Pitino, Siva Preview Saturday's Game against Pittsburgh
January 15, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 15, 2010
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville men's basketball head coach Rick Pitino and freshman guard Peyton Siva met with members of the media on Friday at the Yum! Center to preview Saturday's game against Pittsburgh. The Cards and Panthers will tip off at 12:04 p.m. ET at the Peterson Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pa., and the game will be televised regionally by the BIG EAST Network/WHAS-TV.
U of L ventures out on the road as the Cards face their second straight top 25 foe. Louisville fell 92-84 to No. 4/4 Villanova on Monday, the Cardinals first loss in four BIG EAST outings. Samardo Samuels had 21 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots in the loss. He leads the team with 15.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
Pittsburgh (14-2, 4-0 BIG EAST) has won seven straight and 10 of its last 11 games, including their initial four league games which includes the last three on the road. The Panthers (No. 16 AP, No. 20 ESPN/USA Today) won 67-57 at No. 15/15 Connecticut on Wednesday in its last game.
Pitt's only two losses came in neutral site games against Texas (78-62 on Nov. 24 in the CBE Classic) and Indiana (74-64 on Dec. 8 in the Jimmy V Classic). The Panthers are among the national leaders in scoring defense (10th in the nation, 57.9 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (20th, .386). Sophomore guard Ashton Gibbs, who has six 20-point scoring games and has made 51 of his last 53 free throws, averages a team-high 17.6 points while knocking down 39-of-93 three-point goals. Junior guard Brad Wanamaker averages 12.6 points and 6.3 rebounds. Pittsburgh is No. 7 in the ratings percentage index (RPI) and is No. 14 in the Sagarin Ratings through games of Jan. 14.
The series is tied at 4-4. Louisville has won on its last two visits to Pitt. The Cardinals knocked off top-ranked and previously unbeaten Pittsburgh 69-63 in Freedom Hall last season (1/17/09).
U of L associate coach Ralph Willard was the head coach at Pittsburgh for five seasons (1994-99), guiding his 1996-97 team there to an 18-15 mark while reaching the NIT.
GAME FACTS - Louisville (12-5, 3-1) vs. Pittsburgh (14-2, 4-0)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 16
Time: 12:04 p.m. ET
Site: Peterson Events Center (12,508), Pittsburgh, Pa.
TV: BIG EAST Network (WHAS-TV, Ch. 11 in Louisville) will televise the game with Mike Gleason (play-by-play) and Mike Kelley (analyst)
Radio: WKRD (790 AM, 101.7 FM) with Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst)
SIRIUS: SIRIUS Satellite Radio Ch. 90
Series History: Tied 4-4 all-time (2-2 in Louisville, 2-0 in Pittsburgh, 0-2 neutral)
National Ranking: U of L is unranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll and Associated Press Poll this week; Pittsburgh is ranked 16th in the AP Poll and 20th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll.
Officials: Ed Corbett, Mike Kitts, John Gaffney
Next U of L Game: Jan. 21 at Seton Hall, 7:00 p.m. ET (ESPN or ESPN2)
