Speaking to reporters at the ACC weekly coaches’ conference call on Monday, a day after winning 75-60 against Notre Dame, first-year coach Pat Kelsey emphasised the team’s commitment, despite the fact that the institution is expected to receive its first NCAA Tournament berth in six years. “We never, ever, ever talk about that,” Kelsey explained. “I say it all the time: Our sole focus is the most important thing in the history of our program, which is the next thing we do.” Chucky Hepburn scored 16 points, six assists, and three steals in Sunday’s victory over Notre Dame. The Wisconsin transfer leads the ACC with 59 steals and is second in assists with 6.2 per game. He also leads the club in scoring (15.0 points per game), followed by Terrence Edwards Jr. (14.8), Reyne Smith (14.3), and J’Vonne Hadley (12.4). Smith, who leads all major-conference players with 100 three-pointers, scored 27 points at Florida State (16-10, 7-8). Leonard Hamilton, the Seminoles’ coach, feels the Cardinals have improved since they last played. Following his team’s 74-66 victory against Miami on Wednesday, he told reporters that he believes Louisville would be a challenging opponent in the NCAA Tournament. “It (Saturday’s game) really gives us an opportunity to go play against one of the better teams in the country, and we got to do everything we can to take advantage of that opportunity,” Hamilton told ESPN. Getting Malique Ewin to repeat his performance against the Hurricanes will boost the Seminoles’ prospects. The sophomore made all ten of his shots and scored a career-high 24 points in Wednesday’s triumph. The sophomore forward leads the league in field goal percentage (58.1), and his 14.2-point scoring average ranks second on the team behind Jamir Watkins’ 17.9 points per game. Watkins scored 25 points against Louisville in December, but the Seminoles were unable to overcome the Cardinals’ 15-for-29 shooting from three. The 15 are the most they’ve given up this season, and Louisville is the only team to shoot better than 50 percent from outside the arc against the Seminoles. Hamilton has declared that he would resign at the conclusion of the season, thus Saturday’s game is likely to be his last in Kentucky. This is significant since the 76-year-old Hamilton joined Joe B. Hall’s team as an assistant with the Kentucky Wildcats in 1974 and remained there until 1986, when he accepted his first head coaching position at Oklahoma State. Hamilton had served as head coach at Miami and the NBA’s Washington Wizards before taking over the Florida State program in 2002. –Field Level Media.

Pat Kelsey destroys honours lists by snubbing Chucky Hepburn… Pat Kelsey comments to Chucky Hepburn’s absence from point guard award lists. ‘They got it wrong

The midseason award watch lists do not include Chucky Hepburn, a point guard for Louisville.

As the Cardinals’ leading scorer, he is an important element of Louisville’s 19-6 start to the season. He recently had 15 points and six assists in a 91-66 road win over NC State. Following the game, UL head coach Pat Kelsey chastised the list-makers for overlooking his star point guard.

“I wouldn’t trade him for any point guard in the country,” Kelly added. “And you know some of the contenders for point guard of the year, the Bob Cousy Award, whatever it is, and he wasn’t one of them. They got it wrong. I guarantee you that.

“Most of the time, you have no influence over those situations. You can’t do anything about it. All you can do is play, lead your team, and continue to win, which he does. He’s a professional every day. He’s a straight-up winner and a star on both ends of the court.”

Hepburn is averaging 15.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists for the Cardinals this season. These are career-high numbers for Hepburn, who spent his first three years of college at Wisconsin.

This season, he has scored in double digits 19 times. The Cardinals are 3-2 in games when he has held opponents under 10 points, with losses to Tennessee and Duke, both of which are presently ranked in the top 10. Hepburn has scored 20+ points four times this season, including a 32-point explosion in an overtime victory over West Virginia in November.

“I knew he was going to be really good, but I didn’t know he was going to be this good,” Kelsey said. “He’s exceptional. So, he should be at the top of any ranking of the country’s finest point guards.

“Chucky is not the sort of guy who lives only for plaudits, personal attention, and trophies. He’s more proud of wins and championships, and he’s guiding this team to a successful season, which hopefully will continue as we approach March Madness.”

Hepburn’s next game for Kelsey’s Cardinals is against Notre Dame in an ACC away game on Sunday night. Tip-off is planned for 8 p.m. ET, with live coverage on the ACC Network.

BOZICH | Pat Kelsey is the front-runner for national coach of the year; who are the other contenders?

Louisville, Kentucky (WDRB) The Associated Press men’s national college basketball coach of the year plaque is the most unusual accolade in the sport.

Let me prove it to you.

Keno Davis has received one AP Coach of the Year award.

