Pitino Previews Saturday's Home Game Against Gardner-Webb
December 17, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 17, 2010
Game Notes 
Rick Pitino Audio | Rick Pitino on Podcast
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville men's basketball head coach Rick Pitino met with the media Friday afternoon at the Yum! Center to preview Saturday's game against Gardner-Webb. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m., ET at KFC Yum! Center and the game will be televised by WHAS-TV locally and Wazoo Sports statewide.
The Cardinals (8-1) are playing their 10th straight game at home and enter the game coming off their first loss of the season, a 52-46 defeat to Drexel on Tuesday night. Louisville shot just 32 percent from the field and was outrebounded 46-26 in the loss, which was also the first for the Cardinals in the new KFC Yum! Center. Preston Knowles and Peyton Siva led Louisville with 13 points each but the Cardinals made just one field goal over the final 8:30 as the Dragons posted their first win over a Top 25 team since 2006.
Playing its 10th straight game away from home, Gardner-Webb (6-7) enters the game following a 71-48 loss at Arizona State on Dec. 11. The Runnin' Bulldogs have dropped their last three, also losing at Elon (90-82 on Dec. 7) and at Oklahoma (71-58 on Dec. 9). Located in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb opened the season with a 78-70 victory at Charlotte. Senior guard Jon Moore is out indefinitely with an injury suffered against Arizona. He was averaging a team-high 15.5 points and has connected on 28-of-81 three pointers this season.
The Series - Louisville vs. Gardner-Webb
This will be the first-ever meeting between the Cardinals and Runnin' Bulldogs in men's basketball. Gardner-Webb is just the fourth Big South Conference foe that the Cardinals have ever faced, having previously beaten Radford 79-53 on Dec. 27, 2009; UNC Asheville 66-51 on Dec. 30, 2006; and VMI 107-56 on Dec. 23, 2003. Taquan Dean buried a school-record nine three-point goals in that game against VMI.
GAME FACTS - Louisville vs. Gardner-Webb
Date: Saturday, Dec. 18
Time: 3:37 p.m. ET
Site: KFC Yum! Center/Crum Court, Louisville, Ky. (22,000)
TV: WHAS (Ch. 11 in Louisville) will televise the game, with Drew Deener (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst) calling the action. Wazoo Sports will also televise the game statewide
Radio: WKRD (790 AM) will broadcast the game on radio, with Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Doug Ormay (analyst) calling the action.
SIRIUS: Game available on SIRIUS 127.
Series History: First meeting
Officials: Ed Corbett, Tim Clougherty, Gary Prager
Next U of L Game: Dec. 22 at Western Kentucky, Bowling Green, Ky., 8 p.m. ET (Fox College Sports, WKYI in Louisville)
