In a clash between Louisville and Western Kentucky, rebounding could be the key

Shortly after Louisville wrapped up Sunday’s victory over Prairie View A&M, redshirt freshman Jae’Lyn Withers constructed an impromptu fix-it list for himself and the Cardinals moving forward.

One, guarding the ball better. Two, boxing out “for sure,” Withers said, pointing to the Panthers’ 16 offensive rebounds.

“We’ve got to do better than that,” Withers said.

Louisville’s next chance to prove its rebounding mettle is against Western Kentucky at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the KFC Yum Center. The Cardinals (3-0) and Hilltoppers (2-1) have an intriguing battle in the Louisville bubble, with the victor gaining the spoils of a quality nonconference win.

The Cards are working on setting the tone better than their prior three outings and approaching rebounding with authority. There’s a consistent rule on a Chris Mack team, and that’s that rebounding is entrenched in effort. One doesn’t need size to make an impact on the glass, as Prairie View A&M’s rebounding leaders proved Sunday.

Faite Williams and DeWayne Cox combined for 12 boards. Both are 6-foot-2.

Louisville barely edged the Panthers on the glass in the first half of its 86-64 win at the Yum Center and finished with just five more rebounds overall. Withers accounted for more than a quarter of the Cards’ boards — nine — in a career night, but thus far Louisville’s most consistent rebounder has been point guard Carlik Jones (7.3 rebounds per game).

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U of L’s by-committee rebounding affront has been a work in progress, aside from manhandling Evansville on the glass in the season opener. Chalk some of that up to inexperience, some to the loss of rebounding stalwarts from last year and some to Malik Williams’ 3-month injury layoff. His 6.1 rebounding average may have come in handy against, say, a Seton Hall team that edged Louisville 43-41 on the glass.

Pirates post players Sandro Mamukelashvili and Ike Obiagu combined 18 of those rebounds. 

Louisville must find answers within its current core to solidify rebounding as a strength, and the sooner the better. Western Kentucky presents a massive challenge in Charles Bassey, a 6-foot-11 junior center averaging 15.7 points and 10 rebounds. Bassey, once a former five-star prospect who played at Louisville’s Aspire Academy, was named Conference USA’s player of the week Monday.

“I tried to do my best over the offseason to talk Charles into moving on to the NBA, but he wouldn’t do it,” Mack quipped Sunday evening. “So we’re going to have to contend with one of the best frontcourt players in the entire country on Tuesday night. If we rebound like we did (against Prairie View A&M), we’ll look like 'Gulliver’s Travels,' the Lilliputians around the basketball, while he’s metal eating around the rim."

Bassey had 14 points and nine boards against the Cards’ experienced post players in the teams' 2019 meeting in Nashville, a 71-54 Louisville victory. The center needed season-ending knee surgery less than two weeks later after suffering an injury against Arkansas.

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Louisville has shown growth in its three-game sample size thus far, like keeping its total turnover count to 11 against Prairie View after amassing seven miscues in the first half. Individuals have reached career highs. Resilience has been collectively proven.

Rick Stansbury’s team is also off to a promising start after beating Northern Illinois and Memphis in South Dakota and advancing to Friday's Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic championship. The Hilltoppers fell to No. 15 West Virginia, 70-64, during which Bassey and season scoring leader Taveion Hollingsworth (19 points per game) briefly left for injury-related issues and returned.

Hollingsworth is still a little out of sorts, Stansbury said Monday in a press conference. The senior guard sprained his left thumb and hyperextended his right elbow against the Mountaineers and will be a game-time decision against the Cards.

“We’ve had three or four days to try to rehab, try to get back. If he does play, he will not be 100% for sure. Those are nagging injuries. We’ll just wait and see if he’s able to go,” Stansbury said.

The game against the Hilltoppers presents another quick turn-around for Louisville, as is the nature of these multi-team events. The Cards’ journey to reaching their potential this season — and winning a fourth game in seven days — may very well begin in earnest Tuesday with their ability to control the glass.

Louisville (3-0) vs. Western Kentucky (2-1) 

6 p.m. Tuesday, KFC Yum Center

TV: Mike Couzens has the play-by-play along with analyst Jimmy Dykes on the ACC Network (Spectrum TV: 524 and 937; DirecTV: 612).

Radio: WKRD (790 AM) with Paul Rogers on play-by-play and Bob Valvano as analyst (XM channel 380, Internet 970).

Reach Shannon Russell at slrussell@gannett.com and follow on Twitter @slrussell.