By Elizabeth Scanland
Louisville will host the No. 21 California Golden Bears on Thursday.
This is Cal’s first year in the ACC, and the two teams have not faced each other since 2015. This is also a reunion for Jayda Curry, as she spent two years with the Golden Bears before transferring to the Derby City.
The senior offensive
Despite being ranked in the AP top 25, Cal remains one of the most underrated and overlooked teams. They have been dominant on both ends of the court, especially offensively.
Cal averages 74.4 points per game, which is seventh in the ACC. The Bears have an extremely balanced team with every player pulling their weight, but the starters shine the brightest.
Cal’s starters receive the lion’s share of minutes and touches, with all five players averaging 10-plus points a game. Only two other players for Cal average 10 or more minutes, but still ride the bench more often than not.
Ioanna Krimili leads the team in scoring at 15.4 points a game. Krimili shoots 37.5 % from behind the arc and is currently fifth nationally in made threes. Most recently, Krimili became the 17th player in NCAA-history to reach 400 career threes.
As good as her three-point shooting ability is, her offensive prowess doesn’t stop there as she shoots 41.1% from the field. Her ability to shoot anywhere from the floor poses a big test for the Cards who at times have struggled to guard anyone, let alone versatile players.
Fellow guard Lulu Twidale is another three-point shooting threat for the Golden Bears, shooting at 40.6% from deep and is tied for sixth in most threes made. She also is the team’s best free throw shooter at 87.8% so keeping her far away from the charity stripe is important for Louisville. Her and Krimili are two peas in a pod who have very similar playing styles and great on court chemistry.
Kayla Williams is the best facilitator with 4.3 assists a game, but still contributing 11 points each night.
Ugonne Onyiah is your standard big who is effective at attacking the paint but can’t stretch the floor. While she does put up good numbers for Cal, her rebounding is what sets her apart averaging seven a game in a limited number of minutes.
However, Onyiah flirts with foul trouble from time to time, getting hot and needing to hit the bench. If Louisville can exploit this, they will force Cal to extend their rotation further than they’re comfortable with.
No middle whatsoever
Defensively, Cal holds teams to 61.8 points a game.
This comes from Cal’s efforts on the interior, holding opponents to just 37.6% shooting and getting 3.7 blocks a game. The Bears also capitalize on their opponents’ stifled possessions with their rebounding, grabbing 39.2 boards a game.
While still solid, the Bears’ perimeter defense doesn’t live up to the same standard. They force 32.4% shooting from three and grab 6.8 steals a game. Respectable numbers, but not eye popping.
Despite the clear strength and weakness for Cal, Louisville will have to establish an inside presence offensively if they want to keep up. Whether that be through the post or ball movement, it’s vital that the Cards attack the middle and get the Cal defense scrambling.
This will be a very tough matchup, and a very important one. Cal has the seniority and then some, with four of their five starters being seniors. Louisville’s young core needs to stay composed, limit mistakes and feed off the energy of the crowd.
If Louisville can put together four full quarters, something they’ve yet to do this season, they might be able to pull off the upset.
Tip-off is scheduled for Thursday at 8 p.m. inside the KFC Yum! Center.
Photo Courtesy // Taris Smith, Louisville Athletics
