Big Red Louie
Fansided

Louisville basketball: 4 bold predictions vs. Virginia Tech

By Jacob Lane

LOUISVILLE, KY - JANUARY 25: Steven Enoch #23, Jordan Nwora #33, Darius Perry #2 and Dwayne Sutton #24 of the Louisville Cardinals take the floor in the second half of a game against the Clemson Tigers at KFC YUM! Center on January 25, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville defeated Clemson 80-62. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY - JANUARY 25: Steven Enoch #23, Jordan Nwora #33, Darius Perry #2 and Dwayne Sutton #24 of the Louisville Cardinals take the floor in the second half of a game against the Clemson Tigers at KFC YUM! Center on January 25, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville defeated Clemson 80-62. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – FEBRUARY 08: Steven Enoch #23 of the Louisville Cardinals waves to the crowd after the game against the Virginia Cavaliers at KFC YUM! Center on February 08, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – FEBRUARY 08: Steven Enoch #23 of the Louisville Cardinals waves to the crowd after the game against the Virginia Cavaliers at KFC YUM! Center on February 08, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images) /

Steve balls on the little fellas

Jacob Ritchie: Steven Enoch goes for his fifth double-double of the season

Steven Enoch predictions seem to be trendy.

This one might seem unlikely on the surface, as Malik Williams has asserted himself as Louisville’s starting big, but with the junior likely unable to go on Sunday due to injury, get ready to see a lot of Enoch.

On the season, Enoch has four double-doubles, and they were all early on in the season, save for the game in January against Miami. It gets tricky trying to predict individual games, let alone an entire team, but the eye test shows that Steven has enjoyed the most success when playing against smaller rosters.

Makes sense right? Virginia Tech’s lone big is  6’10 freshman forward John Ojiako, who posts one of the worst defensive ratings on the team at 112. This is exacerbated by the fact that the rest of the roster does not see anyone register above 6’8. Enoch’s advanced offensive rating number? You bet, 112.

Enoch has had his minutes reduced in a big way, registering his first 20-minute game in the last 6 against FSU, where he only scored 6 points and had a paltry 3 rebounds. If you can match Enoch for size, he struggles, but he has enough post moves in his arsenal to really take advantage of smaller opponents. Such as his 23 and seven rebound game against Eastern Kentucky when he shot 90% from the floor, he has that ability.

Enoch is a more efficient rebounder as well and has the ability to step outside and knock down the three-ball on drive and kick situations, where guys like Jordan Nwora and David Johnson thrive when the interior defense is lacking.

The ability to create for Enoch will be critical, but this should be a game where Mack tries to get Enoch back in rhythm ahead of March. I think he delivers in a big way. Double-double?

You bet.

Home/Louisville Basketball