Louisville - Boise State Preview

East- Round One
Louisville Cardinals (3) Vs. Boise State Broncos (14)
Friday, March 21 @ 9:40 pm

The five top teams in the Big East are ranked nationally. The Louisville Cardinals (14- 4 Big East, 24 – 8 overall), who finished tied for second in the conference, are rated 13th going into the NCAA Tournament.

The Cardinals play Rick Pitino basketball—full court defensive press combined with a 2- 3 zone. Nationally, Louisville is rated sixth in the country in field-goal defense (38.2%) and 21st in scoring “D” (60.9 points). They average 8 steals per game.

Scoring amongst the Cardinals’ starters is fairly evenly spread out. Forward/center David Padgett (11.7 PPG, 4.6 RPG) leads the team in points, while forward Terrence Williams (11.2 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 4.5 PG) is right behind him. Swing guard/forward Earl Clark (10.7 PPG, 8.1 RPG) leads the club in rebounds. Guard Jerry Smith (10.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG) is the team’s fourth double-digit threat.

The Boise State Broncos (12- 4 WAC, 25- 8 overall) took their conference championship tournament after finishing in a four-way tie for first-place in the regular season. This is a team that shoots, shoots and shoots. They are the second-best scoring team in the nation, hitting 51.5% of their attempts and averaging 81.2 PPG.

Much of that firepower is upfront. Forward Reggie Larry (19.6 PPG, 9.3 RPG) hits 54% of his shots. He’s also a fine defender, averaging 1.4 SPG and 1.1 BPG. Matt Nelson (15.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG), another forward, is the club’s most accurate shooter, hitting 65% from the field. The Broncos finest three-point man is forward Tyler Tiedeman (14.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.1 APG), who sinks 49% from beyond the line. Point guard Anthony Thomas (8.6 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 4.2 APG) is fine at setting up plays, and he has good defensive skills.

The Cardinals will try to slow the Broncos down and take them out of their game. Physically, Louisville should dominate Boise State. But State will give the Cards a fight and if they can throw the ball up enough, they could upset the third seed in the East.