According to Homer — Homer the Scribe, not Homer Simpson — Thetis dipped her son as a babe into the River Styx. Which was meant to impart invulnerability, or so I surmise.

Which worked, more or less, because that son Achilles was a hero of the Trojan War.

And was considered to be invulnerable.

Except for that heel, where he was held and didn’t get dipped.

Thus in perpetuity the dude has a body part named for him. Which is cool.

Which morphed into vernacular, Achilles heel.

Meaning a flaw. Or flaws.

The Louisville Cardinals are facing a seriously daunting course as they take the turn down the home stretch.

Though home stretch is a misnomer. Since North Carolina, Clemson and surging Miami which almost blindsided UVa Saturday, are all on the road. Sandwiching a Tuesday night 9:00 o’clocker against Syracuse.

A 1-3 finish for the Cardinals — especially the way they played Saturday — is more than a distinct possibility.

Which is why I viewed Saturday’s purported walkover against hapless Georgia Tech, loser of 11 of 12 coming in, with a critical eye.

Looking for Achilles heel(s), was I.

And, bright spots, of course.

 * * * * *

87-70 was the seriously disappointing final.

One of the Cardinals’ glaring flaws of late is defense.

Which was apparent from the start against a truly not good basketball team.

The Cardinals scored on their first five possessions. And again after a lone fallow time with the ball.

Yet Georgia Tech answered with a score of their own the first quartet of times it had the ball. Five of their initial six.

After a horrid defensive effort against SMU, U of L showed no more tenacity early on against Tech.

I kept thinking of Denny’s Dictum in such situations: “You’ve got to have a healthy respect for your opponent.”

Louisville’s haphazard focus as the critical portion of the schedule draws nigh indicated otherwise.

Soon after, Louisville matched a GT 0/6 5:19 scoreless stretch, with an 0/5 scoreless skein of their own.

Before the Cardinals ran off five in a row to end the 1st, they’d been outscored 12 nil over three plus minutes.

Ryan Conwell handled the orange like it was a baked potato he didn’t realize was right out of the oven.

He wasn’t alone. Louisville coughed it up ten times in the opening half.

Tech had two more assists than U of L in the first twenty.

 * * * * *

The second half looked disturbingly similar to the 1st.

Louisville stretched its lead to an acceptable measure.

Then they were blitzed for a dozen Tech points in a row in less than three minutes.

The Cardinals were never near losing the game.

But, oh my, did they sloppify the proceedings.

Eighteen turnovers, many unforced, topped the visitors’ 17

Outscored in the paint, 24-40. The visitors had 17 second chance point. U of L only 9.

Against a smallish GT, the Cards had but a single more RB. Sanada Fru was a no show. And soft.

Kasean Pryor was again an impediment. The only Cardinal with a negative +/- at -10.

My favorite Cardinal of the afternoon: Isaac McKneely. As slow and unsure footed as he is, he still busts his hump as best he can on D. He went 4/4,3/3 long balls and 3/3 at the stripe.

Of course, J’Vonne Hadley showed up.

17 points. A team leading 5 rebounds. 3 assists. A couple steals.

Nine Cardinals hit a triple. Including Spencer Legg.

The Cardinals were boffo at the line. 19/20. Tech wasn’t chopped liver at 11/12. The game’s first errant charity toss didn’t come until 6:24 was left on the clock.

Louisville garnered its 20th victory of the season.

But after the buzzer, there are more questions than answers.

— c d kaplan