Louisville basketball looks to bounce back at Clemson
Two teams fighting for conference standing will try to end their losing streaks Saturday afternoon.
Louisville visits Clemson, having lost two of its last three, including a nail-biter against North Carolina on Monday.
After winning four straight, the Tigers have slipped and fallen into a four-game losing streak coming into the. Three of the losses have come against teams outside the top-50: Florida State, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest.
With Duke, Virginia, and Miami well-positioned for three of the top four seeds in the ACC tournament, Louisville and Clemson are sitting neck and neck for that final spot. The Tigers feature the second-ranked defense in the ACC, while the Cardinals have recently found their offensive stride. This clash brings an important battle that head coach Pat Kelsey needs to win.
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Can the offense stay hot against an elite defense?
Louisville is averaging 89 points through its past six games. This number would rank in the top 10 nationally and No. 1 in the ACC this season. During this hot offensive run, the Cardinals have hit 77 of 177 three-point attempts, good for 43.5 percent, which is 7 percentage points better than their season average.
A breakout campaign from Mikel Brown is largely to thank for this success. Averaging 26 points per game and only shooting below 40 percent from three once in the past six games, Brown was recently named the national player of the week. Apart from his great shooting numbers, he has struggled with turnovers. Giving up 18 in the past four contests, Brown will need to do a better job protecting the ball against Clemson.
The Tigers allow 65.6 points per game, good for 17th in the nation. Clemson head coach Brad Brownell is known for his aggressive defensive approach. With a resume of clamping down on opposing offenses in recent years, this team is no different. Forcing 325 turnovers this season, Clemson is 77th in the country for turnover ratio. Louisville’s success behind the arc will be tested, as the Tigers allow only 31.5 percent from three-point range this season.
All of this defensive success has been altered when facing elite guards. Florida State point guard Robert McCray dropped 29 points last game, while Wake Forest’s Juke Harris and Virginia Tech’s Jailen Bedford found success scoring 20+ points during this Tigers’ cold streak.
Jestin Porter and Dillon Hunter will be the primary on-ball defenders against Brown and the rest of the Louisville guards. Both averaging a steal a piece, this will be a challenge for Louisville. With the Cardinals being 1-3 against top-75 scoring defenses, coach Kelsey will need to adjust his game plan.
J’Vonne Hadley is another weapon the Cardinals have unleashed recently. Scoring 14 or more points in all of his last four games, Hadley will be relied on for his efficiency in the paint, especially when threes aren’t falling.
Louisville’s defense needs to bring the pressure
Louisville’s defense has been the storyline holding back success. A lack of paint presence, along with issues covering ball-screens, is something the Cardinals need to work on against Clemson. Additionally, this defense has struggled to stop line-drive attacks to the rim, as UNC guard Seth Trimble went 10-13 on two-point field goals last game. Combined with miscommunication on switches leading to open shots, Louisville has an opportunity to improve against the Tigers’ lackluster scoring threat.
Louisville’s 124th-ranked scoring defense will have the task of containing the modest 223rd-ranked scoring offense. The Tigers rely on their defense to guide them to victory rather than on their offense. They have struggled, hitting 33.9% of their three-point attempts, and are only averaging 70 points per game against ACC opponents.
During Clemson’s four-game losing streak, they have averaged 65.5 points per game. Their leading scorer, RJ Godfrey, is only averaging 11.5 points per game, while Carter Welling is the only other player averaging double-figures. This team focuses on a balanced attack of nine players averaging over 5 points per game. This deep rotation will mean all Louisville players will have an important task of defending, but no one Tiger player will go out and beat you.
A Clemson player has scored 20-plus points three times this season. Compared to Louisville’s 23 times, the Tigers lack star power. Cardinal guards Brown and Ryan Conwell both average 1.2 steals per game. Brown has seen an uptick in steals as of late, while Conwell grabbed a couple in his last game.
Coach Kelsey has received some backlash due to his limited number of “big wins”. Clemson isn’t ranked, but going on the road in a hostile conference atmosphere will be another Q1 game added to the resume.
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