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Louisville-Providence Postgame Notes
March 02, 2011 | Men's Basketball
March 2, 2011
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TEAM
- Louisville finishes with an undefeated record (9-0) at home in conference play for the 15th time in school history and the first since 1992-93 (6-0 in the Metro Conference). The nine conference home wins mark a new school record.
Undefeated records at home in league play, Louisville history
2010-11 - 9-0 (BIG EAST)
1992-93 - 6-0 (Metro)
1987-88 - 6-0 (Metro)
1983-84 - 6-0 (Metro)
1982-83 - 5-0 (Metro)
1980-81 - 6-0 (Metro)
1979-80 - 6-0 (Metro)
1978-79 - 5-0 (Metro)
1976-77 - 4-0 (Metro)
1974-75 - 8-0 (Missouri Valley)
1973-74 - 6-0 (Missouri Valley)
1972-73 - 7-0 (Missouri Valley)
1968-69 - 8-0 (Missouri Valley)
1967-68 - 8-0 (Missouri Valley)
1966-67 - 7-0 (Missouri Valley)
- U of L and Notre Dame were the only two BIG EAST schools to go without a loss at home in league play in 2010-11. The Cards have won 10 consecutive BIG EAST home games to ND's 11.
- The 10-game conference home winning streak is Louisville's second-longest since joining the BIG EAST, behind a 12-game stretch from Jan. 10, 2008-Jan. 31, 2009.
- Louisville has now won 19 consecutive home games against unranked (Associated Press) BIG EAST opponents. U of L's last loss in Louisville to a conference opponent outside the top 25 came on Jan. 1, 2008 (58-57 to Cincinnati in the BIG EAST opener).
- The Cardinals avoided losing twice in a season to a single opponent for the first time since 2006, when Connecticut, Pittsburgh, and Villanova all got the best of Louisville on two separate occasions (each was ranked in the top 12 at the time of the games).
- The Cardinals finished the home season with 19 wins, tying the school record set in 2005-06 (19-3). Louisville's home winning percentage of .905 (19-2) ends as its best since the 1993-94 squad went 14-1 (.933) inside the friendly confines of Freedom Hall.
- Louisville and Ohio State are tied for the national lead in home victories (the Buckeyes have not lost in 19 home contests this season).
- The Cardinals were victorious on Senior Day for the 10th consecutive season.
- U of L has now recorded 23 or more victories five times in the last seven years and six times in the past nine.
- Louisville battled back from at least a seven-point deficit for the fifth time in its last eight victories (Providence led 16-9 with 15:47 left in the first half) and for the sixth time in its past 10.
- The Cardinals' last four opponents have shot 32.7 percent (36-for-110) from the floor in the first half while averaging just 24.8 points. Louisville's last four opponents have all managed 60 points or fewer overall, a first for Louisville since Dec. 14-27, 2004 (five straight). Wednesday's victory came over a team second in the league in scoring (76.7 points per game).
- Louisville has held four consecutive league foes to 60 points or less for the first time since March 7, 1981-Jan. 7, 1982, when the Cards permitted Cincinnati just 31 points in the 1981 Metro Conference Tournament final before giving up 54, 57, and 53 points to Tulane, Florida State, and St. Louis, respectively in its first three conference games of the 1981-82 season.
- The Cardinals have held four straight regular-season conference opponents to 60 points or less for the first time in school history. It is also the first time U of L has held four consecutive league foes to 60 points or fewer within a single season.
- Cardinal opponents have shot just 35.2 percent (76-for-216) from the floor in the four games. Providence missed 49 of its 73 shots on the evening.
- The Cardinals took 79 shots themselves in the game, their highest total since putting up 80 against Notre Dame in an overtime win on Jan. 12, 2009. Louisville has not taken more shots in a regulation game since a non-conference matchup with VMI on Dec. 23, 2003 (82).
- U of L registered at least six steals (nine) for the 29th time in 30 games this season, giving Louisville the fewest games in the nation with fewer than six thefts.
- Providence became the 23rd Louisville opponent this season to record at least two more turnovers (18) than assists (seven). No player other than senior guard Marshon Brooks (a career-high seven assists) picked up an assist in the game for the Friars.
- In addition to holding Brooks (25.1 points per game, second in the nation) to his second-lowest point total of the season (12) and his lowest in BIG EAST play, the Cards held league assist leader Vincent Council (6.1 per game) without an assist for the first time in his career.
- With nine turnovers against PC, Louisville has now turned the ball over just 38 times over the past four contests (9.5 per game).
- Louisville improves to 11-5 all-time against the Friars, including 6-0 at home. The Cardinals have won 10 of the past 11 meetings.
- Louisville head coach Rick Pitino improves to 7-1 against his former team.
PLAYER
- Senior Preston Knowles now has the fifth-highest single-season three-point total (86) in Cardinal history after a 3-for-8 effort from behind the arc on Senior Night. Knowles passed the totals of DeJuan Wheat (84 in 1994-95) and Larry O'Bannon (85 in 2004-05).
