Pitino, Van Treese Preview Wednesday's Game against Louisiana Lafayette
December 22, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 22, 2009
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville men's basketball head coach Rick Pitino and freshman forward Stephan Van Treese met with members of the media on Tuesday at the Yum! Center to preview Wednesday's game against Louisiana Lafayette. The Cards and Ragin' Cajuns will tip off at 7:07 p.m. ET at Freedom Hall and the game will be televised by WHAS-TV in Louisville.
U of L will play its sixth of eight straight games in Freedom Hall as the Cardinals face Louisiana Lafayette on Wednesday. The Cardinals beat Western Kentucky 102-75 last Saturday in the Billy Minardi Classic as U of L scored 36 points off turnovers. Edgar Sosa was named MVP with 17 points and five assists, and was also honored on the BIG EAST Honor Roll this week. Samardo Samuels leads the team with 15.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
Louisiana Lafayette (4-6, 1-0) has won three of its last five games, but dropped its last outing against Tulane 73-70 as Tyren Johson and Chris Gradnigo scored 23 and 1 points, respectively for the Ragin' Cajuns, which shot 56.3 percent from the field in the loss. ULL won its Sun Belt Conference opener, an 81-74 victory over Florida Atlantic on Dec. 12. The Ragin' Cajuns are no. 135 in the ratings percentage (RPI) and is no. 128 in the Sagarin Ratings through games of Dec. 20.
Louisville has won all seven of its previous meetings with Louisiana Lafayette, which was formerly known as Southwestern Louisiana. The Cardinals won the last meeting 68-62 in the NCAA Tournament First Round in Nashville, Tenn. (3/18/05), the first tournament game on the Cards' run to the 2005 Final Four.
Jennings Suspended for Louisiana Lafayette Game
University of Louisville sophomore forward Terrence Jennings has been suspended for the Cardinals' Dec. 23 game against Louisiana Lafayette for a violation of team rules.
U of L Coach Rick Pitino had planned to start Jennings on Wednesday for the first time in his career in the same frontcourt with Samardo Samuels, a lineup many Cardinal fans had hoped to see. Jennings had played well of late, averaging 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds over the last three games. He matched a season-high with 11 points against Western Kentucky last Saturday, adding five rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.
GAME FACTS - Louisville (7-3) vs. Louisiana Lafayette (4-6)
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 23
Time: 7:07 p.m. ET
Site: Crum Court / Freedom Hall (18,865), Louisville, Ky. (UofL 675-139 all-time in Freedom Hall)
TV: WHAS (Ch. 11 in Louisville) will televise the game with Drew Deener (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst)
Radio: WHAS (840 AM) with Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Doug Ormay (analyst)
SIRIUS: SIRIUS Satellite Radio Ch. 158
Series History: U of L leads 7-0 all-time (5-0 in Louisville, 2-0 neutral)
Last Meeting: U of L 68, Louisiana Lafayette 62 (March 18, 2005 in Nashville, Tenn.)
National Ranking: U of L is receiving votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll this week; Louisiana Lafayette is unranked.
Satellite Coordinates: AMC 6, Transponder K21V, Ch. A (KU digital; downlink frequency 12111 vertical; data rate: 18.30Mb; symbol: 13.235)
Officials: Ed Hightower, Michael Stephens, Todd Williams
Next U of L Game: Dec. 27 vs. Radford, 7:07 p.m. ET (WHAS-TV)
