Louisville point guard Quentin Snider will be sidelined 2-3 weeks with a strained hip flexor, the school announced Monday. Snider suffered the injury in the second half of Louisville's victory against Duke on Saturday, but played through the discomfort and finished the game.
Ranked No. 12 in this week's AP poll, Louisville's success has been primarily on defense. Rick Pitino's team boasts the second most efficient defense in the country according to KenPom, giving up 86 points per 100 possessions. Through five games in ACC play, the Cardinals are allowing 67.4 points per game. It has been a huge reason why Louisville has found success in league play (3-2).
Without Snider, the defense might slip a bit. He plays more than 30 minutes per contest, so it's not reasonable to think it wouldn't. But it's on the offensive end that raises some concerns for the team in Snider's absence.
For as good as Louisville is defensively, the offense has been on the opposite end of the spectrum. It ranks 51st in terms of total efficiency (12th in the ACC), and scores 75.8 points per game -- a mark that ranks 124th nationally.
That's why Snider being sidelined could be a major blow to the team during the next several weeks. He not only averages 12.1 points and leads the team in assists at four per game, but he's arguably the team's most invaluable offense weapon, responsible for a chunk of the production on offense. When he's not scoring, he's setting his fellow teammates up for buckets.
He was on a hot streak, too, averaging 15.7 points and six assists during the past three games.
In his absence, shooting guard Donovan Mitchell will likely absorb an even larger role on offense. The team's leading scorer at 13.6 points per game will need to shoulder a larger workload to keep the team pumping as it maneuvers a difficult schedule, that has Louisville visiting Florida State, Pitt, Boston College and Virginia in its next six games.
Louisville's first game without Snider will be a home game against Clemson on Thursday.
