Louisville basketball vs. Wake Forest gameday primer

Louisville basketball is set to take on Wake Forest Wednesday evening as ACC play continues forward.

Coming off of a huge win over Virginia Tech a week ago, Louisville basketball now has an opportunity to build on a four-game winning streak that has stretched for over three weeks.

Louisville’s latest schedule contest for January 9 against Georgia Tech was postponed due to Covid problems with the Yellow Jackets.

Wake Forest comes in to the game currently winless in ACC play while only playing six games overall.

The Demon Deacons had a stretch where they did not play a game for over a month due to Covid problems of their own and opposing schools.

Wake Forest’s last win was an 8-point victory over Catawba – a Division II school – on Dec. 31. They have not defeated a power five school this season.

Although, Wake has been able to keep ACC games at a respectable score. It just has not resulted in a win yet for them.

Here is everything you need to know about the matchup between Louisville and Wake Forest.

Who: Louisville Cardinals (8-1) at Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-3)

Where: Lawrence Joel Coliseum; Winston-Salem, North Carolina

When: Wednesday, Jan. 13, at 8:30 pm eastern time

Spread: Louisville -8.0

TV: ACC Network

Projected starting lineups

Louisville (8-1, 3-0)

F 10 Samuell Williamson 6-7 210 So. Rockwall, Texas

F 14 Dre Davis 6-5 220 Fr. Indianapolis, Ind.

C 24 Jae’Lyn Withers 6-8 215 R-Fr. Charlotte, N.C.

G 1 Carlik Jones 6-1 185 Gr. Cincinnati, Ohio

G 13 David Johnson 6-5 210 So. Louisville, Ky.

Wake Forest (3-3, 0-3)

F 1 Isaiah Mucius 6-8 200 Jr. East Patchogue, N.Y.

F 33 Ody Oguama 6-9 205 Fr. Raleigh, N.C.

G 4 Daivien Williamson 6-2 170 Jr. Winston-Salem, N.C.

G 20 Jonah Antonio 6-5 195 Gr. Perth, Australia

G 35 Carter Whitt 6-4 180 Fr. Raleigh, N.C.

Players to watch for Wake Forest

F Isaiah Mucius – He is a 6’8″ forward with a guard’s scoring mentality. He is a good athlete that can really bother teams on the offensive glass with his length and athleticism. Mucius has not shot the ball well this season, but he proved to be a trusted commodity from three last season. Louisville will have to contain his athleticism in transition and when he attacks the paint.

G Daivien Williamson – Crafty and quick. The East Tennessee State transfer is wired to score. Similar to Mucius, he has not shot the ball from deep as well this season, but he proved at ETSU that he can score at all three levels. He also is averaging 1.5 steals per game this season. His bread and butter is getting an opportunity to size a defender up at the top of the arc and then use his quickness to get to the rim with either hand.

G/F Ismael Massoud – A cold blooded shooter that is always ready to step in to his jump shot. Massoud will not be afraid to shoot even with defense closing in on him. His 6’8″ frame to go along with a high release jumper allows him to shoot over a lot of defenders. He is not a great athlete, but he is just a sophomore that can do damage on the catch-and-shoot or finding his spot from mid range.

Players to watch for Louisville

F Jae’Lyn Withers – He is coming off of some performance against Virginia Tech where he went for 16 points and 12 rebounds. Withers found himself against a matchup that was similar in size to himself. He will get the same opportunity Wednesday night. Could he be a star in the making?

G/F Samuell Williamson – He was essentially benched at the end of the game against Virginia Tech en route to playing a season-low 14 minutes. If Williamson wants to continue to garner starting minutes, he needs to begin to play like a starter. A bounce back game Wednesday would be a solid start.

G David Johnson – Must-see television. If Johnson is playing, everyone in the nation should have the game on. He is one of the best in the country and he is playing the best basketball of his Louisville career.

Final thoughts

Unfortunately for Wake Forest, two players who were expected to be big-time contributors this season are out due to medical complications.

Tariq Ingraham, a redshirt freshman forward, is out for the year due to Covid recovery. He scored 19 points in the first game of the season for the Demon Deacs.

Houston Baptist graduate transfer Ian Dubose is also out indefinitely due to medical reasons as well. He scored 14 points with 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals against Longwood back in late November before he was ruled out indefinitely.

Both players only had the opportunity to play the first two games of the season.

That being said, Louisville should be able to handle Wake Forest. They are winless in ACC play and the Cardinals are playing really good basketball at the moment. The Deacs lack a true big man inside to give Louisville trouble.

I would expect that the likes of Withers, Johnson, and Carlik Jones have a field day driving to the basket on this team.

Score prediction

Louisville 75, Wake Forest 65

At this point in the season, Wake Forest is not striking fear into the eyes of many teams. They are yet to beat a power five opponent and are still operating in the first season under brand new head coach Steve Forbes.

With just six games played this season for them, Louisville should have every advantage imaginable heading in to the matchup. As long as one of David Johnson or Carlik Jones seizes control and plays an efficient game, it is hard to imagine the Cardinals dropping this game.

In addition, keep an eye out for Charles Minlend to potentially make his Louisville debut. If the game gets out of reach in Louisville’s favor, there is a possibility you could see a lot of him down the stretch.

Louisville wins handedly in this one.