Three Reasons Louisville basketball could be final four bound in 2020

Overall Depth and Versatility

The most exciting thing for Louisville fans going into next season should be the potential for versatile, exciting line-ups for the Cards.

Louisville brings in some stud freshmen who will push the veterans for time on the floor. It’s this mixture of freshman talent and veteran leadership that will give the Cards depth and flexibility that they need to withstand a brutal ACC and always challenging NCAA tournament.

The Cards’s position battles will be fun to watch leading up to the start of the season and throughout the year.

The biggest name over the last few months in this class has been Samuell Williamson- a 6’7″ guard/wing who is a certified bucket-getter. He had an impressive showing in the McDonald’s All American game, where he scored an efficient 11 points, and also earned a ton of respect from his peers.

When asked who the most underrated player in the class was, his contemporaries all seemed to agree that he was a sleeping giant.

If the Cards want to make a final four run, they have to be more than Jordan Nwora. If the would-be Junior returns and he is flanked by another scorer like Williamson, that could be a dangerous combination. Too many times in 2019, Louisville struggled to win close games because the opponent too Nwora out of the game and forced someone else to go to work. With another do-it-all versatile scorer, Louisville would be able to take things to the next level.

Williamson’s recent play may be overshadowing the biggest star to ever commit to the Cards in incoming freshman Aiden Igiehon. The “Irish Hulk” brings a Montrezl Harrell-like presence to the Louisville front court that they simply didn’t have. Not only that, but he has a certain star power quality to him, being the biggest name to ever come out of Ireland. He already has a huge following that will only grow as he plays for the Cards.

Igiehon does a lot of things many hoped that Enoch would bring to the table this season. He is a tenacious scorer and rebounder, and the type of guy who brings a toughness and an all-hustle team mentality. He will add more depth and give the Cards more options, and is likely to compete for a starting spot at the center or power forward position.

Aside from Williamson, it will be interesting to see how the guard positions play out with incoming combo guards David Johnson and Josh Nickelberry competing for time against Darius Perry, Ryan McMahon, and a potential graduate transfer.

Johnson showed that he has leadership qualities and possesses some serious potential at the point guard spot as he led Louisville Trinity to the state title this season. He was an unstoppable force in a state tournament where 90% of those playing against him and watching him wanted to see him fail.

Nickelberry cemented his name in Louisville lore as the first player to commit for coach Mack and helped recruit the rest of the 2019 class. Nickelberry was known as a lights-out shooter during his early high school years, but he has rounded out his game nicely since a shooting slump pushed him down across the board in the recruiting rankings.

Most recently, Nickelberry was named the East MVP of the Big Baller Brand All-Star game that featured tons of top 50 talent.

Johnson and Nickelberry bring an interesting dynamic to Louisville’s back court, in that they are longer and more athletic than their veteran counterparts Perry and McMahon. It will be fun to see how Chris Mack decides to use his new weapons and guard, and who will cement their name as the starting point guard, filling some big shoes of the departing Christen Cunningham.

However the position battles play out, there will be multiple elite-level players at each position in Mack’s second year. Competing against each other in practice every day and helping each other grow will ultimately work wonders for this Cards team. The depth and varying skillsets of each player will make Louisville next to impossible to prepare for, and a nightmare in a system predicated on rebounding and hustle plays.