Two teams hoping to halt extended losing streaks collide Saturday when Louisville hosts Clemson in an Atlantic Coast Conference game.
The Cardinals (11-14, 5-10 ACC) has lost seven straight games, while Clemson (12-14, 4-11) has dropped five in a row.
Despite the losses, interim Louisville coach Mike Pegues says he hasn’t found it difficult to maintain a positive approach.
“It hasn’t been incredibly hard given our kids’ effort,” Pegues said. “Their willingness to work and get after it and not quit has helped me remain positive.”
Pegues sees a talented team in Clemson, despite the Tigers having lost nine of their past 11 games. Clemson has lost five games this season by three points or fewer, including an 81-80 decision at Florida State on Tuesday.
“I see a team that their record doesn’t indicate how talented they are,” Pegues said. “They are a really good team and I think the world of Coach (Brad) Brownell.”
With five regular-season games remaining (and the ACC Tournament) Clemson is in danger of its first losing season in 10 years and just the second in Brownell’s 12 years at Clemson. He is getting plenty of production from sophomore forward P.J. Hall, but inconsistent play from his guards.
“They’re just not playing as well as they would like or I would like,” Brownell said. “They’re working hard, there’s great effort, but we’re not making enough shots from the perimeter and that’s problematic for us.”
Pegues is obviously concerned about containing Hall, who has blossomed in his sophomore season. Hall scored a career-high 28 points at Florida State on Tuesday and averages a team-best 16.0. He is averaging 22 over Clemson’s last four games, having had to look to score more following the loss of Hunter Tyson to a broken collarbone on Feb. 2.
“P.J. Hall is an animal,” Pegues said. “He’s one of the best bigs in the league by far. “They’re a really good team, even without Hunter Tyson, who I know was a big-time contributor for them. They’re going to be tough to beat and it starts with us containing P.J. Hall and not allowing him easy baskets around the rim.”
Louisville would need to win four of its last five games to enter the ACC Tournament with a .500 record. The Cardinals have finished win a winning record every year since Denny Crum’s last season in 2000-01.
–Field Level Media
