Louisville basketball is set to take on Michigan State tomorrow afternoon in the round of 32. The Cardinals won their first NCAA Tournament game since 2017 and will now try to earn their first round-of-32 win and be in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2015.
Ryan Conwell's postgame Pat Kelsey comments show why he's bound to win big at Louisville
The Cardinals open as 4.5-point underdogs to the Spartans, but ESPN BPI gives Louisville a slight edge, with a 51 percent chance of winning. With Mikel Brown Jr. out for his second straight NCAA Tournament game, and sixth overall game, the Cardinals will have to play some of their best basketball to earn a huge win in late March.
So, with it win or go home, here are two Louisville Cardinals stocks rising, two that are falling ahead of the Michigan State showdown.
Falling: Aly Khalifa, F
Louisville fans didn’t see much of Aly Khalifa yesterday, and that trend might continue. The Cardinals saw big-time minutes from Sananda Fru, especially late in the game. With Louisville likely to play a physical game tomorrow, it appears Khalifa might see under 10 minutes for the second straight game.
Khalifa played just six minutes in the opening-round matchup against USF and committed two fouls in those six minutes, suggesting his defense might keep him off the floor. Louisville will need Fru to play like he did yesterday, when he came off the bench and played 25 minutes, scoring 10 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, blocking 2 shots, and stealing 1 ball.
With Fru on the rise, Khalifa's minutes are likely to continue to decline. The center has the ability to shoot from downtown and can make incredible passes, but Louisville needs all the help it can get on defense, and Khalifa just isn’t known for his ability to get a stop.