Men's Basketball Faces Michigan in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament

GAME 34 – NCAA Tournament Second Round
Date: Sunday, March 19, 12:10 p.m. 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)
Series History: UofL leads 3-0 (1-0 in Louisville, 1-0 in Ann Arbor, 1-0 neutral)
Last Meeting: UofL 82, Michigan 76 (April 8, 2013 at Atlanta, Ga., NCAA National Championship title game)
UofL National Ranking: 10th USA Today, 10th Associated Press

Louisville is seeking to reach the NCAA Sweet 16 for the 22nd occasion and the fifth time in the last six years when the Cardinals face Michigan on Sunday.

The Cardinals played in a school-record four straight Sweet 16s from 2012-15 and did not participate in the tournament last year. Only three teams have been to more Sweet 16 appearances than Louisville's 21 since the NCAA began Sweet 16 records in 1975 (North Carolina 27, Duke 25, Kentucky 24; Kansas also has 21). With its first round victory over Jacksonville State, the Cardinals improved to 53-10 when playing as a higher seed in NCAA Tournament competition.

In winning nine of its last 13 games, the Cardinals have averaged 79.6 points, shot 48 percent from the field, 38.4 percent from the three-point line (103-of-268), limited its opponents to 42.3 percent accuracy from the field and allowed an average of 70.4 points. UofL has shot 50 percent or better from the field on five occasions during that 13-game stretch.

After missing six games with a hip injury, Quentin Snider has averaged 14.4 points, 4.4 assists and has made 22-of-52 three-pointers (.422) over the last nine 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 five games, Ray Spalding has averaged 10.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, shot 75 percent from the field (21-of-28) and has blocked three shots. Combined with Jaylen Johnson off the bench, the Cardinals' power forward combo has averaged 16.6 points and 11.4 rebounds in those five 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 five games, averaging 16.4 points in that stretch and scoring over 20 in two of the last four games.

UofL Coach Rick Pitino has a 54-18 record in NCAA Tournament play (.750), 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.

Led by Derrick Walton Jr., the No. 23-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team (25-11, 10-8 Big Ten) advanced to the NCAA Tournament second round after a thrilling 92-91 win over No. 10 seed Oklahoma State in the first round.

The Wolverines set a new school NCAA Tournament record with 16 three-point field goals against Oklahoma State. The 16 triples is also tied for the fifth-most in a single game in NCAA Tournament history and helped U-M set a new school record with 344 made three-pointers this season. Michigan is 11-2 in its last 13 games and became the lowest seed ever to win the Big Ten Tournament last week when, as the No. 8 seed, the Wolverines downed Illinois, Purdue, Minnesota and Wisconsin on its way to winning the championship.

Derrick Walton Jr. and Zak Irvin were named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team last week, with Walton taking home Most Outstanding Player honors. Walton averaged 20.5 points and 6.3 assists per game in the four-game run while Irvin averaged 14.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest.

Michigan is making its 27th (22nd*) all-time NCAA Tournament appearance, and its seventh under head coach John Beilein. The Wolverines have appeared in the NCAA Tournament in six of the last seven seasons.

Men's Basketball Faces Michigan in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament

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Players Mentioned

Deng Adel

Jaylen Johnson

Quentin Snider

Ray Spalding

University of Louisville Athletics