Louisville Basketball Preview 2021

PreviewsNCAAMACC BasketballLouisville Cardinals

Oct 29

Our Louisville basketball preview 2021 - 22 notes that last season the Cardinals (13-7 Overall, 8-5 ACC) finished seventh in the conference. They did not qualify for the NCAA or NIT. Missing the Big Dance was a massive disappointment. This season head coach Chris Mack (57-28 Louisville/3 years, 272-125 Overall/12 years) is focused on reconfiguring the team. He’s added some new assistants and utilized the transfer portal heavily. The result could certainly be a return to the NCAA Tournament.

Cardinals Frontcourt

When healthy F/C Malik Williams is the Cardinal’s force in the paint. Last season, a broken bone in his foot resulted in William’s missing all but three games. Our Louisville basketball preview 2021 - 22 observes that he should be healthy and ready to go. Williams is the team’s top interior defender, premium three-point shooter, and most tenacious rebounder. Last season, forward Jae’Lyn Withers showed impressive improvement, averaging 10.0 PPG and 7.7 RPG while knocking down 54.9 percent of his field goals and 38.1 percent of his threes. In his first two seasons, junior G/F Samuell Williamson (9.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 47.9 FG%) has been inconsistent. He needs to find his game for this frontcourt to be effective.

Louisville Basketball Preview – Backcourt

Unlike the front, which returns numerous starters and other players with experience, coach Mack has redefined the Cardinal backcourt by recruiting three quality transfers. Point guard Jarrod West (Marshall), who led C-USA in steals and assists, is the new man in town. However, he’ll compete with All-American junior college transfer El Ellis (Tallahassee Community College) for the job. The top junco prospect can score in bunches, rip off assists, and bury threes. Noah Locke (Florida) will likely start at shooting guard. With Florida last season, Locke shot 40.4 percent from the arc while averaging 10.6 PPG.