Pitino, McGee Preview Saturday's Game against No. 1 Pittsburgh
January 16, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 16, 2009
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville men's basketball head coach Rick Pitino and senior guard Andre McGee met with members of the media on Friday at the Yum! Center to preview Saturday's game against Pittsburgh. The No. 20 Cardinals and No. 1 Panthers will tip off at 6:00 p.m. ET at Freedom Hall in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPN.
Louisville remains in Freedom Hall as the Cardinals face its third straight Top 25 foe in their ninth straight nationally televised game. U of L beat Notre Dame 87-73 in overtime on Monday as Terrence Williams nearly had a triple double with 24 points, 16 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals. Freshman Samardo Samuels leads the Cards with 13.9 points per game, while Williams is grabbing a team-high 9.3 rebounds per game.
Pittsburgh (16-0, 4-0 BIG EAST), one of three unbeaten teams remaining in the nation, has been the nation's top-ranked team in both the AP and the ESPN/USA Today polls for the last two weeks. Pitt beat USF 75-62 at home on Jan. 14 in its last game as Tyrell Biggs led four Panthers in double figures with 16 points. Sam Young leads the Panthers in scoring (18.7 ppg), while Levance Field leads the BIG EAST in assists, averaging 7.1 while scoring 10.3 points per game. DeJuan Blair averages 14.7 points and 13.0 rebounds, third best in the nation.
U of L will honor its 1983 NCAA Final Four team during halftime. The 1982-83 Cardinals posted a 32-4 record, won the Metro Conference title with a perfect 12-0 mark, and won its last 16 straight games before falling to Houston in the NCAA national semifinals. That game, which featured U of L's "Doctors of Dunk" against the Cougars' "Phi Slamma Jamma," is the highest rated college basketball game other than a national title game.
GAME FACTS - Louisville (12-3, 3-0 BIG EAST) vs. Pittsburgh (16-0, 4-0 BIG EAST)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 17
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
Site: Crum Court / Freedom Hall (18,865), Louisville, Ky. (UofL 662-136 all-time in Freedom Hall)
TV: ESPN will televise the game with Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Bill Raftery and Fran Fraschilla (analysts)
Radio: WHAS (840 AM) with Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst)
SIRIUS: SIRIUS Satellite Radio Ch. 126
Series History: U of L trails 3-4 all-time (1-1 in Louisville, 2-0 in Pittsburgh, 0-3 neutral)
Last Meeting: Pitt 76, U of L 69/OT (March 13, 2008 in Madison Square Garden, BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinal)
National Rankings: U of L is ranked 20th in both the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' and Associated Press Polls this week; Pittsburgh is ranked 1st in both the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' and AP poll.
Next U of L Game: Jan. 21 at Rutgers (Piscataway, N.J.), 7:00 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
