3 Keys for Jacksonville State

(Indianapolis, IN) – Let’s be honest, no one on the planet expects Jacksonville State to defeat Louisville in Friday’s NCAA Tournament game. So what do the Gamecocks have to do to pull off one of the biggest upsets of all-time?

What three things must Jacksonville State achieve?

Take Care of the Ball!

Louisville is sixth in the nation in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted defensive efficiency statistics. All ACC guard Donovan Mitchell led his conference in steals and is 18th nationally in that department. The Cardinals are tenth nationally in blocked shots (175) and they average almost six steals per game and Rick Pitino’s team forces almost 14 turnovers per contest. Their relentless defensive pressure undermines what opposing offenses what to accomplish.

JSU coach Ray Harper, who has coached against Louisville at previous coaching stops says it’s impossible to prepare for the pressure Louisville will bring.

Knock Down Threes

The Gamecocks won their last four games and over their final five games, JSU started shooting better from behind the line. After slumping late in the season, the Gamecocks started making over 37% of their shots from deep. Erik Durham made 52% of his threes in those final five games.

Against a team that over commits to block shots and make steals, your team has to make shots.

Believe You Belong

The underdogs are staring at a giant program, tons of hype and most likely a huge fan base. Louisville is a true ‘Blue Blood’ in college basketball. The Cardinals have won 75 NCAA Tournament games and 53 of those victories have come with Pitino on the bench.

The JSU starting five have started virtually every game and each player of that quintet plays heavy minutes. They can’t afford to come unraveled, get into foul trouble or play their whole game in the opening five minutes.

This is where Harper’s process-based approach will help. OVC Tournament MVP and second team all OVC guard Malcolm Drumwright and all-tournament team member Greg Tucker are the keys to this mindset. Tucker averages just over 11 points per game, but has been averaging over 15 points during the Gamecocks recent four-game winning streak. It’s clear that the Charleston, Missouri senior is the leader his teammates look to for direction.

Big men Christian Cunningham and Norbertas Giga have to stay within themselves. Cunningham is one of the best shot-blockers in the country, but if he feels the pressure to match the athletic Cardinal shot blockers, he could overplay his hand. Two-time ‘Newcomer of the Week‘ Giga is a 7’ post player that could be particularly effective around the block if JSU guards can handle the Louisville pressure.

Of course Louisville is loaded and perhaps the talented Cardinals can’t be stopped, but if the Gamecocks can do these three things, they will have a shot at shocking the world.

Do Good