CSZ Staff Bold Predictions: 2020-2021 Louisville Men’s Basketball

The Louisville men’s basketball season starts on Wednesday against Evansville at the KFC Yum! Center, followed by four more games in the next 10 days. Right now we do not know exactly how the season will go. Louisville is currently scheduled to play 27 regular season games, including a full 20 game ACC schedule.

Games are being cancelled and postponed all over the country. As of now, none of Louisville’s game have been affected by COVID-19. It would be a bit foolish to assume that everything will go as planned this year, but the NCAA is more than likely going to have a full season that culminates with some sort of postseason bubble. The CSZ staff is here with some bold predictions for Team 107.

Ben Gumbel

• Louisville will lead the ACC in bench scoring.
• Josh Nickelberry will lead Louisville in made three-pointers.
• Jae’lyn Withers will start all 20 conference games, even after Malik Williams returns to the lineup.

Jeremy Wahman

• Samuell Williamson will play himself into a lottery pick.
• Aidan Igiehon will contribute immediately at the level we initially thought and will be the primary reason the Cards win 22 regular season games.
• As a result of the first two predictions, I feel like the Cards have the talent to hang another Final Four banner in the Yum Center.
• JJ Traynor will score 300 points this season

Cards Hive

• David Johnson will solidify himself as a Lottery pick.
• Samuell Williamson triples his scoring average from his freshman year, going from 4.0 ppg to 12.0 ppg.
• Dre Davis makes the All-ACC Freshman Team.

Jeff Nunn

With so many uncertainties with the virus, we don’t know how many games will be changed, cancelled, moved or who who will have to quarantine and miss multiple games for the Cards or their opponents. So it’s really difficult to predict a win total or predict a victory over a rival. But I can predict a few things that I hope to come true.

• Johnson, Williamson and Jones will all average over 12 points per game.
• David Johnson is named to the All-ACC first team.
• Jae’lyn Withers wins ACC sixth man of the year.

Katie Goben

I think this season is hard to predict. I think UofL has the talent to go into the Wisconsin game undefeated, but if COVID allows that is a totally different question. Either way, I think WKU will give us a good idea of who this team is and could be a trap game to start out with. Wisconsin will show our grit and UK, well, I just really want to beat them. I don’t care how or what it looks like. I (we) deserve at least one thing to look back at 2020 at with some type of happiness. I think this team makes it to the Sweet Sixteen and could definitely surprise everyone with an Elite 8 run. But like everything else this year, I fear to get too optimistic because we truly have no idea what to expect.

Samuel Basden

There is a lot of uncertainty about this year’s team.

• Josh Nickelberry to be in the running for 6th man of the year in the ACC.
• Carlik Jones will lead the team in scoring.
• Quinn Slazinski is going to lead the ACC in 3pt % this year.

This team has loads of potential, it is important that upperclassmen and grad transfers help the talented sophomores early on in the season. Missing Williams will hurt a lot, but I do believe with him being on the bench we can lessen the blow of him not being on the floor.

Shawn Barbour

• Jae’lyn Withers is going to play a lot of minutes early.
• David Johnson will have one or two triple-doubles and will average a near double-double in points and assists.
• Carlik Jones will lead the team i scoring, will have at least one triple-double and will win ACC POY.

Higgy

• Carlik Jones wins newcomer of the year in the ACC and will be a dark horse candidate for POY.
• Dre Davis will be the Sixth Man.

Dalton Pence