Louisville basketball: Bold predictions for the season finale vs. Virginia

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LOUISVILLE, KY – JANUARY 25: David Johnson #13 of the Louisville Cardinals looks to pass the ball up court during 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) /

Nearing triple-double territory

Stephen Kalayil: David Johnson gets close to a triple-double

Coming away with a win against UVA at John Paul Jones arena is going to be difficult without the defensive prowess of Malik Williams. Who’s going to step up? Fresh Kimble? Sam Williamson? Maybe Quin Slazinski gets some run?

My bold prediction is David Johnson will elevate his game and get close to a triple-double.

The Cards will be looking for rebound help from other players outside of Dwayne Sutton, Nwora, and Enoch. Johnson only averages 2.8 rebounds a game but since his breakout performance against Duke, Johnson has had rebounding games as high as 8 (Boston College).

Johnson’s length and height will be needed against UVA’s twin towers of Mamadi Diakite and Jay Huff. Huff, in particular, has been on a tear during UVA’s win streak and Steven Enoch will need all the help he can get.

Since Johnson’s breakout performance against Duke, he’s averaged nearly 4.7 assists per game with a high of eight vs Clemson. Johnson shouldn’t have any trouble dealing with the diminutive but pesky Kihei Clark. Johnson’s superior size should allow him to penetrate the pack line and hit the wings.

There may not be a lot of points in this game despite the scorching pace of the first outing, but I expect Johnson to elevate his game if UofL has a shot to knock off the Cavalier on the road.

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