Louisville basketball's postseason run is set to tip off tomorrow night in the ACC Tournament.
The Cardinals are riding a nine-game win streak and have secured an impressive 25-6 record after starting just 6-5. Louisville won 18 ACC games this regular season and is ranked No. 13 in the AP polls.
Pat Kelsey and his Cardinals are the No. 2 seed, and while Louisville is an elite ACC team, the Cardinals have +650 odds to win the ACC crown. Louisville basketball wants to continue this hot streak to increase its resume and NCAA Tournament seeding.
Most experts project Louisville basketball to be a No. 7 seed. However, despite being projected as a No. 7 seed, Lousiville has a legitimate chance to make a Final Four run due to their ability to shoot lights out from beyond the arc and then lock down on the other end of the floor.
Three keys to a successful postseason for Louisville basketball
So, if Louisville is going to raise its first ACC Tournament banner in KFC Yum! Center, the Cardinals must excel in these three areas in the postseason.
3. Play Pat Kelsey brand of basketball
Louisville basketball has all the momentum in the world. The Cardinals have broken nearly every record in the program, and the Cardinals now have almost no pressure.
The Cardinals already beat all expectations, and the fans are just happy to be dancing again. Yes, Louisville faithful would love to see a Final Four run, but the Cardinals just have to play Pat Kelsey's brand of basketball, and the fans will be happy.
Louisville has secured nine straight wins and 19 wins in their last 20 games. The Cardinals have broken the record for the most significant turnaround in program history, the most ACC wins in a regular season, the most conference wins in a regular season, and more.
One of the main reasons the Cardinals have earned this success is because of their skipper, Pat Kelsey. The ACC Coach of the Year has rejuvenated this program and returned it from the dead.
The Louisville Cardinals coach has all the confidence in his players and has trust like no other. Pat Kelsey has praised the 25-strong, and not just him deserves the credit but everyone in the locker room.
If the Cardinals continue to play their style, this squad has a great chance to lift its resume before March Madness. According to ESPN, Louisville has five quality wins. Louisville basketball has 19 wins on the season by 10 points or more, 10 wins by 15 points or more, eight wins by 20 points or more, four wins by 25 or more, two wins by 30 points or more, and their biggest win coming by 48 points or more.
2. Cardinals must catch fire from deep
It is no secret that the Cardinals love to shoot from deep. Louisville shoots 31 threes per game and makes nearly 10 of them. The Cardinals have made 299 threes this season, and 104 of them come from their lethal shooter, Reyne Smith.
Smith makes 3.5 threes per game and shoots nearly 10 a game. The Cardinal's sharpshooter has made the second-most threes in a single season in the Cardinal's history. Smith has entered a mini-slump and is currently injured but expects to return in the ACC Tournament. He has made just 31% of his threes in his last nine games.
In his slump, All-ACC guards Terrence Edwards Jr. and Chucky Hepburn have stepped up. The two guards secured back-to-back 35-plus points games, including six made threes by Hepburn and seven made threes by Edwards.
If the Cardinals want to make a deep postseason run in the ACC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament, their 3-point shooting will have to catch fire.
1. The Cardinals bench must step up
Louisville basketball has a solid eight-man rotation, and Kelsey relies heavily on his starting five. While that is fine in the regular season, the postseason will differ significantly. Louisville will need some solid minutes from its bench to go deep into March.
The Cardinals bench averages 14.3 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 43.1% from the floor per game. Pat Kelsey lost some players early in the season from injuries, and he is still scrambling for that solid bench player.
His current three-person rotation off the bench includes Noah Waterman, Khani Rooths, and Aboubacar Traore. While all have shown flashes of success, they have also demonstrated significant weaknesses. Waterman is inconsistent, Traore turns the ball over, and Rooths shows inexperience.
One of these three players will have to be able to score off the bench and play some solid defense. Waterman could be that person, as he slowly finds that shot back. Kelsey has recently shown that he is cutting his minutes for his bench, but he will still need about 20 minutes from it. Waterman and Traore will be those main pieces, so they must play to their strengths.