By Garin Turner
The 6/11 matchup in the East Region sees 6 seed Louisville take on 11 seed USF on March 19 at 12:30 PM EST on TNT. The winner gets to sit back and wait for the winner of Michigan State and North Dakota State.
Louisville’s road to the tournament
With a 23-10 record and a 6th place finish in the ACC, Louisville used wins against Indiana and Miami along with a 7-0 start to earn a bid in the tournament. The Cardinals went 2-6 against ranked teams. Two of those losses were at the hands of Duke.
USF’s road to the tournament
USF won the American conference in the regular season and the tournament en route to a 25-8 record. USF played Alabama as the lone opponent that was ranked, falling 104-93. Despite the record, USF was 6-5 before stringing together a few small winning streaks before the current one. The last time USF lost was on January 31, a one-point loss to Temple. Since then, USF is on an 11-game win streak.
Key team stats
USF has the advantage in most categories but Louisville played tougher competition. 87.7-84.8 points a game in favor of USF. USF also averages 9.2 steals a game. Louisville is shooting 47% from the field while USF is at 44%.
Louisville Season Leaders
Points: Ryan Conwell; 18.7
Rebounds: Sanada Fru; 6.0
Assists: Aly Khaifa; 2.6
USF Season Leaders
Points: Wes Enis; 16.8
Rebounds: Izaiyah Nelson; 9.6
Assists: CJ Brown; 4.8
Verdict
USF will pull off the upset in this one, Louisville will turn the ball over too many times. The Cardinals toughness from playing in the ACC will help them but not enough to overcome the mistakes. USF 66-Louisville 65.
(Image Credit: USF Athletics)
