What does Louisville needs to fix to beat Indiana?

No. 6 Louisville and No. 22 Indiana are both coming off tough road losses. The Cards head to neutral-site Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to take on their rival and end their losing streak.

Louisville’s 89-80 loss exposed many flaws in their game. With a short turnaround, Coach Pat Kelsey will need to find a new game plan on Saturday afternoon.

Indiana’s high-powered offense stalled in its 73-64 loss in Minnesota last game. The Cards got the better of the Hoosiers at the Battle 4 Atlantis last season, winning 89-61. Indiana has a completely new team under first-year head coach Daren DeVries.

Defensive struggles, an inability to force turnovers, inconsistent shooting, and losing the free-throw battle haunted Louisville in Arkansas. The Cards are slightly favored heading into the weekend, but will need to correct their mistakes if they want to earn their second-ranked win of the year. 

Generate turnovers

Through Louisville’s first seven games, they averaged 15 forced turnovers a game, good for 68th in the country. Against Arkansas, this number dropped significantly, as the Cards forced 5 turnovers, leading to only 8 fast break points. 

Indiana is a disciplined team, turning the ball over 9.7 times per game, good for 32nd in the country. Coming off a performance with 2 steals compared to their 9.4 average, Louisville has work to do. Players like Kobe Rodgers, who leads the team in steals, Adrian Wooley, averaging 1.4 steals per game, and Ryan Conwell, averaging 1.3 steals per game, need to step up to defend this 33rd-ranked scoring offense. 

Indiana’s three leading scorers account for over 50% of the team’s turnovers with 5.2 per game. Tucker DeVries is the Hoosiers’ biggest threat, averaging 16.8 points a game. Lamar Wilkerson averaged over 20 points per game with Sam Houston last season and is now averaging 16.5 a game. Tayton Conerway is the last of the big three, leading the team with 4.9 assists per game. 

Louisville has been able to gain momentum, going on runs due to a suffocating defense. Buckets won’t come easily for both teams that rank in the top 15 in defense. Whoever wins the turnover battle and scores in transition will be at a major advantage. 

Louisville shooting consistency

Coach Kelsey has told his team that if they are open, shoot it. Despite taking 37 three-point attempts against Arkansas, above their 35.6 average, the Cards hit only eight. 

Mikel Brown Jr shot 2-of-13 from deep while Ryan Conwell hit three of his 12 attempts. This sharpshooting duo averages 35 percent from distance on the season combined. More consistency is required if Louisville wants to compete against Indiana. 

Indiana has given up 36 three-pointers this season, second-best in the country. With Brown and Conwell looking to bounce back, other shooters like Isaac McKneely and Wooley will need to have their backs if their drought continues. 

Winning at the line

The biggest statistical imbalance during Louisville’s loss to Arkansas was at the free-throw line. The Cards fouled the Razorbacks 25 times, leading to 35 free throws, while Louisville attempted only 18. Cut this in half, and the Cards were walking away with a win. 

Wooley and Rodgers only saw 23 minutes on court due to four fouls each against the Razorbakcs. Being two of Louisville’s best on-ball defenders, they need to be less antsy and avoid getting in foul trouble. 

Louisville has done a good job getting to the line, averaging 27.1 attempts per game. Indiana has also done well, averaging 24 attempts per game. This even matchup will be a key deciding factor for who comes out on top. 

“The undisciplined fouling. I just told them there is a ton to clean up, as they know, we will clean all of it up. The big thing is that we have to have a great response to adversity… It’s the first opportunity to respond in a big-time way, and we need to because we’ve got to get ready for a really good Indiana team,” Kelsey said after the Arkansas game. 

A short week adds pressure for Louisville to correct its many mistakes. Kelsey looks to change the narrative after a disappointing loss to start December. 

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