College Basketball

Louisville Basketball vs. Texas Southern: 3 Encouraging Stats In The Cards' Win

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 2:21 p.m. ET

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We take a look at three encouraging stats from Louisville basketball’s 31 point win over Texas Southern on Saturday afternoon.

It sure did feel good to have the Louisville basketball team playing on a Saturday afternoon. Football has gotten all of us into a habit of waiting to see Lamar Jackson score five touchdowns each week, but at least we only have to wait a few more weeks for that to happen again.

The Cardinals were able to beat the Tigers 102-71 on Saturday. It was extremely encouraging to see that this basketball team could put up 100 points, much less 102.

With that being said, let’s take a look three encouraging stats from the game:

Dec 10, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Texas Southern Tigers guard Demontrae Jefferson (3) scrambles for a loose ball with Louisville Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the first half at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

3. All Five Starters Ended The Game With Double-Figures

For a team that had been struggling shooting the basketball, they sure didn’t look like it phased them against Texas Southern on Saturday. Every starter for the Cardinals ended up with at least ten points, which is a big reason why they were able to win by 31 points.

This is exactly the type of performance that we have been waiting to see from these guys. Now, we have to remind ourselves that it was just Texas Southern, but at least we know that they are capable of shooting well.

Let’s hope some of this hot shooting can continue later in the month.

Dec 7, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals forward Mangok Mathiang (12) talks with Louisville Cardinals forward V.J. King (0) on the bench during the second half against the Southern Illinois Salukis at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville defeated Southern Illinois 74-51. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

2. VJ King Finished With 13 Points

The McDonalds All-American came in and played great on Saturday. It has been extremely frustrating to watch him sitting on the bench at times this year, but we have to trust in head coach Rick Pitino. At the end of the day, he knows what’s best for his players, not us.

With that being said, V.J. King had an all-around great game against Texas Southern. He was 5-8 from the field and made his only three-point attempt of the afternoon.

As he continues to grow, I strongly believe that this team will get better. This kid’s upside is just ridiculous and I cannot wait to see what he has in store for us during ACC play this season.

All I know is that more 13 point performances like this will get him more minutes, guaranteed.

Dec 10, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals forward Deng Adel (22) scrambles for a loose ball with Texas Southern Tigers guard Zach Lofton (2) during the first half at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

1. All Five Starters Had At Least Five Rebounds

I was very impressed with the hustle and effort from the starters against Texas Southern. Each player had at least five rebounds, which gave them more opportunities to score after a missed shot. It’s performances like this that should have us excited.

It’s not like these guys don’t have the talent to be very good, they just haven’t played to their potential yet.

They were only able to out-rebound the Tigers by two, but it took a collective group effort to even pull that off.

The Cardinals had to scratch and claw, but they picked up a well-earned win against the team from the south.

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