By Derek DeBurger
No. 18 Louisville will face the Morehead State Eagles on Wednesday.
The Eagles will not provide much of a test for the Cards, but it will most likely be the last bye game of the season before the schedule toughens up.
Since this will be the last game for the Cards to work out some of their weaknesses, here are some issues they still have 10 games in:
Turnovers have been an issue all season long. Despite racing out to a 9-1 record on the year, Louisville has had a very difficult time holding onto the ball, averaging 15.5 turnovers a game. Even against lesser competition, the Cards have been more loose with the ball than you would like to see. The Eagles will provide an interesting test in this category. While Morehead may be worse than Louisville in terms of talent, they’ve been pretty good at getting steals this season. If the Cards can keep their turnovers fewer than 12, that’ll be a great sign for the rest of the year.
Head Coach Jeff Walz is notorious for not knowing what his rotation looks like until the middle of the year. The starting lineup has already changed, and he’s shortened the bench multiple times this year. I expect more people to play than normal, looking forward to seeing who gets on the court at the same time.
Finally, look to see how well this defense plays. Louisville’s defense has been good all year, but a standout defensive performance would be the perfect thing to send the Cards into the tougher portion of their schedule and conference play.
This will be a fun game where the Cards come away with a stress-free victory.
File Photo // Vinny Porco, The Louisville Cardinal
