Men's Basketball Opens Exhibition Play with Kentucky Wesleyan on Thursday

Thursday, November 3

LOUISVILLE, KY

7 p.m.

University of Louisville

KENTUCKY WESLEYAN

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Men's Basketball Opens Exhibition Play with Kentucky Wesleyan on Thursday

November 02, 2016 | Men's Basketball

MBB Notes vs Kentucky Wesleyan

Cardinals play first of two exhibitions on Thursday at the KFC Yum! Center

By: Kim Pemberton

Exhibition Game
Date: Nov. 3, 2015
Time: 7:02 p.m.
Site: KFC Yum! Center/Crum Court, Louisville, Ky. (22,000) (99-14 in 7th yr.)
Television: ACC Network Extra (available to authenticated subscribers of ESPN on Watch ESP app)
Kent Taylor, play-by-play; Jody Demling, analyst
Radio: WHAS (840 AM)
Paul Rogers, play-by-play; Bob Valvano, analyst (no Sirius/XM)
Series History: UofL leads 51-18 (including regular season games only; UofL leads 5-0 in exhibitions)
Last Meeting: UofL 77, Ky. Wesleyan 68 (exhibition/Nov. 9, 2015 at KFC Yum! Center)
UofL National Ranking: 14^th USA Today, 13^th Associated Press
Officials: Brent Hampton, Greg Evans, Tony Chiazza
Next UofL Game: Nov. 7 vs. Bellarmine (exhibition), 7:02 p.m., (ACC Network Extra) KFC Yum! Center

Louisville will play its first game of the 2016-17 season against outside competition as the Cardinals face the Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers in an exhibition game on Thursday night. UofL tuned up with its second public intrasquad scrimmage on Oct. 21, won 123-80 by the White squad.

Kentucky Wesleyan is the preseason choice to win the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championship. Last year, the Panthers won the G-MAC regular season and tournament titles with a 27-4 record and reached the NCAA Midwest Region quarterfinals.

The Cardinals enter the game ranked No. 13 in the AP poll and 14^th in the USA Today poll. Louisville was picked to finish fourth ACC Preseason poll. The Cardinals return 10 lettermen, including starters Quentin Snider and Jaylen Johnson, from last season's squad that finished with a 23-8 record.

Card File:

Louisville has won its last 31 straight in-season exhibition games, a span stretching the last 16 years (since 2001). The Cardinals last dropped an exhibition game on Dec. 2, 2000 when falling 87-86 in double overtime to a Global Sports team in Freedom Hall
Louisville's 146 victories over the last five years are the fifth-most wins in the nation in that stretch. The Cards are one of just three teams to win at least 30 games in three of the last five seasons (30-10 in 2011-12, 35-5 in 2012-13, 31-6 in 2013-14).
Louisville is one of just four schools which have won 20 or more games in each of the last 14 seasons (also Kansas, Duke and Gonzaga).
Co-captain Quentin Snider is the Cardinals' leading returning scorer for the second straight season year, averaging 9.4 points and 3.5 assists (4^th in the ACC; his 2.73 assist-turnover ratio was 43^rd in the nation).
UofL Coach Rick Pitino enters the season needing five victories to reach 750 in his collegiate career and nine wins for his 400^th victory at Louisville. He is one of five active coaches with at least 740 victories.