Tale of The Tape & Prediction: Louisville vs. Western Kentucky
(Photo of JJ Traynor: Scott Utterback/Courier Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville (3-0, 0-0 ACC) is set to face Western Kentucky (2-1, 0-0 C-USA) on Tuesday, Dec. 1st at 6:00 p.m. EST at the KFC Yum! Center. Here's how the Cardinals stack up against the Hilltoppers:
- Rankings:
| Western Kentucky | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|
AP/USA TODAY | NR/NR | RV/RV |
NET | 123rd | 8th |
RPI | 46th | 99th |
SOS | T-62nd | T-146th |
KenPom | 68th | 26th |
Sagarin | 77th | 16th |
- Team Leaders:
| Western Kentucky | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|
Points | Taveion Hollingsworth (19.0) | Carlik Jones (17.0) |
Rebounds | Charles Bassey (10.0) | Carlik Jones (7.3) |
Assists | Kenny Cooper (2.7) | Carlik Jones (5.7) |
Steals | Josh Anderson & Dayvion McKnight (1.3) | Dre Davis (1.0) |
Blocks | Charles Bassey (3.7) | Dre Davis (1.3) |
- Scoring:
| Western Kentucky | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|
Points Per Game | 77.3 | 78.7 |
Field Goal % | 44.8% | 53.5% |
FGM/FGA Per Game | 27.0/60.3 | 28.0/52.3 |
Three Point % | 31.0% | 29.8% |
3PTM/3PTA Per Game | 6.0/19.3 | 4.7/15.7 |
Free Throw % | 82.5% | 75.0% |
- Rebounding:
| Western Kentucky | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|
Rebounds Per Game | 47.7 | 40.3 |
Off. Reb. Per Game | 10.3 | 8.7 |
Def. Reb Per Game | 27.3 | 31.7 |
Rebound Margin | +5.0 | +10.3 |
- Defense:
| Western Kentucky | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|
Opp. Points Per Game | 75.3 | 59.3% |
Opp. FG% | 43.5% | 34.3% |
Opp. 3PT% | 47.9% | 29.2% |
Steals Per Game | 5.7 | 2.7 |
Blocks Per Game | 4.3 | 2.7 |
- Ball Handling:
| Western Kentucky | Louisville | |
|---|---|---|
Assists Per Game | 13.0 | 14.7 |
Turnovers Per Game | 11.3 | 10.7 |
Turnover Margin | 1.0 | -1.0 |
Assist/Turnover Ratio | 1.1 | 1.4 |
- KenPom Prediction:
Per KenPom.com, the Cardinals have a 74% chance to take down the Hilltoppers, with a projected final score of 75-68 in favor of Louisville. According to KenPom, Western Kentucky's Adjusted Efficiency Margin ranking of 68 is the fourth-highest among Louisville's 2020-21 non-conference opponents.
- Personal Prediction: Louisville 71, Western Kentucky 67.
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