Sports
Ohio Faces Stiff Road Test In No. 4 Louisville
By: Brad Friedman
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Ohio (2-0) will be looking to start off its season with three consecutive victories for the first time since 2006-07 on Thursday. The Bobcats travel to No. 4 Louisville (4-0) to tangle with a team that came one game away from being crowned national champions last season.
The Cardinals are averaging 96.5 points per contest and are coming off of a 97-92 overtime victory against No. 10 Oklahoma. Six players are averaging at least ten points a game.
Asia Taylor and Sara Hammond have been the primary facilitators on offense, averaging a combined 28.1 points and 16.3 rebounds per game. Defensively, Louisville has registered 15 blocks and is outrebounding teams, 132-86, on the defensive glass.
If there are any areas of concern for the Big East juggernaut, it is in the turnover and 3-point shooting departments. The Cardinals are only shooting 33.3 percent from beyond the arc and are averaging 19.25 turnovers per contest.
For the Bobcats, guards Quiera Lampkins and Kiyanna Black have accumulated 9 steals through two games. Aggressive defense from Ohio’s guards could make life difficult for the Louisville backcourt.
Louisville sports eight players who stand on six-foot-one or taller, making an outside game all the more important. And Ohio has the shooters, as Black and fellow guard Mariah Byard have connected on 15-of-34 3-pointers this year.
Tipoff from the KFC Yum! Center is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday.