Men's Basketball Faces SMU in Regular Season Road Finale
March 04, 2014 | Men's Basketball
March 4, 2014
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville men's basketball team plays its final regular season road game this season, traveling to No. 18 SMU for a Wednesday matchup in Dallas, Texas, at 7 p.m. ET.
The March 5 game will air on CBS Sports Network, with Dave Ryan (play-by-play), Pete Gillen (analyst), and Kristine Leahy (analyst) calling the action. Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst) will announce the game on WHAS 840 AM. The contest also is available on SIRIUS channel 91 and XM channel 91.
Wednesday's game marks the second meeting between the two Hall of Fame members. Louisville's Rick Pitino was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in April 2013, while SMU's Larry Brown became a member in 2002.
The two programs played for the ninth time in series history earlier this year, with the Cardinals earning a 71-63 victory to improve to 7-2 all-time against the Mustangs. Russ Smith and Luke Hancock each scored 23 points, and Montrezl Harrell had 12 points and 13 rebounds along with four blocks. SMU, which outrebounded Louisville 48-35, was led by Markus Kennedy's 12 points.
Last time out, the Cardinals had their seven-game winning streak snapped after falling at Memphis 72-66 on Saturday. Louisville, which is 24-5 overall, 13-3 in conference play, dropped to No. 11 in the Associated Press poll and ninth in the USA Today Coaches poll.
Harrell led Louisville with a career-best 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting and 12 rebounds in the loss. Smith added 19 and Hancock totaled 11 points. The Cardinals hit just 4 of 23 from beyond the arc and connected on 12-of-20 free throws, while the Tigers hit 18 of 26 of their free throw attempts. Memphis, which had four players score in double figures, was led by Michael Dixon Jr.'s 18 points off the bench.
Smith, who leads the team in scoring with 17.8 points per game, also has team highs in 3-pointers made (55), free throws made (110), assists (130), and steals (57). Harrell reached 600 career points during the Memphis game and is averaging 13.7 points and 8.2 rebounds.
Statistically, Louisville ranks in the top-15 nationally in scoring margin (No. 1, +19.8), turnover margin (No. 2, +6.7), steals per game (No. 3, 9.7), total steals (No. 4, 280), and assist-turnover ratio (No. 11, 1.50).
SMU (23-6, 12-4) is coming off its third-consecutive win after posting a 70-55 win over UCF. The Mustangs, who are ranked 18th in both major polls, currently sit third in the conference standings behind Louisville and Cincinnati.
Four SMU players reached double-digit points in the home victory against UCF, led by Kennedy's 18 points and eight rebounds. Nick Russell totaled 15 points, and Nic Moore had 13 points and four steals. The Mustangs hit 20 of 30 free throws and outscored the Knights 19-7 on the fast break.
Moore continues to lead the team in scoring, averaging 14.1 points, and also has a team-best 135 assists. Kennedy - the leading rebounder at 7.0 rebounds per game - is second on the team in scoring with 11.9 points.
Nationally, SMU ranks second in field-goal percentage defense (36.9) and ninth in field-goal percentage (49.2).
Brown's 15 wins in his first season last year is the second-highest mark by a first-year coach at SMU. He is in his ninth season as a collegiate coach and holds a 215-84 record in college that includes a national championship with 1987-88 Kansas Jayhawks. He also has 30 years of head coaching experience in the ABA and NBA, including a NBA championship with the 2004 Detroit Pistons. The two championships make Brown the only coach to win one on both the collegiate and professional level.
GAME FACTS - Louisville at SMU
Date: Wednesday, March 5
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Site: Moody Coliseum, Dallas, Texas (7,000)
TV: CBS Sports Network will broadcast the game, with Dave Ryan (play-by-play), Pete Gillen (analyst), and Kristine Leahy (analyst) calling the action.
Radio: WHAS 840 AM will broadcast the game, with Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst) calling the action. The broadcast also is available on SIRIUS channel 91 and XM channel 91.
Series History: Louisville leads 7-2 (4-0 in Louisville, 2-1 in Dallas, 1-1 neutral).
Next UofL Game: Saturday, March 8 vs. Connecticut in KFC Yum! Center, 2 p.m. ET (CBS)
