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Louisville basketball: Ranking the non-conference opponents

By Maxwell Owens

Samuell Williamson #10 of the Louisville Cardinals (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Samuell Williamson #10 of the Louisville Cardinals (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – OCTOBER 29: Jae’Lyn Withers #3 of the Louisville Cardinals against the Bellarmine Knights during an exhibition game at KFC YUM! Center on October 29, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – OCTOBER 29: Jae’Lyn Withers #3 of the Louisville Cardinals against the Bellarmine Knights during an exhibition game at KFC YUM! Center on October 29, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

#2 Wisconsin Badgers

Conference: Big Ten

2019-20 Final KenPom Ranking: 22

2020-21 Preseason KenPom Ranking: 7

Preseason AP Poll: 7

The Badgers return five of their six leading scorers from a year ago as they look to make a run at a national championship.

I debated on whether to put Wisconsin at number one because of just how much Wisconsin carries over from 2019. They are going to be extremely good and Louisville is going to have their hands entirely full.

The Badgers really are well-oiled at every position. They have forwards with great size and they have guards willing to rebound. The Badgers return five players who averaged four rebounds or more in 2019.

The leaders of the squad are forwards Nate Reuvers and Micah Potter who are 6’11” and 6’10” respectively. Reuvers averaged 13.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game while Potter averaged 10.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game in 2019.

Reuvers hosts a personal block party while Potter is the scorer of the bunch (he shot over 50 percent from the field in 2019). Potter started his career at Ohio State before transferring to Wisconsin last year.

Other names to watch out for on Wisconsin are guards Brad Davison and D’Mitrik Trice. They both averaged just a fraction under double figures per game last season and could be primed for a boost in those numbers for 2020.

Wisconsin is a veteran team with two All-Big Ten caliber big men. This is a game where Louisville is going to matchup extremely poor as Wisconsin’s strengths play perfectly into Louisville’s glaring weakness of depth at the forward position.

I do expect Louisville to compete. However, given the loss of Malik Williams, expecting a win from this game does not seem reasonable at this time.

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