Rising: Ryan Conwell, G
Since Mikel Brown Jr. went out for the second time, Ryan Conwell has really taken it to the next level, especially in the postseason. Brown has missed the last five games, and in those games, Conwell is averaging 20.6 points while shooting 41 percent from the field and making nearly 3 3-pointers per game.
Conwell scored 18 points with six assists and four rebounds in yesterday’s win, and while he has to clean up his turnovers, he continues to be the engine of this team when Brown isn’t on the floor. His ability to create his own shots frees up players like Isaac McKneely, and yesterday, Louisville fans saw how lethal McKneely can be when he gets hot.
If Louisville wants to beat Michigan State, Conwell is going to be a big reason, and yesterday the shooting guard showed it by drawing a lot of attention on defense, freeing up players on the outside. Louisville will need Conwell to clean up the turnovers, but outside of that, the shooting guard has been a huge boost on the offensive end since Brown went down.