Men's Basketball Hosts Florida International on Friday Night
December 04, 2014 | Men's Basketball
GAME FACTS - Louisville vs. Florida International
Site: KFC Yum! Center/Crum Court, Louisville, Ky. (22,000) (71-9 in 5th yr.)
Television: Fox Sports South Wes Durham, play-by-play; Mike Gminski, analyst
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Radio: WKRD (790 AM) Paul Rogers, play-by-play; Bob Valvano, analyst (Sirius 84, XM 84)
Series History: Louisville leads 3-0 (2-0 in Louisville, 1-0 in Miami)
Last Meeting: UofL 85, FIU 56 (Dec. 21, 2013 in Miami, Fla.)
UofL National Ranking: 5th USA Today, 5th Associated Press
Officials: Mike Stuart, Tim Kelly, Jerry Heater
Next UofL Game: Dec. 9 vs. Indiana, Jimmy V Classic, New York, N.Y.- Madison Square Garden, 9 p.m., (ESPN)
Game Notes vs. Florida International
Louisville plays its sixth straight home games in the KFC Yum! Center as the Cardinals face FIU on Friday evening at the KFC Yum! Center. It's the first game for the Cardinals this season that hasn't been tied to a special event or tournament. The game will tip off is at 7:00 p.m.
Louisville (6-0) beat Ohio State 64-55 in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge presented by DICK'S Sporting Goods. Wayne Blackshear scored 22 points -- one below his career high -- to lead the Cardinals, who limited Ohio State to 30.4 percent on field goals.
Louisville has four players averaging double figures. Montrezl Harrell leads the Cards in scoring with 16.7 points per game. Terry Rozier ranks second on the team in scoring with 13.2 points per game while Chris Jones averages 13.0 points and Blackshear with 11.8. The Cardinals are solid on the boards, Harrell leads the team with 9.0 rebounds per game while Chinanu Onuaku ranks second on the team with 7.7 rebounds per game. Mangok Mathiang is third with 6.8 rebounds.
Louisville's impressive early season defensive figures have the Cardinals among the nation's leaders in a several categories. With a season-best 16 steals against Savannah State, the Cardinals are averaging 11.0 steals, ranking seventh in the nation. The Cardinals are third in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 48.0 points per game. UofL has limited its opponents to just 30.3 percent shooting from the field, ranking third in the nation, and the Cardinals are also third in the nation in three-point field goal defense, allowing 21.5 percent.
The Panthers (5-3) won 59-33 at home against Kennesaw State on Dec. 2 as Dennis Mavin and Daviyon Draper scored 16 points each to pace FIU. FIU limited Kennesaw State to 26.9 percent from the field, forced 15 turnovers and held a +10 margin in rebounding for the game.
The Panthers have posted strong defensive figures through their first eight games, ranking 26th nationally in scoring defense (55.0 ppg), eighth in three-point field goal percentage defense (.215) and 93rd nationally in steals (9.0 per game). Junior center Adrian Diaz, who is 39th in the nation in blocked shots (2.5), scored a career-high 33 points at Georgia Southern on Nov. 24. He leads the Panthers in rebounding, averaging 7.5 rebounds and 13.8 points. Senior guard Dennis Mavin is FIU's top scorer, averaging 16.5 points, 5.4 points and 2.4 assists. This game is the first of an eight-game road stretch for FIU.
Louisville has won all three of its previous meetings against FIU, including an 85-56 victory in Miami last season as Russ Smith scored 18 points to lead the Cards on Dec. 21, 2013. FIU is a member of Conference USA, a league in which Louisville was a founding member and participated in for 10 seasons (1995-2005). Louisville beat C-USA member Marshall 85-67 earlier this season (11/21/14) and will play at C-USA member Western Kentucky on Dec. 20.
CARDINAL NOTES:
• Louisville Coach Rick Pitino gained his 700th collegiate coaching victory on Nov. 26. He is one of five active collegiate coaches in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (four in the ACC).
• Louisville has a 26-5 record in December over the last four years, including a 14-1 mark the last two seasons.
• Louisville has won 31 straight games at home against non-conference opponents, the eighth-longest current streak in the nation.
• Louisville's 102 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 by its 2012-13 NCAA Title team.
• Louisville has a 170-40 record (.810) against non-conference opponents in Coach Rick Pitino's 14 seasons (includes post-season). The Cardinals are 117-11 at home in regular season nonconference games under Pitino, including a 41-2 mark over the last five seasons in the KFC Yum! Center.
• Montrezl Harrell has scored in double figures in an ACC-leading 18 straight games, including 11 games with 15 points or more.
• 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.
