2. Who is Pat Kelsey's reliable player off the bench?
Louisville has lost many rotational players to the injury bug, which has caused UofL to use Noah Waterman, Khani Rooths, and Aboubacar Traore off the bench.
The Cardinals bench averages just 14.3 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 43.1% from the floor per game. Pat Kelsey has to rely heavily on his starting five, and while they have proven to be among the best in the nation, every championship team has at least one valuable player off the bench.
The Cardinals need either Rooths, Traore, or Waterman to step up in the postseason and solidly themselves as Pat Kelsey's six-man. Waterman has shown potential to be a valuable shooter off the bench but has been inconsistent for a long time. Traore has shown potential on the defensive side but tends to play wild offensively. Rooth has demonstrated his skill and potential this season, but the freshman has sometimes shown his youth.
It is most likely going to be either Waterman or Traore, and both must utilize their playing time. Pat Kelsey needs to find that rotational player he can rely on off the bench in crucial minutes. The starters can only do so much and will need rest. All Kelsey needs is for these three bench players to go in for about 10 minutes each and just provide positive energy and their specific roles.