By Derek DeBurger
Coming off of three consecutive losses, Louisville will look to end the embarrassment against the Pepperdine Waves.
I may sound like a broken record at this point, but Pepperdine is another team that Louisville should have no business losing to.
From the talent to the stature of the program Louisville is the superior team in just about every way, but momentum might be the great equalizer. Everyone from casual fans to the national media is painfully aware of the rapid downward trajectory that the Cards are on, but the Waves have their own bad juju. Pepperdine has lost 27 road games in a row with their last win on the road coming at San Diego on Feb. 21, 2021.
Which of these streaks is the unstoppable force and which is the immovable object?
For a more detailed look at the next Louisville opponent, this Pepperdine team is not very good. The Waves score 2.2 more points per game than they give up and only average one more assist than turnover per game.
The Waves are a small team, with only one center leading them to being one of the worst rebounding teams in the country at 33.7 rebounds a game. Pepperdine also plays a very short bench, so if the Cards can get the ball to Brandon Huntley-Hatfield in the paint early they could often draw fouls and wear out the bigs.
The three-point shooting of the Waves—something the Cards have consistently failed to defend under head coach Kenny Payne—is very up and down. Some players for Pepperdine can shoot the lights out and some are terrible from deep. The Cards should take guarding everyone beyond the arc very seriously regardless of what they’ve done the year to date.
I don’t think the Cards will win this game; the players look like they’ve given up on their coach. This game could very easily be the end of an era.
