Top-Ranked Men's Basketball Faces Sixth-Ranked Syracuse Saturday
January 18, 2013 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 18, 2013
| No. 1/1 Louisville vs. No. 6/6 Syracuse | |||
| Date: Saturday, Jan. 19 | |||
| Time: 4 p.m. ET | |||
| Location: KFC Yum! Center / Crum Court, Louisville, Ky. | |||
| Game Notes: Louisville | Syracuse | |||
| TV: ESPN (WatchESPN) / Mike Patrick (pbp), Len Elmore (analyst) | |||
| Radio: WKRD 790 & WHAS 840 | Listen Here | SIRIUS 91, XM 91 | |||
| Audio: | Rick Pitino Gorgui Dieng | Video: | Rick Pitino Gorgui Dieng |
| Podcast: | Click Here | ||
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Following a solid league road win over Connecticut, the University of Louisville men's basketball team returns home this Saturday to square off with sixth-ranked Syracuse in the KFC Yum! Center.
The Jan. 19 contest tips off at 4 p.m. and will air on ESPN, with Mike Patrick (play-by-play) and Len Elmore (analyst) calling the action. The contest also can be found on WKRD 790 AM and WHAS 840 AM, with Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Doug Ormay (analyst) broadcasting the game.
The No. 1-ranked Cardinals flew past the Huskies Monday night, 73-58, to extend their win streak to 12. After trailing to the Huskies 34-28 at the end of the first period, the Cardinals opened the second half on a 13-7 run, evening the score at 41. From there, Louisville went on a 19-3 run, behind a couple of dunks by Gorgui Dieng and a pair of 3s from Peyton Siva and Luke Hancock.
Louisville's second half success was in large part due to its excellent shooting, while intensifying its defense. The Cardinals went 17-of-28 (60.7 percent) from the field while holding the Huskies to 7-of-27 shooting (25.9 percent). UConn's 39.6 from the field is the 11th time (third straight) the Cardinals have held an opponent to under 40 percent from the field.
In the victory, Russ Smith continued his dominance on the offensive end, leading all scores with 23 points. The 23 points marks the eighth time Smith has scored over 20 points in a game, including four of the last six. Gorgui Dieng had a career performance on the glass, tying his personal best with 16 boards, a mark he's reached three times. Dieng also is on his way to becoming second all-time in blocked shots for the Cardinals. He currently has 206, two behind No. 2 Charles Jones (1980-84).
The Cardinals (16-1, 4-0 BIG EAST) continue to rank among the national leaders on the defensive end. They currently rank second in turnover margin (7.7), third in steals per game (11.5), and 15th in scoring defense, holding opponents to 56.3 points per game.
Syracuse (16-1, 4-0) has seen similar success on defense. The Orange rank fourth in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.354), fifth in steals per game (10.7), 11th in turnover margin (4.6), and 26th in scoring defense (57.8).
The last time out, Syracuse beat Villanova 72-61 in the Carrier Dome. Reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week C.J. Fair led the Orange with 22 points and four blocks. Michael Carter-Williams added 10 points, seven assists, and three steals. Carter-Williams leads the nation in assists per game (9.4) and is fourth in steals (3.2).
The Orange are under the direction of Jim Boeheim, who is in his 37th season as head coach. Currently, he owns a 906-305 record, all coming at Syracuse. The 2005 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee has the led the Orange to the postseason in all but one of his years.
On Jan. 2 in a win over Rutgers, Boeheim received his 903rd Division I victory, passing Bobby Knight for sole possession of second all-time in Division I college basketball. Boeheim is chasing future ACC rival Mike Krzyzewski, who currently has 942 victories.
Currently, Brandon Triche leads the team with 14.1 points per game. Carter-Williams, who is averaging 11.9 points as a freshman, ranks No. 1 nationally in assists per game (9.4) and No. 4 in steals per game (3.18), and has a team-best 160 assists and 54 steals.
The SERIES - Louisville vs. Syracuse
Louisville and Syracuse have met 19 times since 1964, and the Cardinals hold a 13-6 series advantage. Louisville has won seven of the last nine meetings, with the two losses coming last season. On Feb. 13 of last year, No. 2-ranked Syracuse edged out Louisville in the KFC Yum! Center, 52-51. Chane Behanan tallied 16 points and nine rebounds, while Chris Smith added 10 points. The two teams faced again on March 3, with Syracuse winning 58-49 in the Carrier Dome.
GAME FACTS - Louisville vs. Syracuse
Date: Saturday, Jan. 19
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET
Site: KFC Yum! Center/Crum Court, Louisville, Ky. (22,000)
TV: ESPN will broadcast the game, with Mike Patrick (play-by-play) and Len Elmore (analyst) calling the action.
Radio: The game is available on WKRD (790 AM) & WHAS (840 AM) with Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Doug Ormay (analyst) on the call.
SIRIUS: The game also will be available on SIRUS channel 91 and XM channel 91.
Series History: Louisville leads the all all-time series 13-6 (7-2 in Louisville, 2-4 in Syracuse, 4-0 neutral)
Officials: Michael Stephens, Ed Corbett, Tim Clougherty
Next U of L Game: Tuesday, Jan. 22 at Villanova, Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pa., 8 p.m. ET (BIG EAST Network/WHAS-TV).
