Malik Reneau went for a dominant 34 points combined against Wright State and Connecticut. As a result, Kenny Payne and Louisville decided to aggressively double-team Indiana’s emerging sophomore to start the game in the post. It was an effective strategy. With Reneau also finding himself in some foul trouble in this one, he was mostly a non-factor … until late.
When Indiana’s zone defense turned things around, its offense was also running action to counter Louisville’s defense on Reneau. The Hoosiers went to some horns sets, which the Cardinals switched on the ball screen. This left Reneau in the paint with a smaller defender on him, giving him an easier matchup and situation than the constant double teams.