Cards Battle No. 9/7 Duke on Saturday

Game Information
Site: KFC Yum! Center/Denny Crum Court, Louisville, Ky. (22,090) (178-32 in 12th year)
Television: ESPN - Bob Wischusen, play-by-play; Chris Spatola, analyst.
Radio: WKRD (790 AM) Paul Rogers, play-by-play; Jody Demling, analyst (XM channel 381, SiriusXM App 971)
Also: Compass Media - Gregg Daniels, play-by-play; Mike Wozniak, analyst.
Series History: Louisville trails 9-11 (4-3 in Louisville, 3-3 in Durham, 2-5 neutral)
Last Meeting: Duke 70, UofL 56 (March 10, 2021 in Greensboro, N.C.; ACC Tournament Second Round)
Next UofL Game: Feb. 1 vs. North Carolina, KFC Yum! Center, 8:00 p.m. ET (ACCN)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Louisville returns to the KFC Yum! Center for the first of two straight at home as the Cardinals face the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday. Tipoff is at 12:01 p.m. ET in the ESPN-televised contest.

In its lone road game in the middle of a five-game stretch, Louisville fell 64-52 at Virginia in its last game on Monday as UofL trailed by as many as 19, closed to within four and was within five points in the closing five minutes. Jarrod West led three players in double figures with a season-high matching 14 points and three assists. The Cardinals shot just 37.5 percent from the field, its six game this season below 40 percent.

West has scored a season-high matching 14 points in each of the last two games while connecting on 8-of-11 three-pointers (.727). West is third in the nation in career steals among active players with 283 and ranks is third in the ACC in assists-turnovers ratio (2.42).

UofL and Chris Mack mutually agreed to part ways on Jan. 26. Mike Pegues, a Louisville assistant coach since 2018, will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. He guided the Cardinals to a 5-1 record to start this season while Mack was serving a university suspension.

Duke (16-3, 6-2 ACC), ranked No. 9 by AP and No. 7 in the USA Today coaches poll, beat Clemson 71-69 at home in its last game on Jan. 25 as freshman forward Paolo Banchero led the Blue Devils with 19 points and added seven rebounds and four assists.

Duke leads the ACC in scoring offense (82.0 ppg), field goal percentage (.491), assists (18.0 apg), assists-turnovers ratio (1.72), blocked shots (5.7 bpg) and scoring margin (+16.2). Banchero is Duke's top scorer (17.9 ppg, fifth in the ACC) and rebounder (7.9 rpg, sixth in the ACC), scoring 20 or more in four of the last six games.

Louisville trails 9-11 in its series with Duke, but the Cardinals have won three of the last four matchups. UofL won two of three meetings last season, but Duke prevailed 70-56 in the last encounter in the 2021 ACC Tournament second round (3-10-21) as David Johnson led the Cardinals with 14 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.

Two Final Four Teams Honored

UofL will honor its 1972 and 1982 NCAA Final Four teams at halftime of the game.

This year marks the 50th anniversary for UofL's 1972 NCAA Final Four team (26-5 record), which was guided by future Hall of Fame Coach Denny Crum in his first season with the Cardinals. The Missouri Valley Conference Co-Champions featured five senior starters, including All-America guard Jim Price (1,460 career points, 1969-72), forward Ron Thomas, whose 13.0 career rebounding average is the fourth-best ever at UofL (1970-72), and 1,000-point scorer Al Vilcheck (1,048 points, 1969-72).

This season is also the 40th anniversary of the Cardinals' 1982 Final Four team (23-10), which had six seniors on its roster. Crum's fourth Final Four team, which was runner-up in the Metro Conference, included four starters that totaled over 1,000 career points in Derek Smith (1,826), Lancaster Gordon (1,614), Jerry Eaves (1,250) and Rodney McCray (1,247). The Cardinals beat UAB on its home floor to win the Mideast Regional. Smith's son Nolan is an assistant coach for Duke, the Cardinals' opponent on Saturday.

Free retro rally towels will be provided while supplies last, courtesy of the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. Fan photo opportunities with cutouts featuring some of Louisville Basketball's most iconic players and coaches will be staged behind Section 111 (Rabbit Hole lounge). Kid-friendly games and activities will be available through halftime behind sections 319-323.

Notes

UofL has committed just seven turnovers in each of its last two games. The Cards have averaged just 8.5 turnovers over its last four.
Louisville made nine three-pointers at Virginia. UofL has made at least nine threes in six games this season.
Malik Williams has grabbed at least eight rebounds in 12 of his 19 games and is fourth in the ACC in rebounding (8.5 rpg) and 23rd in the nation in defensive rebounding (6.7 per game). Williams has made 8-of-18 three-pointers over the last four games (.444).
UofL earned its second NCAA title as they prevailed 72-69 over Duke in the 1986 NCAA Championship game behind Final Four Most Outstanding Player Pervis Ellison's 25 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots (3-31-86). Louisville beat the Blue Devils 85-63 in the 2013 Midwest Region championship in Indianapolis, Ind. en route to the Cardinals' third NCAA title (3-31-13; later vacated).
Duke assistant coach Nolan Smith's father Derek Smith was a member of Louisville's 1980 NCAA Championship team and is seventh in career scoring with 1,826 points before a nine-year NBA career. Derek, who passed away on Aug. 9, 1996, is one of 20 Honored Jersey recipients for the Cardinals and is a member of the UofL Hall of Fame. Smith was the leading scorer (15.7 ppg) on Louisville's 1982 NCAA Final Four team that will be recognized at halftime of Saturday's game.
Louisville has averaged 28.4 points per game from its bench this season. Louisville's bench contributed 30 points at Virginia, UofL's 10th game this season with 30 or more bench points. The Cardinals have had 23 double-figure scoring efforts off the bench this season, including 14 points from Jarrod West and 11 from Matt Cross at Virginia. The Cards are 19th in the nation in bench minutes (41.2 percent).
Noah Locke, seventh in the ACC in three-pointers made per game (2.35), has scored in double figures seven of the last 10 games and on 13 occasions this season. He has made at least three threes in 10 games and has made 22-of-48 threes over the last eight games (.458).

University of Louisville Athletics

Players Mentioned

Matt Cross

David Johnson

Noah Locke

Jarrod West

Malik Williams

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