By Derek DeBurger

The Louisville Cardinals will host the No. 22 NC State Wolfpack in the Jimmy V Women’s Classic on Saturday.

This is the start of ACC play for two teams the desperately need a win.

Small ball

The Wolfpack are a team led by one of the most dynamic backcourts in the country. NC State’s three-guard lineup accounts for all of their top-three scorers.

Aziaha James is the go-to with 16.7 points per game, and is one of the best shooters from three-point range at 38.6%. James is a three-level scorer who the Cards need to prioritize defending. Ja’Leah Williams will likely receive the assignment of trying to slow her down.

Zoe Brooks and Sanyia Rivers round out the backcourt production with 12.3 and 11.8 points a game, respectively. Brooks is a sophomore who is finally coming into her own this season and has taken on a much bigger role.

Rivers is a tall guard who is violent near the rim. Her length and athleticism allow her to slash and keep opposing defenses off balance, and it needs to be a crucial part of Louisville’s game plan to try and stop her. Rivers is actually quite a poor shooter from deep, so Louisville might attempt to have a player like Tajianna Roberts cover her, or be comfortable if a big switches onto her off a screen.

All three guards record 2.3 or more assists a game, shouldering the bulk of the load in initiating offense. The team as a whole, however, only records 12 assists a game, which ranks 243rd in the country.

But the worst part of NC State’s offense is their free throw shooting. For a team that shoots a respectable 34.1% from deep, it makes no sense that they shoot a terrible 63.5% from the line. If Louisville wanted to they have the depth to play fast and loose with fouls and make the Pack earn their points at the charity stripe.

Outside-in?

Like the college basketball world has come to expect, the Wolfpack have a strong defense. They hold opponents to 62.3 points per game on 37.8% from the field.

However, their defense is very different from year’s past.

Normally the Wolfpack have a dominant center that towers above opponents, but the big that occupied that role–River Baldwin–has graduated. Now NC State has a void in the middle of their defense.

The Pack are still a good team at swatting shots, but it comes at the perimeter. Rivers leads the team with 1.1 blocks a game, with no other players averaging one.

The bigger issue in the defense is how little they takeaway the ball. NC State gets 6.6 steals a game which is 281st nationally. When you include all turnovers forced, they only get 14.8 a game which is 288th nationally. For a Louisville team that lives and dies by their ability to hold onto the ball, the Wolfpack might not give the Cards a chance to shoot themselves in the foot.

Louisville needs a win, and they have a chance. With the home crowd behind them, I like the Cards’ chances to pick up their first win in conference.

Photo Courtesy // Taris Smith, Louisville Athletics