Cards Face NC State on Wednesday in KFC Yum! Center

Game Information
Site: KFC Yum! Center/Denny Crum Court, Louisville, Ky. (22,090) (177-30 in 12th year)
Television: ACC Network - Angel Gray, play-by-play; Dan Bonner, analyst.
Radio: WHAS (840 AM; Paul Rogers, play-by-play; Bob Valvano, analyst (Sirius channel 84, XM 84, SiriusXM App 84)
Series History: Louisville leads 14-10 (7-2 in Louisville, 6-6 in Raleigh, 1-2 neutral)
Last Meeting: UofL 73, NC State 68 (Dec. 4, 2021 at Raleigh, N.C.)
UofL National Ranking: unranked in USA Today & Associated Press polls
Next UofL Game: Jan. 15 at Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa., 4 p.m. ET (ACC Network)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Positioned in second place in the ACC, Louisville returns home to the KFC Yum! Center -- where it plays five of its next seven games -- as the Cardinals face the NC State Wolfpack for the second time this season on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET.

Louisville dropped its first ACC game of the season in falling 79-70 at Florida State last Saturday as El Ellis led the Cardinals with 14 points and three assists off the bench, his second straight double-figure scoring effort. Samuell Williamson added 13 points and seven rebounds, while Mason Faulkner totaled 12 points and three assists for the Cardinals.

Williamson has averaged 9.3 points and 6.0 rebounds over the last four since joining the starting lineup. He has scored nine or more points in three of the last four, including 13 points and seven rebounds at Florida State in his last game. He is second in rebounding (5.0 rpg) for the Cardinals this year.

Faulkner has scored in double figures in four of his last five games, including 12 points and three assists at Florida State in his last game. He is second on the team in assists (37 total), and is third in the ACC in assist-turnovers ratio in ACC only games with 14 assists and only three turnovers.

Coached by former UofL assistant coach Kevin Keatts, NC State (8-8, 1-4 ACC) won its first ACC game 68-63 at Virginia Tech on Jan. 4 and fell 70-65 to Clemson in a home game on Jan. 8 as Dereon Seabron scored 27 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Wolfpack.

Seabron, twice named ACC Player of the Week this season, is second in the ACC in rebounding (9.4 per game), third in scoring (20.1 ppg) and sixth in field goal percentage (.536). NC State leads the ACC in free throws made (252) and offensive rebounds, ranking eighth and 34th in the nation, respectively.

Louisville has a 14-10 series advantage over NC State and has won six of the last seven meetings. In the last matchup earlier this season, the Cards prevailed 73-68 at NC State on Dec. 4 in the ACC opener for both schools as Malik Williams led Louisville with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Notes

Louisville has a 62-18 record in its conference home games over the last 10 years (.775). UofL has the fourth-most conference home wins in its eight years in the ACC with a 48-15 ACC home record.
Louisville has averaged 27.9 points per game from its bench this season. The Cardinals' bench contributed 39 points at Florida State (third-most this season), UofL's seventh game this season with over 30 bench points.
Jarrod West, third in the nation in career steals among active players with 280, needs one point for 1,300 in his career at Marshall and UofL. West is fourth in the ACC in assists-turnovers ratio (2.25), fifth in steals (1.7) and ninth in assists.
The Cardinals beat the Wolfpack 75-65 in the 2015 NCAA East Region semifinals in Syracuse, N.Y. (3-27-15) as Montrezl Harrell led UofL with 24 points and Terry Rozier added 17 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. NC State was the last team to beat Louisville in 1986 before the Cardinals won their last 17 games to win the NCAA Championship.
Louisville has an all-time 20-8 record in games played on Jan. 12, winning its last three and five of the last six games played on that date.
Malik Williams has grabbed at least eight rebounds in 10 of his 13 games and is third in the ACC in rebounding (8.9 rpg) and 21st in the nation in defensive rebounding (6.9 per game). He needs 14 rebounds for 600 in his career.
Noah Locke, fifth in the ACC in three-pointers made per game (2.5), needs five points for 1,100 points in his collegiate career. He has made at least three threes in eight games.
Louisville is No. 39 nationally in adjusted defense in KenPom analytics (4th in the ACC). The Cardinals rank 19th in the NCAA in defensive rebounding (29.1 rpg), 50th in field goal percentage defense (.396) and 41st in total rebounds per game (39.8).

University of Louisville Athletics

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Players Mentioned

El Ellis

Mason Faulkner

Noah Locke

Jarrod West

Malik Williams

Samuell Williamson

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