Men's Basketball Faces Jacksonville State on Friday in NCAA Tournament First Round

Friday, March 17

Indianapolis, IN

2:45 p.m.

University of Louisville

Jacksonville State

NCAA Practice | Media Day | Rick Pitino, V.J. King

Men's Basketball Faces Jacksonville State on Friday in NCAA Tournament First Round

March 16, 2017 | Men's Basketball

Louisville Notes Jacksonville State Notes Photo Gallery Louisville Quotes Jacksonville State Quotes

Cardinals face the Gamecocks at approximately 2:45 p.m. on CBS.

By: Kim Pemberton

GAME 33 – NCAA Tournament First Round
Date: Friday, March 17, approximately 2:45 p.m. (30 minutes after the conclusion of 2:15 p.m. Michigan vs. Oklahoma State game)
Site: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind. (17,923)
Television: CBS - Jim Nantz, play-by-play; Bill Raftery and Grant Hill, analyst; Tracy Wolfson, reporter.
Radio: WKRD (790 AM) Paul Rogers, play-by-play; Bob Valvano, analyst
Also: Westwood One - Chris Carrino, play-by-play, Jim Jackson, analyst. (Sirius 134, XM 201, Internet 961)
Only Previous Meeting: UofL 88, Jacksonville State 39 (Nov. 17, 2014 at KFC Yum! Center).
UofL National Ranking: 10th USA Today, 10th Associated Press

Louisville is making its 42nd NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017. The Cardinals have reached the NCAA Tournament 33 of the last 41 years (10 of the last 11, 13 of the last 15, 15 of the last 19 years, 21 of last 26). The Cards have reached the Sweet 16 on 21 occasions and have advanced to the Elite Eight four of the last seven seasons. Louisville is sixth in tournament victories (75) and is fifth in NCAA Tournament appearances (42). UofL has a 75-42 overall NCAA Tournament record, reaching the Final Four 10 times. Louisville did not participate in the 2016 NCAA Tournament due to a self-imposed postseason ban.

In winning eight of its last 12 games, the Cardinals have averaged 79.8 points, shot 47.9 percent from the field, 38.7 percent from the three-point line (98-of-253), limited its opponents to 42.3 percent accuracy from the field and allowed an average of 71.0 points. UofL has shot 50 percent or better from the field on five occasions during that 12-game stretch.

After missing six games with a hip injury, Quentin Snider has averaged 14.3 points, 4.4 assists and has made 19-of-45 three-pointers (.422) over the last eight games. He totaled 15 points and five assists in his last game against Duke and in the previous game vs. Notre Dame, he totaled 17 points -- 15 in the second half – six assists and made 4-of-5 three-pointers. His current stretch of 19 straight games with a three-pointer is tied for the third-longest in the ACC.

Snider is third in the ACC and 25th nationally in assists turnovers ratio (2.74). In the last four games, Ray Spalding has averaged 10.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, shot 70.8 percent from the field (17-of-34) and has blocked three shots. Combined with Jaylen Johnson off the bench, the Cardinals' power forward combo has averaged 16.5 points and 11.0 rebounds in those four games. Spalding and Johnson combined for 14 rebounds against Notre Dame in UofL's last home game. Deng Adel has been the Cardinals' scoring leader over the last four games, averaging 16.5 points in that stretch and scoring over 20 in two of the last three games.

UofL Coach Rick Pitino has a 53-18 record in NCAA Tournament play (.746), ranking him second among active coaches in winning percentage and 10th all time. Only three coaches have coached more Final Four teams than Pitino's seven, a feat matched by one other. Pitino is the first coach to win an NCAA Championship at two different schools; the first to lead three different teams to the Final Four; is one of 12 coaches to lead four different schools to the NCAA Tournament; and one of 11 active collegiate coaches who have won an NCAA Championship.

Five current Cardinals have played in NCAA Tournament games, led by the seven games that Mangok Mathiang played (also Quentin Snider and David Levitch four games, Anas Mahmoud three and Jaylen Johnson two).

Jacksonville State is making its first overall appearance in the NCAA tournament after earning its first OVC Tournament Championship with a 66-55 win over UT Martin at Nashville's Municipal Auditorium.

The Gamecocks have won 20 games for just the second time in their Division I history. Prior to its March 4 win over UT Martin in the OVC Championship Finals, Jacksonville State's lone Division I 20-win season came in 2002-03 when then-head coach Mike LaPlante led the Gamecocks to a 20-10 mark.

Malcolm Drumwright leads four players in double figures with 12.6 points per game. Christian Cunningham leads the team on the boards with 8.2 rebounds per game. Ray Harper is in his first year as head coach of the Gamecocks. Harper came to JSU after a five-year stint at Western Kentucky.