Louisville vs. Kentucky : Breakdown Position by Position

Point Guard

Peyton Siva (Louisville)/ Marquis Teague (Kentucky) - Siva is playing the best basketball of his career right now. He is playing like a true point guard. In the tournament Siva is averaging 9 points and 7 assists. He is the leader in assists in the tournament. His only problem is he has fouled out of 2 games. Teague struggled early in the season but now he has grown up and he isn’t playing like a freshman anymore. In the tournament he is averaging 14.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3 rebounds. If Teague is playing his best the Wildcats might be unbeatable. If this where earlier in the season I would give the edge to Teague but the way Siva is playing now he gets the slight edge in this matchup. Teague was just 1 of 8 from the floor and had 4 turnovers in the first match with Louisville. EDGE- Louisville

Shooting Guard

Doron Lamb (Kentucky)/ Chris Smith (Louisville) - Lamb is the best shooter left in the tournament. Lamb has turned his game up another notch in the NCAA tournament. He is averaging 16.8 points per game compared to 13.2 points in the regular season. He is shooting 60 % from three in 4 tournament games. Smith isn’t going to score a lot of points but he is a good defender and three point shooter. Smith is averaging 7 points per game in the NCAA tournament. All but 3 of his field goals have been three pointers. Lamb has a huge edge here because of his ability to score and he is also an underrated defender. Smith was just 2 of 10 from the floor the first time these two teams played. EDGE- Kentucky

Small Forward

Michael Kidd Gilchrist (Kentucky)/ Kyle Kuric (Louisville) – Gilchrist is still the best freshman in the country behind Davis. No one can stop him from driving to the basket he just has too much strength. After struggling the 1st weekend Gilchrist was unstoppable the 2nd weekend. For the tournament he is averaging 13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds. In his last two game he is averaging 21.5 points. Kuric is one of the best shooters out there but in he has struggled in the NCAA tournament. He is shooting 24 % (5-21) from three. He is still averaging 9.5 points per game in the tournament. If he gets on track watch out. In the first match between the two teams Gilchrist had a monster game with 24 points and 19 rebounds. He is just a tough player to guard and Louisville doesn’t really have anyone that can match up with him. EDGE- Kentucky

Power Forward

Terrence Jones (Kentucky)/ Chane Behanan (Louisville)- - Jones the best basketball of his Kentucky career right now. In the past he had problems with consistency but not right now. So far in 4 tournament games Jones is averaging 13.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. Without the play of the Behanan Louisville would not be in the final four. The freshman stepped up his game big time. Despite being an oversized forward Behanan gets it done. In the tournament Behanan is averring 14 points and 7.8 rebounds. He only averaged 9 points in the regular season. Both players struggled in the first matchup. Now both players are playing their best basketball of the season. I really don’t see anyone having the advantage here. EDGE- Even

Center

Anthony Davis (Kentucky)/ Gorgui Dieng (Louisville) – Davis will be the Player, Freshman, and Defensive Player of the Year. He is clearly the best player in the nation. Just look what he is doing in the NCAA tournament. Davis is averaging 14.5 points, 11 rebounds, 4.5 blocks, and 2.7 assists. His skill for his size separates him from other players. Dieng is one of the most improved players in the nation. So far in the tournament Dieng is averaging 7 points, 8 rebounds and 3.3 blocks. He is the force in the middle for Louisville. Dieng is only going to get better and better. While Dieng has improved he still has a lot to work on. Davis just has too much talent. In the first meeting between the two teams Davis finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocks. EDGE- Kentucky

Bench

Both teams don’t get too much out of their bench but they each have one player that is very capable of having a big game. If Darius Miller of Kentucky played anywhere else in the country he would be starting. The senior Miller, doesn’t complain and brings it every game. So far in the tournament Miller is averaging 13 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He is also shooting 13 out of 14 from the free throw line. Not bad for a bench player. Russ Smith (Louisville) has been by far the best player off the bench in the NCAA tournament. Despite playing minutes he really produces. So far in the tournament he is averaging 13.3 points and 3 rebounds. Smith is also making about 2 three’s per game. Smith gets the edge here because of his ability to score. In the first matchup against Kentucky Smith finished with 30 points. EDGE- Louisville

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Tags: Kentucky, Louisville