By Matthew Mueller

Card fans are again looking at another loss, this time coming from — of all teams — Boston College (10-11, 4-6 ACC). 

Same Story, Different Book

Despite having high hopes that they could pull off a win in their next four road games, the Louisville Cardinals (2-19, 0-10 ACC) fell to the Eagles 65 – 75,. 

El Elis still proves to be a strong carrier for Lousiville, leading the game with 17 points. He is still a proven shooter making 63% of his field goals and going 3 – 5 beyond the 3-point line. Ellis also led the game in assists, dishing out 5,  yet giving up three turnovers as well. 

Senior, Jae’lyn Withers continues to be a beam of support for the team too, scoring 7 defensive rebounds and scoring 16 points, going 2 – 4 from 3 and 6 – 12 from the field. 

Freshman, Mike James continues to show improvement this season, contributing 15 points.

Louisville looked better during the first half, ending with a 6-point lead. It felt like they had a bit more energy and fire going on internally as well. 

But here comes the fall

This doesn’t mean they fully eliminated their problems. This season turnovers continue to be a huge problem for the team. 

At the end of the first half the team had 9 turnovers, increasing to 19 as the second half started. It still feels like the team relies on Ellis and Withers to do it all, whether it be the facilitators, scorers, or general team leaders. 

You can make this list as long as you like honestly, but we were due to see changes long ago.

Head Coach Kenny Payne talked again in his post-game press conference about “the elephant in the room”– turnovers — and how it’s understandably hard to win basketball games when you turn the ball over 19 times in a game.

Boston College capitalized, producing 18 points; undoubtedly a big difference maker in the final score.

A change on the horizon

Louisville recently added Emmanuel Okorafor, a prospect from NBA Africa Academy, mid-season.

The big man that is likely to shake things up, he sees Louisville as a stepping stone into the NBA and has the drive and skill to help the team get a win. While he didn’t play in Boston, he’ll likely see minutes on the road at Notre Dame 

Can they pull out a win?

The Cards head to South Bend, Ind. to battle with Notre Dame (10-12, 2-9 ACC)on Saturday, January 28th to continue their road trip. After this, Louisville takes on Georgia Tech and Florida State at home.

If the Cards are going to have any chance to beat anyone and end this losing streak, it’s likely down to one of these three matchups. 

If we don’t see a win from one of those three, Cards fans might be left wishing for the end of the season (if they aren’t already).

Photo Courtesy // Matthew Mueller, The Louisville Cardinal //