All this week we will be breaking down the match-ups at each position for the Louisville vs Kentucky basketball game for this Saturday December 28. Today we continue with the power forward position.
Shooting Guard position battle
Louisville
Montrezl Harrell
Season average:
PointsL: 12.5
AssistsL: 1.1
ReboundsL: 8.3
StealsL: 1.2
TurnoversL: 1.3
Chane Behanan
Season average:
Points: 8.3
Assists: 1.1
Rebounds: 6.2
Steals: 1.0
Turnovers: 1.2
Kentucky
Julius Randle
Season average:
Points: 18.2
Assists: 1.8
Rebounds: 11.3
Steals: 0.1
Turnovers: 3.3
Marcus Lee
Season average:
Points: 3.6
Assists: 0.1
Rebounds: 2.1
Steals: 0.0
Turnovers: 0.2
My Outlook
The power forward matchup is the most exciting one for both the Cats and the Cards in my opinion. I think Cardnation will see sophomore Montrezl Harrell start the game for Louisville up against starting PF for Kentucky and national freshman phenom, Julius Randle. Randle (6’9; 6’10 wingspan) and Harrell (6’8; 7’4 wingspan) will both play with maximum intensity from tip-off. It’s important for the Cards to control the pace on offense and defense from the get-go. The difference in wingspan favoring Harrell and the high turnover rate of Randle can become a lingering problem for the Cats for 40 minutes of high pressure from the Cards. However, I think this could lead to early foul trouble for both players. In such case, the second PF option is very important. Where the Cards have junior Chane Behanan for fresh legs and strong defense, the Cats have freshman Marcus Lee who has played a total of 26 minutes of competitive play for the past month and accumulated almost zero offensive or defensive stats. Even if foul trouble is not an issue, Randle will no doubt have to learn to adjust to both Harrell and Behanan for 40 minutes long. For this reason… Large advantage: Cards.