Pitino Previews Saturday's BIG EAST Contest at Providence
January 21, 2011 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 21, 2011
Game Notes
Rick Pitino Audio | Rick Pitino on Podcast
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino met with the media Friday afternoon at the Yum! Center to preview Saturday's BIG EAST road game at Providence on Jan. 22 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. The game is set for a 5 p.m. ET tip, and the game will be broadcast on ESPNU, with Beth Mowins (play-by-play) and Mike Kelley (color) calling the action.
The Cardinals, ranked No. 15 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 19 in the AP Poll, defeated St. John's, 88-63, on Jan. 19 at home. Preston Knowles led the team in scoring for the third-straight game, tallying 25 points. However, Peyton Siva stole the show with a near triple-double, recording 10 points, 10 assists and seven steals. Kyle Kuric also registered double digits in scoring with 20 points. Louisville was solid shooting the ball, finishing the game with a 53.2 percent (33-of-62) clip from the field and going 13-of-26 (50 percent) from 3. Defensively, Louisville forced 25 St. John's turnovers, scoring 30 points off the change of possession.
Providence, currently on a six-game skid, enters Saturday's contest with an 11-8 overall mark, holding a 0-6 mark in the BIG EAST. The Friars' last loss came at USF on Jan. 16, falling to the Bulls, 79-72. Marshon Brooks, who ranks second in the league with 23.4 points per game, tallied a game-high 28 points on 11-of-24 shooting in the loss. The only other double-digit scorer for the Friars was Kadeem Batts, who finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Defensively, USF was limited to 41.9 percent (28-of-67) shooting from the field and lost 12 turnovers. One of the more impressive stats of the game was that more than half of each team's points came in the paint - Providence had 42 in the paint and USF finished with 40 in the paint.
The Friars are under the direction of Keno Davis, who is in his third season with the program and has guided the team to a 42-41 overall mark. In the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, St. John's was picked to finish 14th. Behind Brooks, Vincent Council is second in the team in scoring with 14.3 points per game. In the rebounding department, Bilal Dixon leads the team with 7.8 boards per game. Collectively, the Friars rank No. 3 in the BIG EAST in offensive rebounding, with 15.4 per game.
The Series - Louisville at Providence
Louisville owns a 10-4 advantage in the all-time series against Providence, winning the last nine-straight games. Last season, the two teams met on Jan. 6, 2010, with Louisville blowing by Providence, 92-70, in Rhode Island. Louisville had 55 points in the second half. Edgar Sosa led all scorers with 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. Samardo Samuels had 17 points, and Jerry Smith finished with 14. As a team, Louisville shot 5.1.7 percent (31-of-60) from the field and 12-of-30 (40 percent) from 3. The Cardinals owned the glass, holding a 45-21 advantage, including 17 offensive boards.
GAME FACTS - Louisville at Providence
Date: Saturday, Jan. 22
Time: 5 p.m. ET
Site: Dunkin' Donuts Center, Providence, R.I. (12,410)
TV: ESPNU will televise the game, with Beth Mowins (play-by-play) and Mike Kelley (color) calling the action.
Radio: WHAS (840 AM) will broadcast the game on radio, with Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Doug Ormay (color) calling the action.
SIRIUS: Game will be available on SIRIUS Channel 127 and XM Channel 203.
Series History: Louisville leads the all-time series, 10-4 (5-0 in Louisville, 4-2 in Providence, 1-2 neutral).
Officials: Tim Higgins, Earl Walton, Jeff Anderson
Next U of L Game: Wednesday, Jan. 26 vs. West Virginia, KFC Yum! Center, 7 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
