LOUISVILLE— The Robert Morris men’s basketball team (4-7) will look to head into Christmas with a huge upset win over Louisville (8-3) under their belt. RMU has been on a skid as of late, losing five out of their last six games. The Cardinals, on the other hand, have won five out of their last six. This game is the second to last contest for the Colonials before their NEC schedule begins in early January. It will definitely be a big test, but let’s see how they stack up against the Cardinals.

Breaking down the Colonials

Robert Morris has had a less than successful run as of late, but they will look to reverse their fortune come Friday. Ball protection will need to be a focal point for the Colonials as they managed to turn the ball over 29 times in their last game against Rider. A staggering 33 of Rider’s 69 points came off of turnovers. Robert Morris must take care of the ball if they want to have success against Louisville.

Josh Williams managed to score 20 points against Rider as he continues to be a bright spot for the Colonials this season. Nobody else was able to score double digits, however. As a team, they shot 34% and will be looking to improve upon that tomorrow. The Colonials have several good shooters, and they will need to find a way to get open and take good shots on Friday.

The Colonials bench will also look to have a big day after only scoring 12 points in their last game. Koby Thomas will look to become more involved as will Malik Petteway. RMU must utilize everyone on their roster and everyone will need to play smart and take good shots while avoiding turnovers.

Birdwatching

Louisville has been off to a hot start as they will enter Friday’s game with an 8-3 record. Following this game, the Cardinals will take on Kentucky in a huge matchup. This game against the Colonials cannot be overlooked though as the Colonials have a large number of playmakers. In their 83-70 win over Kent State, Louisville distributed the ball well as they had four players score into double digits.

Jordan Nwora would score 13 points while adding 10 rebounds during this game, continuing his dominant start to the season. Dwayne Sutton would also add 16 points while tallying seven rebounds of his own. It was an overall dominant display by the Cardinals, who shot 51% against Kent State.

Despite their one-point loss to Indiana, Louisville has managed to notch some big wins this season. Most notably, their win over Michigan State. This team is very talented from the top of the depth chart to the bottom, however, they cannot overlook how dangerous this RMU team can be if they hit their stride.

Players to watch

Josh Williams (RMU): Josh Williams has been very exciting to watch this season. He is a very dominant player and can score at will. This game against Louisville will prove just how good Williams can be. This is arguably the Colonials’ toughest test this season, and many eyes will be on RMU’s star player.

Koby Thomas (RMU): Thomas is one of the RMU’s best playmakers, but he has not really had a huge breakout game this season. Look for him to make his presence known on Friday and get involved in the Colonials offensive attack. Thomas is dangerous with the ball in his hand. Watch and see if he can break out against Louisville.

Jordan Nwora (LOU): Nwora can score and rebound, a double threat. He is a physical and dominant player. He could easily drop 20 points and grab over 10 rebounds in Friday’s clash with the Colonials. If you watch this game, keep your eyes on him.

Dwayne Sutton (LOU) Sutton has strung together a few games with 10 plus points this season. However, he seems to be inconsistent. Let’s see if he can follow up his big game against Kent State with yet another big showing against RMU.

Prediction

The Colonials will keep up with the Cardinals for the early stages of the game, but the deep bench of Louisville and the dominant play of a few starters will be too much. Turnovers and bad shots will plague the Colonials in this one.

Final: 87–63 Louisville