Kentucky Basketball: Keys to Beating Louisville in Rivalry Showdown
One game. One measly game.
That could very well be the only thing separating the 2014-15 Kentucky Wildcats basketball team from an undefeated regular season. After all, John Calipari’s squad only has one more contest against a ranked opponent, and it comes on Saturday in the annual showdown with archrival Louisville.
Kentucky will have to deal with the Cardinals' swarming defense, strong interior presence and a crowd that will be foaming at the mouth after watching Louisville lose in heartbreaking fashion to Kentucky in last season’s NCAA tournament.
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The Wildcats and their band of former McDonald's All-Americans may be more ready for NBA competition than anything college basketball can offer them this season, but the game with Louisville promises to come down to the wire. Read on for some keys to a Kentucky victory.
Containing Montrezl Harrell
Louisville is one of the only teams in the entire country that can at least contend with Kentucky’s incredible length and athleticism down low. The main reason for that is superstar center/power forward Montrezl Harrell.
Harrell is averaging 16.7 points, a team-best 10 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game on the young season and anchors the Louisville defense down low. He is a monster on the boards from both a physicality and athleticism standpoint, and he can cover ground along the baseline from one side of the court to the other.
He has scored in double figures in every single game this season and posted a double-double in Louisville’s marquee win over Ohio State.
The best way to stop a middle-of-the-road Cardinals offense that ranks No. 41 in Ken Pomeroy’s pace-adjusted offensive efficiency ratings is by containing Harrell. If the big man doesn’t stuff the stat sheet, the scoring onus falls to the perimeter players who are shooting a combined 27.5 percent from three-point range.
That would be a recipe for disaster against Kentucky’s suffocating defense.
Neutralizing the Crowd
If there is one thing college basketball fans aren’t sure of when it comes to Kentucky, it is how it will handle a raucous opposing crowd.
The Wildcats have not played a true road game this season, and they are fresh off a neutral-court victory over UCLA in Chicago where the majority of the fans in the building were wearing Kentucky blue. Considering how reliant Kentucky is on freshmen this season, how the youngsters handle the crowd will go a long way toward determining the outcome.
If the young Wildcats press and try to do much in an effort to silence the crowd, especially against Louisville’s dominating defense, it could lead to turnovers and costly mistakes. That could keep a Louisville team that struggles to score on occasion in the game.
Expect a Final Four atmosphere in Louisville when the hated Wildcats come to town. Yes, Calipari has only lost one time in the KFC Yum! Center since he took over at Kentucky (during his NIT season), but he is bringing a young team that has largely not played in an atmosphere like this.
To make matters worse, veteran Alex Poythress, who would help provide some on-court leadership when things got tight, is out for the rest of the season. Look for the Harrison twins and Willie Cauley-Stein to pick up some of the leadership slack.
Dealing with the Matchup Zone
There is one thing that opponents have to worry about when it comes to playing Louisville, and it is not the offense. Yes, the Cardinals are undefeated and have some offensive talent on the floor in Harrell and Terry Rozier, but they are still a mediocre offense in comparison to the other best teams in the country.
Louisville is 164th in the country in field-goal percentage and has struggled to knock down open three-point looks all season. That puts plenty of pressure on the defense.
Fortunately, it has been up to the task all season.
Louisville and Kentucky may feature the best two defenses in the country, and the Wildcats’ best chance at winning this Commonwealth showdown is by handling the Cardinals matchup zone. Louisville is No. 2 in the nation in Pomeroy’s defensive rankings (behind only Kentucky) and will put the pressure on the young Wildcats from the opening tip.
The Harrison twins have some experience dealing with Louisville’s pressure, but Tyler Ulis and Devin Booker have never faced anything like the Cardinals defense. How they handle it will play a major role in the outcome of the game and how many minutes each player sees Saturday.
Yes, Calipari likes to stick to his five-man rotation substitution patterns, but if Ulis and Booker are coughing the ball up while the Harrison twins are handling the pressure just fine, Calipari will likely give the nod to the veterans for most of the second half.
Regardless of the five players on the floor for Kentucky, this is the team’s biggest test of the season. A victory in Louisville could mean an undefeated regular season and the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
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