Why Louisville basketball’s next opponent is its toughest challenge yet
Louisville basketball enters its next game searching for answers that they will have to solve on the fly against brutally tough Florida State.
So, you lost to your arch-rival in heartbreaking fashion in a pretty draining overtime game. What’s up next? For Louisville basketball, it’s a familiar challenge in conference foe Florida State.
Though much of the emphasis locally is going to be placed on the Cards’ inability to close out the big game in December, Louisville head coach Chris Mack knows that his next opponent is one of the toughest tests yet in a game with even more implications.
After starting 2-0 in conference play and boasting one of the deepest rosters in a down ACC, this is Louisville basketball’s year to dethrone North Carolina, Duke, and Virginia en route to their first conference title.
However, the Cardinals are likely to be locked in on their next opponent when the Seminoles visit the KFC Yum! Center on Saturday.
You don’t have to have paid super close attention to FSU basketball to know what you’re going to get from a Leonard Hamilton- coached squad. Florida State is massive. They are long, athletic, and solid on both ends of the floor.
Historically, Mack has not fared well against the veteran Hamilton.
In 2018, Mack guided his best team ever to a No. one seed in the NCAA tournament but was quickly upset in only the second round by 9th seeded FSU.
Last season, Mack’s first in Louisville, saw the Cardinals blow a comfortable lead in the waning seconds, leading to an overtime victory for the Noles.
Hamilton is a great recruiter. He finds some of the biggest, most versatile athletes in the ACC year in and year out, and over the course of their time in Tallahassee, they are molded into freakishly long defensive stoppers and violent, mismatch nightmare slashers on the offensive end.
Think Kentucky was a tough out for the Cards when they had the ball in their hands? Consider how dominant Florida State’s defensive numbers are.
Almost a quarter of the time, FSU forces you to turn it over, and another large chunk of offensive sets for opponents turn into empty possessions.
The Seminoles average 9.7 steals and 5.6 blocks per game- More than double what the Cardinals average in both categories.
Louisville is 5th in KenPom’s Adjusted Defense statistic, but Florida State is not far behind at 16th.
This seems indicative of what makes teams like Kentucky and FSU so hard to prepare for: great individual plays.
Sometimes it’s easier to game-plan for a Louisville or Virginia as an opponent because, for the most part, you know what you’re going to get on defense. Players like Fresh Kimble, Ryan McMahon, Virginia’s Kyle Guy, et cetera, are limited athletically and size-wise. You can exploit individual weaknesses that way. Those players are savvy veterans who have perfected their craft and know their place in the defense.
On the other hand, you have the Ashton Hagans’ and Tyrese Maxey’s, as well as (Florida State guards) Devin Vassell’s and Trent Forrest’s of college basketball. Those players who are gifted enough physically and athletically that they can overcome mental lapses, take risks, play off of you more as a shooter or shade to one side because of their superior physical state.
Florida State is going to bring that type of challenge to the table for the Cardinals.
Louisville is experienced at guard between McMahon, Kimble, and junior Darius Perry, but those three players barely average six feet in height.
Forwards Jordan Nwora and Dwayne Sutton are likely to be challenged similarly to last year’s match-up and will have to find ways to use their athleticism, experience and aggressiveness against the Seminoles.
Additionally, Louisville bigs Steven Enoch and Malik Williams bring a unique skillset and one-two punch to the table on both ends of the floor, but they will be forced to match up with two seven-footers in FSU centers Balsa Koprivica and Dominik Olejniczak.
The Cardinals have the upper hand in overall depth, experience, and versatility. However, they will have to shake off the rust Saturday in order to secure a victory.
Next. Kimble can bring a 'different dimension' for the Cards. dark
Louisville is amid an odd lull in the schedule. They are playing two games in 17 days after going a month straight playing two games a week. The opponents they are forced to prepare for make things even more nerve-wracking.
A win against Florida State would serve them well in trying to get the ball rolling towards a hot streak in conference play. But it all starts with overcoming that Florida State defense.
Mack had major victories in his grasp his first two times against Hamilton. Now, it’s time to seal the deal.