Louisville doesn't need to force turnovers to win
You may hear that this game is a "bad matchup" for the Cardinals because their offense starts from their defense and, more specifically, from opponents' turnovers. Don't believe it.
It's true, of course, that the Wolverines do an excellent job of holding on to the rock. In five tournament wins, John Beilein's men have committed a turnover on just 16 percent of their possessions, which is a pretty good synonym for "next to never." But this notion that Pitino's team needs to force turnovers in order to win is one of the most persistent yet groundless myths I've run across in some time. It's gone viral, despite having little to no basis in fact.
Louisville played 198 possessions of basketball against Oregon, Duke and Wichita State, and those teams gave the ball away on just 18 percent of their possessions. Yet the Cardinals still managed to score 1.18 points per trip over those same three games. If this offense depends on turnovers from the other team, it sure has a funny way of showing it. We have now seen Louisville play three consecutive games in which opponents did not commit many turnovers, and the Cardinals are still standing. Pitino's team does not need to force turnovers in order to score. -John Gasaway
Established in 1995,
Hot Forum Topics
