Louisville Basketball: 2020-21 keys to victory against Wisconsin Badgers
By Ian Mumm
Crashing the Defensive Glass
Louisville has been a very strong rebounding team so far this season and has fended off several teams with a knack for tallying offensive rebounds. Currently slotted as the 54th-best defensive rebounding team, the Cardinals will have to make it a point of emphasis to ensure they collectively crash the glass on this end of the floor. Wisconsin is not known as a strong offensive rebounding team this season, but they possess several key pieces that could create problems for Louisville.
Namely the frontcourt duo of Micah Potter and Nate Reuvers. While both Potter and Reuvers have already established themselves as players to watch on the scoreboard, both have the potential to impact the offensive glass.
Normally combining for 3.0 offensive boards a game, not an overwhelmingly high amount, has the potential to increase in this matchup due to a size advantage in the typical rotation Wisconsin wants to run. Without Malik Williams availability this season, Louisville has been playing a much smaller lineup with freshman JJ Traynor (6’8”) as the center.
The Cardinals are still built to withstand these kinds of onslaughts, however. Every player in the team’s main rotation, 19+ minutes per game, pulls down at least 4.0 rebounds per game and includes the plethora of guards the Cardinals rely on. As long as this team can extend possessions and stay true to their tendencies, this is a winnable battle and one that will continue to hurt the Badgers against a quality opponent.