Pittsburgh Basketball: 3 keys to home matchup against an improved Louisville squad

After a big road win over Virginia, Pittsburgh Basketball comes back home to take on Louisville in a must-win game. But with the Cardinals looking different, it could be a tougher matchup.

There isn't a hotter team in the ACC than Pittsburgh Basketball, who is riding a four-game win streak, coming off wins over NC State and Virginia on the road. After beating the ranked Cavaliers, the Panthers find themselves on the bubble and within range of another NCAA Tournament appearance.

That makes this Saturday's home matchup against Louisville so important. After losing to Boston College this week, the Cardinals are 8-17 (3-11 ACC) on the season and will represent a potential Quad 4 disaster defeat to Pittsburgh if they were to lose. It's been a while since the 83-70 win for the Panthers at Louisville on January 6th and the underdogs have played better and looks different too.

Here are some keys to the Panthers getting the season sweep.

1. Prepare for Tre White but not Skyy Clark

I included the tweet above to emphasize the constant roster turnover Louisville has had in the past month. The latest key injury was Skyy Clark, who had 11 points in the first matchup and is averaging 13.1 ppg and 2.9 apg on the season, is likely out for Saturday with a broken rib.

Who will be back is Tre White, the 6'7 wing transfer from USC who had 21 points in the last game. He's averaging 13.1 ppg and 6.0 rpg on the season and missed the first game with Pittsburgh. Considering that Zack Austin and Blake Hinson combined for 41 points versus the Cardinals before, they'll need him to have another versatile forward option.

2. Defend Brandon Huntley-Hatfield

One major issue Louisville has had before was the lack of any frontcourt production. But the frontcourt departures may have been a blessing in disguise from a roster standpoint, as junior forward Huntley-Hatfield has been forced to play 30+ mpg each game. It's worked out for him and the team, averaging 20.3 ppg and 9.5 rpg in the past four games, including a 29-point effort against Florida State in a win.

Against Pittsburgh, Huntley-Hatfield had just three points on 1/3 FG shooting. He didn't get the ball much so this time around, expect him to get many more post touches. And since he's exclusively playing the center position, Federiko Federiko and Guillermo Diaz-Graham will need to have good defensive games to prevent an upset bid.

3. Keep launching 3-pointers

Against Virginia's backline defense, Pittsburgh made 14/32 of its three-point shots, taking more threes than twos in the game. No one in the ACC shoots more 3s than the Panthers, led by Blake Hinson making 41% of his attempts. Louisville is not only poor at shooting the ball from deep but they're bad at defending it, allowing 35% at over eight makes a game.

Louisville has been much more competitive as of late so they should be taken seriously. Still, they've allowed at least 89 points in 3 of the last 4 games, to the likes of Boston College, FSU, and Syracuse. Pittsburgh, when not in a rut, is a much better offense than them so expect the Panthers to have another good night offensively.