No. 7 Men's Basketball Plays Host to Ohio Friday
November 23, 2011 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 23, 2011
Louisville vs. Ohio Game Notes 
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Riding a four-game winning streak to open the season, the University of Louisville men's basketball team plays host to an undefeated Ohio squad on Friday, Nov. 25, at the KFC Yum! Center in the final game of the Global Sports Invitational. Tip is set for 7:07 p.m., and the game will be televised on WHAS-TV, with Drew Deener (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (color) calling the action.
No. 7/7-ranked Louisville improved to 4-0 following an impressive defensive performance against Arkansas State on Nov. 22. The Cardinals held the Red Wolves to just 27 points, the first Cardinal opponent to score fewer than 30 points since Feb. 4, 1947, when Louisville won at Georgetown College, 20-13. The Cardinals, who forced 22 Red Wolves turnovers, became the first team to hold a Division I opponent to 27 points or less since Ohio State defeated Samford, 59-22, on Nov. 29, 2008.
Louisville outscored Arkansas State, 32-15, in the second half, with Kyle Kuric pacing the offense with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Gorgui Dieng was the only other Cardinal to register double-digits in points, scoring 10 on 3-of-5 shooting, including a 4-of-4 stint from the line. Dieng also had four blocks and two steals in the win. The Cardinals won the rebounding battle, 41-33, and grabbed 11 offensive boards.
The Cardinals, looking to improve to 5-0 on the season with a win over Ohio, are also hoping to deliver head coach Rick Pitino his 250th victory at Louisville. With the victory, he would become the eighth coach in NCAA Division I history to amass 250 or more wins with one school and 200+ at another.
Ohio, which has participated in postseason action three of the last four years, has registered victories over Tennessee Martin and Lamar and, most recently, Arkansas State this season.
With a 69-54 victory over Arkansas State on Nov. 20, Ohio improved to 3-0. Three different Bobcat players tallied 13 points, including Reggie Keely, who also collected nine rebounds and two blocks. D.J. Cooper - he also had six points and three steals - and Nick Kellogg were the other two players to tally 13 points apiece. Ohio won the rebounding battle, 34-28, and had 14 offensive rebounds for 13 second-chance points. Defensively, the Bobcats held Arkansas State to 44.2 percent (19-of-43) from the floor and caused 22 Red Wolves turnovers.
The Bobcats are under the direction of fourth-year coach John Groce, who's guided the program to a 59-48 overall mark. The team returns eight letterwinners, including three starters from last year's team that went 19-16 overall and 9-7 in the MAC. Ohio was picked to finish third in the MAC's East Division, and Cooper was tabbed to the preseason all-MAC East Division Team. He leads the team with 15.3 points per game and has a team-best 19 assists.
THE SERIES - Louisville vs. Ohio
The Cardinals hold a 9-3 all-time series advantage over the Bobcats, winning the last meeting on Dec. 7, 2008, by a score of 91-56. In that game, Samardo Samuels led the Cardinals with 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including a 9-of-10 stint from the line. Earl Clark added 17 points, and Jerry Smith chipped in 16. Louisville dominated the boards, out-rebounding Ohio, 46-26. For the game, the Cardinals shot 51.6 percent (33-of-64) compared to the Bobcats 37.3 percent (19-of-51).
GAME FACTS - Louisville vs. Ohio
Date: Friday, Nov. 25
Time: 7:07 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 (color) calling the action.
Radio: WHAS (840 AM) will broadcast the game on radio, with Jim Kelch (play-by-play) and Lancaster Gordon (color) calling the action.
SIRIUS: Game will be available on SIRIUS Channel 128 and XM Channel 190.
Series History: Louisville leads the all-time series, 9-3 (7-0 in Louisville, 2-2 in Athens, 0-1 neutral).
Officials: Wally Rutecki, Lamar Simpson, Jeff Clark
Next U of L Game: Monday, Nov. 28 vs. Long Beach State, KFC Yum! Center, 7:07 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
