Louisville basketball is set to tip off in the NCAA Tournament first round with No. 9 seed Creighton Bluejays. Creighton has some glaring weaknesses, but its offense is one of the best in the nation and is highlighted by its All-American center.
Ryan Kalkbrenner is a four-time BIG East Defensive Player of the Year, a three-time All-American, and is the glue that holds this Creighton Bluejays team together this year. Kalkbrenner is a one-of-a-kind player who can dominate both ends of the floor at a high level, but Louisville basketball might have the perfect match for Creighton's dominant player.
Louisville basketball's perfect counter to Kalkbrenner's dominance
We recently took to X and asked the Cardinals fans what their biggest worry was heading into Louisville basketball's matchup with Creighton. Well, after over 100 responses, there was one glaring worry for the Cardinals fan base, and that was Kalkbrenner.
Kalbrenner is 7-foot-1, 270 pounds, and is an absolute stud on the court. He averages 19.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting 65.5 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from downtown. He has scored 20 points or more in 14 games this season, including three games with 30 points or more and a career-high of 49 points in the season-opener.
However, Kalbrenner has a glaring weakness: his ability to play physically. The 7-foot-1, 270-pound center has a thin frame, and the Bluejays have lost nine times out of 10 when Kalbrenner goes up against a physical team with a physical big man. The Bluejays center put up much worse numbers than he averaged on the year in these losses.
Kalbrenner averaged 13.1 points while shooting 50 percent from the floor, 15 percent worse from the field than his season average. The big man is trying to shoot from beyond the arc, but he is inconsistent, and it hasn't worked for him recently. He is shooting 12.5 percent from beyond the arc in his last eight games, as he has gone 2/16 from downtown.
While fans may be scared of this 7-foot-1 center on Creighton, he has some flaws—some flaws that the Cardinals can exploit. The Cardinals center, James Scott, must play physically and be the excellent rim protector that Cardinals fans know he is.
The Cardinals center will have a tall task but will be up for the challenge. Scott averages a block per game and has secured as many as five blocks in one game this season. Scott is 6-foot-11, 220 pounds, and must push Kalkbrennner out of the pain and limit his hook shot.
The key success to limiting the Bluejay's center will be to help defense. Don't be surprised if J'Vonne Hadley helps Scott and doubles or takes some load off Scott, as Hadley is the most physical player on this Pat Kelsey team.
Hadley has been the unsung hero Pat Kelsey needed and a significant spark on both ends of the floor. Now, Kalkbrenner is just as dominant on the defensive side as on the offensive side.
The key to attacking him on defense is to bring him out of the paint and to have him switch on to Louisville basketball star guards. Kelsey will have to use Scott in pick-and-rolls and to make Creighton switch. Kalkbrenner's major question mark on the defensive side is to guard the perimeter, which is Louisville's strength.
Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards Jr. must attack the big man and try and force switches, allowing the Cardinals guards to be shifty and use their speed advantage on the slower defender. The Cardinals must start hot to draw the big man out of the paint and force him to guard up. Reyne Smith and company will have to be more consistent from downtown go, on a dominant run, and utilize the fans to rattle Creighton.
Louisville and Creighton will tip-off from Rupp Arena tomorrow at 12:15 p.m. local time. The Cardinals look to win their first NCAA Tournament game since 2017.