Most threes in a season, Louisville history
1. 122 - Taquan Dean (2004-05)
2. 105 - Taquan Dean (2005-06)
3. 97 - DeJuan Wheat (1996-97)
4. 91 - Reece Gaines (2001-02)
5. 86 - Preston Knowles (2010-11)
6. 85 - Larry O'Bannon (2004-05)
7. 84 - DeJuan Wheat (1994-95)
8. 78 - DeJuan Wheat (1995-96)
9. 75 - Reece Gaines (2002-03)
10. 71 - Francisco Garcia (2004-05)
10. 71 - Taquan Dean (2003-04)
- In his 128th career game and the final home contest of his career, Knowles put together his first career double-double, grabbing a career-best 10 rebounds to go along with 20 points. He also notched five assists in the game, making him the first Cardinal to have 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in one game since Earl Clark (24, 10, and seven, respectively) did so in a win over Providence on March 12, 2009.
- There have now been 12 instances of the "20-10-5" game in the past 25 years at U of L, with three of the last six coming against the Friars--the feat was so rare at one point that it was only reached once in a span of nearly 15 years (Feb. 14, 1992-Jan. 12, 2007). Terrence Williams has accomplished the feat three times in those 25 seasons, the most by any Louisville player.
20-10-5 games by Louisville players, since 1986-87
3.2.11 - 20-10-5 - Preston Knowles (Providence)
3.12.09 - 24-10-7 - Earl Clark (Providence)
1.12.09 - 24-16-8 - Terrence Williams (Notre Dame)
12.27.08 - 21-10-7 - Terrence Williams (UAB)
11.18.07 - 20-14-7 - Earl Clark (Jackson State)
1.13.07 - 23-12-5 - Terrence Williams (Providence)
1.3.00 - 22-11-5 - Tony Williams (Tulane)
2.13.92 - 23-11-5 - Everick Sullivan (South Florida)
2.24.90 - 20-10-6 - LaBradford Smith (UNLV)
3.18.89 - 21-15-8 - Pervis Ellison (Arkansas)
12.16.87 - 24-11-9 - Herbert Crook (Cleveland State)
12.12.87 - 20-13-5 - Pervis Ellison (Kentucky)
- Knowles (one steal) has now collected at least one theft in 21 of his past 22 games.
- Knowles has 21 assists (5.3 per game) over his last four outings.
- Senior George Goode made his third career start in the game and second this season (he also started in the BIG EAST opener against Seton Hall). Goode has scored less than a minute into each of his starts this year, converting on a pass from Peyton Siva 59 seconds in on Wednesday.
- Junior Kyle Kuric's turnover a minute and 32 seconds into the contest was his first in a span of 104 minutes of playing time dating back to the Cincinnati game (Feb. 16).
- Kuric notched a career-high tying nine rebounds in the contest, giving him 46 over his last seven contests, or 6.6 per game. Kuric had averaged 2.7 rebounds per game this season prior to that.
- Kuric also set career bests in field goals made (11) and field goal attempts (18) in his 25-point night, his fifth 20-point game this season and his third with 25 or more.
- Junior Terrence Jennings picked up his 42nd career multi-block game on Wednesday as well as his 21st with at least three stuffs.
- Sophomore Peyton Siva's three-steal game elevated him into the top 10 in Cardinal history for steals in a season (65). The guard currently sits in a tie for 10th with Francisco Garcia (2004-05) and Charles Jones (1983-84).
Steals in a season, Louisville history
1. 86 - Terrence Williams (2008-09)
1. 86 - Tick Rogers (1994-95)
1. 86 - Darrell Griffith (1979-80)
4. 83 - Alvin Sims (1995-96)
5. 74 - LaBradford Smith (1989-90)
6. 72 - Jason Osborne (1994-95)
7. 68 - DeJuan Wheat (1996-97)
8. 67 - Tick Rogers (1995-96)
8. 67 - Roger Burkman (1979-80)
10. 65 - Peyton Siva (2010-11)
10. 65 - Francisco Garcia (2004-05)
10. 65 - Charles Jones (1983-84)
- Siva's steal total is already the second-highest ever by a Cardinal freshman or sophomore. Only Jason Osborne (72 as a sophomore in 1994-95) has garnered more.
- Seven assists for Siva give him an even 5.0 assist average for the season, a mark that would be the fifth-highest in Cardinal history and highest since LaBradford Smith averaged a school-record 6.5 dimes per game in 1989-90.
Highest single-season assist average, Louisville history
1. 6.46 - LaBradford Smith (1989-90)
2. 5.58 - LaBradford Smith (1988-89)
3. 5.57 - Phil Bond (1976-77)
4. 5.43 - Phil Bond (1975-76)
5. 5.00 - Peyton Siva (2010-11)
5. 5.00 - Terrence Williams (2008-09)
7. 4.97 - Reece Gaines (2002-03)
- Junior Chris Smith notched four assists without a turnover on Wednesday, giving him 21 assists and seven turnovers over the past seven games.