Rick Pitino has none.

Frank Haith has received one AP Coach of the Year award.

Denny Crum had none.

Matt Doherty has received one AP Coach of the Year award.

Mike Krzyzewski earned nothing.

Is the point made?

Good. Because as we approach the middle of February, it is awards season in college basketball. College basketball, like many other sports, based many of its accolades on how a team, coach, or player does throughout the regular season.

Many awards finish their voting periods before the NCAA Tournament begins. For more information, see the records of Keno Davis (2008, Drake), Frank Haith (2012, Missouri), and Matt Doherty (2001, North Carolina).

How can Crum, Pitino, and Coach K be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame but not on the list of AP National Coach of the Year winners?

My guess: Voters favor coaches whose teams won more games than projected. The individual who goes above and beyond expectations is frequently chosen.

That being said, who are the men outperforming expectations this winter and positioned themselves to win the AP award?

By my calculation, there are seven contenders, lead by Louisville coach Pat Kelsey. I’ll rank them based on how much improvement they made at their school throughout the previous season.

Plus-7

Georgetown’s Ed Cooley, who left Providence, has led the Hoyas to a 15-9 record after starting 8-16 the previous season.

The Hoyas finished tenth in the Big East last season. They are presently sixth with victories against Creighton and Villanova. That isn’t Coach of the Year material, but Cooley has been an improvement over Patrick Ewing.

Darian DeVries, West Virginia: Following Bob Huggins’ sudden departure last season, the Mountaineers were a total wreck. But DeVries has constructed a Top 20 defense while defeating Gonzaga, Arizona, Kansas, and Iowa State. After going 8-16 in their first 24 games last season, the Mountaineers are now 15-9.

He’ll need a strong finish to win national coach of the year, but DeVries is a viable choice for the Big 12’s top coach.

Rick Pitino, St. John’s:Surprised to see this name? Do not be. Pitino is already on track to become the first coach to lead six different teams to the NCAA Tournament. With a strong finish (such as winning the Big East regular season championship), he might earn his first AP national coach of the year honor.

A year earlier, the Red Storm were 14-11 after 25 games. This Pitino club is 21-4, with four losses by three points or fewer. The Red Storm are ranked second in the country for defensive efficiency. Pitino does not have a terrific three-point shooting squad, hence the Red Storm rank 80th in offensive efficiency.

But, with his return to the top of the collegiate game following his stop at Iona, Pitino is a legitimate national story and a top coach of the year candidate.

Plus-10

Dennis Gates, Missouri: After winning 25 games in his first season, Gates was considered a coach of the year candidate. Last year, his Tigers finished 0-18 in the SEC. Ooof.

Their 18-6 record is a significant improvement from their 8-16 start last season. He has wins against Kansas, Florida, Arkansas, and both Mississippi schools. The Tigers are sixth in the SEC, which means the following three people on the list have superior credentials.

According to Vanderbilt’s Mark Byington, the Commodores haven’t had a winning team since the 2012 SEC Tournament in New Orleans, led by Jeff Taylor, John Jenkins, and Festus Ezeli.

At the same point last season, Jerry Stackhouse had Vandy 7-17 overall and 2-9 in the league. Byington, a former James Madison coach, has won 17 of 24 games, including thrilling victories against Tennessee and Kentucky.

He has work to do to be considered for national coach of the year, and the competition in the SEC will be intense. But Byington has made a strong first impression in Nashville.

Plus-11

Dusty May of Michigan:Consider this a reminder of how severely the Wolverines struggled last season before dismissing Juwan Howard. Michigan finished 8-16 overall, with a 3-10 record in the Big Ten. Michigan fell against Long Beach State, McNeese State, Minnesota, and Penn State.

Check the Big Ten standings. The Wolverines (19-5, 11-2) hold a half-game lead over Purdue and a full game over Michigan State. May’s squad is ranked in the top 25 nationally for offensive and defensive efficiency. They will take their 5-game winning run to Ohio State on Sunday.

Dusty May is the Big Ten coach of the year and a top contender for the national award. I won’t even address the Indiana chitchat.

Pat Kelsey, Louisville: At this stage last season, the Cardinals had won their final game. They finished 8-17 overall, 3-11 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Cardinals can win their 20th game on Sunday night against Notre Dame. With a 12-2 record, the Cards are tied for second place in the ACC with Clemson and possess the tiebreaker.

Kelsey has done everything wonderfully, from roster construction to motivation, strategy, game day preparation, and fan engagement, propelling Louisville from dismal to scary national significance.

He leads the ACC coach of the year competition and is my selection for national coach of the year.