LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- There are 364 Division I men's basketball programs competing in the 2024-25 season.
One program — William & Mary — has taken a greater percentage of its field goal attempts from distance than Pat Kelsey's Louisville (3-1) team.
Of the Cardinals' 249 shots, 136 have been three-pointers. That is 54.6% of the Cards attempts. (For context, the 2013 Louisville squad took 30% of its shots from three.)
"Well-coached guys who can make the long ball," Indiana coach Mike Woodson said on the eve of his team's game with Louisville. "Got bigs that are active ad have a lot of talent.
"This will be a big test for our ball club to see where we are as a team. I'm just kind of anxious to get to the game to see where we are."
To find Indiana on that list, you need to scroll and scroll and scroll. The Hoosiers take less than one-third of their shots from deep. A season after Woodson's team ranked 351st in that category and the IU coach pledged that his team would attempt more threes, the Hoosiers rank 344th this year. They have increased the percentage of attempts from 27.8% to 30.4%.
Indiana and Louisville will meet at noon Wednesday at the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament in The Bahamas.
For Louisville to win, the Cardinals will likely have to punish the Hoosiers from the three-point line, confounding IU with a aggressive, fearless style of play that has sometimes confounded Woodson's teams the last three seasons.
For Indiana to win, the Hoosiers will likely have to punish the Cardinals around the rim. Like Tennessee did on Nov. 8, Indiana will work on getting high percentage, two-point shots and taking advantage of Louisville's issues giving up offensive rebounds.
Right, Mike Woodson?
"In the four games that we've played, we've gone small, some, but not a lot of big minutes," Woodson said during a pre-tournament teleconference Tuesday.
"But I think we're capable of playing small. We have to,
"But you know having (Oumar) Ballo and Malik (Reneau), that's a problem for our opponents as well. They've got to match up to us as well.
"So we've just got to see how the game goes and where it leads."
Right, Pat Kelsey?
"Coach Woodson and his staff do a really good job putting them in advantageous positions that make you make tough decisions defensively," Kelsey said.
"Obviously a big, strong, physical (team). They can go at you inside with multiple players and then they're skilled and dynamic on the perimeter as well. So they have a good inside/outside threat."
It's never too early to talk about March. These games in the Bahamas, as well as the ones being played in Maui and Las Vegas this week, will factor into the NCAA Tournament selection process,
For some teams, it could be the difference between making the 68-team field or being shuffled off to the NIT. For other teams, it will be a factor in where a team is seeded.
After the Cards return from The Bahamas, they'll still face non-conference games against Ole Miss and Kentucky, a pair of teams ranked in the AP Top 25.
That's not the case for Indiana. Other than the Battle 4 Atlantis, Woodson scheduled one non-league opponent ranked in the Top 100 in Ken Pomeroy's computer power formula. That was No. 80 South Carolina which IU defeated by 16 points.
The Hoosiers will get all the cracks they need at Top 40 opponents in the Big Ten, but they need to beat Louisville to stay in the winners' bracket and almost certainly play No. 3 Gonzaga on Thursday. (The Zags open against West Virginia.)
Both teams are dealing with injury questions. Louisville will be without forward Aboubacar Traore and might be without backup point guard Koren Johnson.
Woodson said he was not certain about the availability of guards Gabe Cupps and Jakai Newton, who have not played in the Hoosiers last two games.
"I'm here to win and I'll win at all costs," Woodson said. "If it means playing 10 guys, eight guys, seven guys ... only time will tell. Just got to wait for the game and see where it leads us."
"I think for all of us we're focused on winning this tournament," U of L point guard Chucky Hepburn said. "We really don't care about anything else (like enjoying the weather or water) …
"... We know these games are very important for us and for the city of Louisville. We're coming focused. We're coming prepared. We're going to bring it and give all the energy we have to be able to win this tournament."
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