Louisville basketball: 3 locks and 3 bold predictions vs. Wake Forest
By Jacob Lane
Bold prediction: Louisville forces the most turnovers it has all season
If there’s one area where this Louisville basketball team lacks defensively, it has to be in its ability to turn teams over.
Often times the focal point of the season has been letting lesser teams hang around, and part of this is due to turnover margin- a stat where Louisville ranks 267th in DI. That’s not ideal.
However, if there’s a time to get that area turned around, its against this Wake Forest squad. There are very few teams in the country worse about turning the ball over than the Deacs.
On only two occasions has Wake not turned the ball over more than ten times- at Clemson and at Arizona (both games still resulted in losses, however).
On the other hand, Louisville seems to be turning a corner on the defensive end by forcing turnovers and trying to lead said turnovers to run-outs and extra possessions. Against Duke and Georgia Tech, the Cardinals forced 16 turnovers apiece and they have continued applying defensive pressure since those season-highs.
As solid as Wake was on defense in their last game at home against Clemson, they continued to be a wreck offensively, dishing out 12 assists to match their 12 turnovers committed.
If there has been one constant complaint among the Demon Deacon fanbase throughout the Danny Manning era, it has been their lackadaisical passing and poor ball-handling. If Louisville crashes down on defenders in the lane as they have been, it could be a field day for players like Darius Perry, Jordan Nwora, and David Johnson.