NCAA Basketball: 3 key storylines for Louisville vs. Lipscomb

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LOUISVILLE, KY – MARCH 01: Jaylen Johnson #10 of the Louisville Cardinals and Nick Jacobs #32 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets battle for a rebound during the game at KFC YUM! Center on March 1, 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

The Cardinals must protect the ball

One thing to watch from a Louisville perspective in this game is how well they take care of the ball against Lipscomb. The Cardinals average just 12 turnovers per game which is a good number, but Lipscomb is one of the better teams in college basketball at getting their opponents to turn the ball over.

The Bisons force 17.44 turnovers per game and that puts them 26th among all Division I teams and their 4.7 is the 21st best turnover margin in the nation. On the flip side, Louisville has been consistent in their ability to hold onto the ball, having exceeded their season average of 12 in four of their nine games and registered 10 or less in four others.

Lipscomb is 44th in the country in steals per game with 8.3 and are led in that category by junior guard Kenny Cooper’s 2.1. While there are some other factors for Chris Mack’s squad to be successful in this game, especially with their offense scoring over 81 points per game, but keeping their turnovers down to their seasonal average against a team that is so good at taking it away, may be one of the biggest storylines as the game unfolds.

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