Men's Basketball Hosts Jacksonville State on Monday Night
November 16, 2014 | Men's Basketball
GAME FACTS - Louisville vs. Jacksonville State
Site: KFC Yum! Center/Crum Court, Louisville, Ky. (22,000) (66-9 in 5th yr.)
Television: ESPN3- Jim Barbar, play-by-play; Bob Valvano, analyst
Radio: WKRD (790 AM); (joined in progress on WHAS, 840 AM) Paul Rogers, play-by-play; Doug Ormay, analyst (Sirius 108, XM 193)
Series History: First meeting (Louisville has won its last eight games against first-time opponents)
UofL National Ranking: 9th USA Today, 8th Associated Press
Officials: Sean Hull, Bill Covington, Jr., Matt Potter
Next UofL Game: Nov. 21, Marshall at KFC Yum! Center, Global Sports Showcase, 9 p.m., (ESPNU)
Game Notes vs. Jacksonville State
Louisville plays its first of 19 home games during the 2014-15 season as the Cardinals host Jacksonville State in the KFC Yum! Center on Monday, Nov. 17. It is the Cardinals' first game in the Global Sports Showcase, a five-team, round robin event played at various campus sites.
Montrezl Harrell scored a career-high 30 points to lead UofL to an 81-68 season opening victory over Minnesota on Friday in the Armed Forces Classic, played in a hangar at US Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Terry Rozier added 18 points and four assists while senior Chris Jones finished with 13 points for the Cardinals. The Cardinals never let Minnesota get comfortable, holding the Gophers to 40 percent shooting and forcing 18 turnovers.
Louisville returns two starters and eight lettermen from its successful 2013-14 squad which reached the NCAA Sweet 16 with a 31-6 record, earned the American Athletic Conference co-championship, won the league tournament title. Additionally, Louisville earned its fourth consecutive conference Team Academic Excellence Award, which recognizes the highest collective grade point average in each league sport. The Cardinals have won a nation-leading 96 games over the last three seasons.
The Gamecocks fell 74-55 at Marshall in their season opener on Friday night as Avery Moore scored 18 points off the bench to pace JSU. JSU will make it three games in six days as they visit Cleveland State on Nov. 19 after playing UofL.
Jacksonville State, which posted a 10-21 record last season, was picked to finish fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference East Division. Located in Jacksonville, Ala., the Gamecocks return four starters including 6-3 senior guard Darion Rackley, who led JSU in scoring a year ago averaging 13.1 points per game. Darrius Moore, a 6-8 redshirt sophomore forward, played with Louisville guard Chris Jones at Memphis Melrose High School when their team won the 2010 Tennessee State High School Championship.
Monday's meeting will be the first between the two teams.
CARDINAL NOTES:
• Louisville has won 19 of its last 21 home openers, including winning its last 13 straight home openers (13-0 under Pitino).
• Louisville has won its last eight games against first-time opponents. The last time the Cardinals lost to a first-time foe was in falling to California in the 2010 NCAA Tournament first round. The Cardinals are a collective 30-2 against first-time opponents over the last 13 years under Coach Rick Pitino.
• Louisville's 97 victories over the last four years are the most wins in the nation in that stretch. Louisville is the only school in the nation with three straight 30 win seasons, including a school-record 35 victories amassed by Louisville's 2012-13 NCAA Championship team (30 in 2011- 12, 31 in 2013-14).
• Last season, Louisville reached the NCAA Sweet 16 for the 20th time in school history, tied for the fourth-most in the nation. Louisville, Michigan State and Florida (last four) are the only schools that have reached each of the last three Sweet 16's.
• Louisville Coach Rick Pitino is just four victories short of 700 collegiate coaching wins. He is one of five active collegiate coaches in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, four of which are in the ACC.
• Louisville is one of just eight schools which have won 20 or more games in each of the last 12 seasons. Three others arein the ACC (Duke, Syracuse, Pittsburgh).
