Keys to the Game: Wake Forest Basketball vs Louisville
Wake Forest will partake in the second leg of their road trip on Saturday afternoon as they take on the Louisville Cardinals in the KFC Yum! Center. Louisville sits at the bottom of the barrel in the ACC and the matchup gives the Deacs a great opportunity to bounce back from the loss at UNC. Here are a few keys to the game that could make the difference for Wake Forest.
READ: How to Watch: Wake Forest vs Louisville Men's College Basketball
1. Force someone besides El Ellis to make plays
Starting point guard El Ellis is the heartbeat of this Louisville team, leading the squad in points per game (17.7), assists per game (4.5) and steals (1.0). The Cardinals have no other scorers in double figures outside of Ellis and average a measly 62 points per contest. The only way Louisville will keep this one close is if Ellis goes nuclear and hits every shot in the gym. But as long as Wake keeps him in check, the Cardinals will be hard-pressed to find enough firepower to compete.
2. Force turnovers
This Louisville team is notoriously bad at taking care of the ball, averaging a whopping 16.9 turnovers per game. Wake Forest, on the other hand, is forcing an average of 6.7 steals per game, with three members of the starting lineup chipping in over a steal per contest. Steve Forbes’ group has excelled on defense this season when they play with active hands — Saturday’s matchup presents a great opportunity to capitalize on mistakes from a sloppy team and score the ball effectively on the break.
3. Bench Production
Against the worst team in the ACC, this could be a great opportunity for some of Wake Forest’s reserve players to get in on the action. Bobi Klintman has shown flashes of excellence recently — he scored six points and grabbed two offensive boards in a one-minute span against UNC — perhaps Saturday is the day he puts it all together. Jao Ituka has been recovering from an injury and has seen few quality minutes this season, but if Wake can build a lead Ituka could get an opportunity to see some playing time and get his feet under him. Also, freshman big man Zach Keller hasn’t seen the court since the Rutgers game a few weeks ago, but some quality burn against the Cardinals could be just what he needs to get his confidence and production back.
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Ben is a managing editor and lead contributing writer for Deacons Daily. Ben has a year of experience as the Sports Editor for the Old Gold & Black, and a year of experience as the publication’s print managing editor. He has a journalistic profile of over 40 published news and sports pieces for the Dayton Daily News.