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College basketball Week 7: 5 biggest takeaways

By Chris Stone

Dec 21, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Quentin Snider (4) looks to pass against Kentucky Wildcats guard De
Dec 21, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Quentin Snider (4) looks to pass against Kentucky Wildcats guard De /
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Here’s your weekly look at what we took away from the last seven days of college hoops.

The week before Christmas featured a decent amount of college basketball action, including a top 10 tilt between Louisville and Kentucky in the Bluegrass State. As you stuff your face with leftovers from the holiday dinner, here’s what we learned from that game and more.

When you talk title contenders, don’t forget Louisville

The biggest game on the college basketball landscape last week was 2016’s iteration of the Battle for the Bluegrass, the yearly meeting between Louisville and Kentucky to decide who walks away with bragging rights in the state. For the Wildcats, it was another opportunity to bolster their title credentials on a national stage. For the Cardinals, it was a chance to prove they belonged.

Sure, Louisville had a home win over Purdue under its belt and was a three point loss to Baylor away from being undefeated, but the Cardinals had yet to face a team as highly regarded as Kentucky. Behind 22 points from Quentin Snider and a solid defensive performance, Louisville put the country on notice.

Head coach Rick Pitino’s squad is build to win a bit differently then the high-powered, up-tempo offenses of schools like Kentucky, Duke and UCLA. The Cardinals offense ranks 37th nationally in terms of adjusted efficiency, but their calling card is on the other end of the floor. Pitino continues to roll out an amorphous zone with plenty of length to disrupt passing lanes and protect the paint. Like past years, it’s been a successful strategy. Louisville currently has the best defense in the country, giving up a pace-adjusted 85.8 points per 100 possessions. The last time the Cardinals ranked first in adjusted defensive efficiency? 2013, when they won the national title.