Cardinals Face No. 5 Tennessee in the NIT Season Tipoff on Wednesday

GAME 4
Date: Nov. 21, 2018
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Site: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y. (17,732)
Television: ESPN2 -- Tom Hart, play-by-play; Fran Fraschilla, analyst.
Radio: WKRD (790 AM) Paul Rogers, play-by-play; Bob Valvano, analyst (Sirius channel 138, XM 391, Internet 981)
Series History: Louisville leads 12-7 (5-4 in Louisville, 5-2 in Knoxville, 2-1 neutral)
Last Meeting: UofL 79, Tennessee 60 (NCAA East Region semifinals, March 27, 2008 at Charlotte, N.C.)
Next UofL Game: Nov. 23 vs. Kansas or Marquettte, NIT Season Tip-Off, Barclays Center, 7 or 9 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

Louisville will play its first of eight games this season against preseason AP Top 10 teams and its first game away from home as the Cardinals face the No. 5 ranked Tennessee Volunteers in the first game of an NIT Season Tip-Off doubleheader on Wednesday. Louisville has won its first three games, the latest of which was an 86-78 victory over Vermont last Friday as the Cardinals shot 53.1 percent from the field, made 8-of-19 three-pointers and scored 34 points in the paint. Jordan Nwora led UofL with a career-high 22 points and five rebounds while Darius Perry matched his career scoring high with 17 points, and four assists.

The Cardinals are very balanced on the offensive end, with four players averaging double figures. Sophomore Jordan Nwora leads the Cardinals in in scoring and rebounding with 18 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Darius Perry ranks second on the team with 14.7 point per game, while shooting 66.7 percent from behind the line. Steven Enoch ranks third on the team, averaging 14 points and five rebounds per game. V.J. King rounds out the top scorers with 11.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

After achieving a 26-9 record, SEC Championship and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament last season, Tennessee has won its first three games by an average margin of 26.7 points. The Vols beat Georgia Tech 66-53 in their last game on Nov. 13. as 6-7 junior forward Grant Williams – the 2018 SEC Player of the Year - scored 22 points to lead the Vols.

UT is fourth in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.293) and 14th nationally in assists per game (20.7).

Louisville has a 12-7 series advantage over Tennessee, winning the last five matchups and 12 of the last 13. In the last meeting, UofL beat Tennessee 79-60 in the 2008 NCAA East Region semifinals on March 27, 2008 in Charlotte, N.C. Earl Clark led the Cardinals with 17 points and 12 rebounds in that game.

The teams have met on one other occasion in the NCAA Tournament, with Louisville winning 70-57 in the second round of the 1983 NCAA Mideast Regional in Evansville, Ind. (3-20-83). The Cardinals advanced to the NCAA Final Four that season.

CARD FILES

Louisville has made nearly double the number of free throws (99-of-127, .780) than its opponents have attempted (44-of-59, .746). Louisville is third in the nation in free throws made and attempted, and is 30th in the nation in free throw percentage. Southern committed 39 fouls against UofL, a record for a UofL opponent.
In their first five games against outside competition including a pair of exhibitions, the Cardinals have limited their opponents to just 36.1 percent shooting from the field (98-of-271).
Louisville has a 42-4 record during the month of November over the last eight years, winning 22 of its last 24 games in that month.
Louisville is 11th in the nation in field goal percentage in early statistics, connecting on 53.5 percent from the field (77-of-144). Three Cardinals are shooting over 64 percent from the field.
UofL has won its first three games of the season for the last 10 years. The Cards have started 4-0 the last nine years entering Wednesday's game.
Louisville's 86-78 victory over Vermont on Nov. 16 was the Cards' 146th consecutive win when scoring 85 or more points in regulation.
Louisville has won 12 of its last 14 games played in New York, including a 2-2 record in the Barclays Center.
Louisville's 2019 signing class is ranked as the best in the nation by ESPN.com, third by Rivals.com and fourth by 247sports.com. All six individuals are ranked highly among the nation's prospects, including five of the six among ESPN's top 100. The impressive signing class includes Aidan Igiehon, David Johnson, Josh Nickelberry, Quinn Slazinski,

University of Louisville Athletics

Cardinals Face No. 5 Tennessee in the NIT Season Tipoff on Wednesday

Players Mentioned

Steven Enoch

V.J. King

Jordan Nwora

Darius Perry

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