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Louisville basketball aims to stay perfect as Michigan comes to town

By Tristan Beckmann

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - NOVEMBER 20: Dwayne Sutton #24 of the Louisville Cardinals celebrates during the game against the USC Upstate Spartans at KFC YUM! Center on November 20, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - NOVEMBER 20: Dwayne Sutton #24 of the Louisville Cardinals celebrates during the game against the USC Upstate Spartans at KFC YUM! Center on November 20, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – NOVEMBER 24: Samuell Williamson #10 of the Louisville Cardinals brings the ball up the court in the game against the Akron Zips during the second half at KFC YUM! Center on November 24, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – NOVEMBER 24: Samuell Williamson #10 of the Louisville Cardinals brings the ball up the court in the game against the Akron Zips during the second half at KFC YUM! Center on November 24, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Players To Watch:

Dwayne Sutton, F – Louisville

Michigan will definitely be forming a game plan to try to take away some of the scoring opportunities for Jordan Nwora. Therefore, Dwayne Sutton will need to be a great second option for the Cards. He’s known for his tenacious defense, effort, and rebounding ability, but the local star will need to score the basketball similar to how he did in some games of ACC play last year. The veteran senior will be relied on for scoring while the Wolverines focus on Nwora, and hopefully, that opens up easier opportunities for him.

The DuPont Manual product started the Western Kentucky game firing on all cylinders, and he has been really efficient to start the season. He’s averaging over 11 points and 8 rebounds while hitting 71.8 percent of his field-goal attempts. Sutton is also connecting on 53.3 percent of his three-point attempts. If he can score near the 20 point mark at an efficient rate against Michigan, Chris Mack would have to be feeling good about his chances at another Louisville victory.

Isaiah Livers, F – Michigan

The leading scorer for Juwan Howard’s first Michigan team, Isaiah Livers has been a brilliant player so far this season. He plays the most minutes on the team, and he deserves all of them. He has boosted his scoring average from 7.9 as a sophomore to 17 as a junior right now. The Kalamazoo native has been one of the main guys who’s helped the Wolverines replace Jordan Poole, Ignas Brazdeikis, and Charles Matthews.

Livers is one of the best three-point shooters in all of college basketball and Louisville cannot afford to give him open looks from beyond the arc. He’s hitting about 3 three-pointers per game and is connecting on 51.2 percent of his attempts from deep. Gonzaga knows far too much about his scoring abilities, as he lit up the Zags for 21 points on 8 for 11 shooting in the Battle 4 Atlantis title game. Chris Mack is going to form a gameplan that hopes to slow down Livers, and hopefully, it succeeds.

Samuell Williamson, F – Louisville 

Cards fans (including myself) may have placed unrealistic expectations on Samuell Williamson after he made a stellar debut against Bellarmine. The McDonald’s All-American hasn’t been necessarily disappointing, but he’s looked rough in the past few games. There’s no better time to turn it around than against Michigan in this primetime battle. His minutes have gradually decreased as the Cards have gotten healthier, and he’s 3 for 8 in the last three games.

The Cards could benefit from Williamson shooting the three-pointer at a more effective rate, as he’s only hit one of eight three-point attempts this season. Williamson still continues to be an effective rebounder and defender while he’s on the court, but he’s got the potential to be a great scorer. He would surely love to break out against a top-five opponent, and it would definitely be nice in terms of helping take the load off Jordan Nwora.

Jon Teske, C – Michigan

The MVP of the Battle 4 Atlantis, Jon Teske is a freak of nature and is one of the Wolverine best players. He’s a veteran center, having started all 37 games for the team last season, and he’s a great leader. He can score in the paint, from the midrange, and he’s capable of stepping back and knocking down the three-pointer. He dominated against Gonzaga in the Battle 4 Atlantis title game, scoring 19 points and pulling down 15 rebounds. Teske is one of the best all-around centers in the nation, combining distinct offensive ability with a tremendous defensive presence due to his size and strength.

He led the Big Ten in shots blocked last season, and he’s third in the conference right now. He has upped his steals average by 0.9 this season, as he’s averaging 1.6 steals per game. At 7-1 and 260 pounds, Teske cannot be matched by many players in college hoops. Despite being a bit shorter, Steven Enoch should be able to compete with him down low. Once again, Enoch will have his hands full with this matchup but it’ll be an incredibly fun one to watch. The Cards will need to prevent Teske from getting easy looks inside, and he will make it a long night if they can’t.

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