2. Louisville must be smart on defense
The Cardinals will absolutely need to play aggressively and physically to make it down the stretch of March Madness, but they can’t have unnecessary fouls. The Cardinals average 18.4 personal fouls a game, which in turn leads to Louisville opponents shooting an average of about 20 free throws per game.Â
Of these free throws awarded to teams by the Cardinals, opponents make on average around 14. This offers Louisville opponents a way to keep themselves in the game and allows for easy points, even when the Cardinal defense is doing its job.Â
Louisville also can’t afford to let its biggest players play under minute restrictions because of foul trouble. The Cardinals already aren’t fully healthy, with Mikel Brown Jr. still out, and now they can’t afford for anyone to miss playing time out of fear of fouling out. Controlling silly fouls might be simple, but it will be imperative that the Cardinals do it.Â