ACC Leader Cards Face Pitt on Wednesday in KFC Yum! Center

Game Information
Site: KFC Yum! Center/Denny Crum Court, Louisville, Ky. (22,090) (176-30 in 12th year)
Television: ESPNU - Mike Couzens, play-by-play; Randolph Childress, analyst.
Radio: WKRD (790 AM; joined in progress on WHAS 840 AM) Paul Rogers, play-by-play; Bob Valvano, analyst (XM channel 371, SiriusXM App 371)
Series History: Louisville leads 20-6 (11-1 in Louisville, 9-2 in Pittsburgh, 0-3 neutral)
Last Meeting: UofL 64, Pittsburgh 54 (Dec. 22, 2020 at Pittsburgh, Pa.)
UofL National Ranking: unranked in USA Today & Associated Press polls
Next UofL Game: Jan. 8 at Florida State, Tallahassee, Fla., 8:00 p.m. ET (ESPNU)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Tied for the ACC lead, Louisville returns home to the KFC Yum! Center as the Cardinals face the Pittsburgh Panthers on Wednesday.

In its first game of 2022, Louisville prevailed 67-64 at Georgia Tech on Sunday as Malik Williams led the Cardinals with a team-leading 20 points and 10 rebounds, his ninth career double-double and fourth of the season. Williams has scored in double figures in each of his last seven games and is averaging 15.0 points per game in that stretch. He has grabbed at least eight rebounds in 10 of his 12 games and is third in the ACC in rebounding (9.4 rpg) and 15th in the nation in defensive rebounding (7.3 per game).

UofL shot 48 percent from the field, held a decisive 34-25 reboudning margin over the Yellow Jackets and built an eight-point advantage after recovering from an early seven-point deficit to win. Louisville and North Carolina are the only teams with two ACC road victories this season.

Jarrod West, who ranks third in the nation in career steals among active players with 280, needs eight points for 1,300 in his career at Marshall and UofL.

Pitt (5-8, 0-2 ACC) has won three of its last five, but fell 68-67 to Notre Dame in a home game on Dec. 28 in its last outing. The Panthers' Jan. 1 scheduled game at Virginia Tech was postponed due to COVID issues with the Hokies. Pitt has lost to Virginia and Notre Dame in ACC competition.

Pitt forward John Hugley is 14th in the ACC in scoring (14.8 ppg) and fouth in rebounding (7.9 rpg), and is 12th in the nation in free throws made (65 in 91 attempts).

Louisville has 20-6 series advantage over Pittsburgh and the Cardinals have won four straight and 16 of the last 17 meetings. Louisville prevailed 64-54 when the teams met last season (12-22-20) as David Johnson (17 points, 11 rebounds) and Samuell Williamson (14 points, 12 rebounds) each produced their first career double-doubles.

Notes

Louisville is off to a 3-0 start in the ACC for the second consecutive season. The Cardinals won their first four ACC games last season.
Mason Faulkner, who has scored in double figures his last three games and is second on the team in assists (30 total), missed UofL's game at Georgia Tech due to COVID protocols.
Noah Locke scored 10 points at Georgia Tech, his ninth game this season in double figures. He is third in the ACC in three-pointers made per game (2.5) and has made at least three threes in seven games
Dre Davis came off the bench for the first time this season at Georgia Tech and responded with 13 points, all in the second half. Davis, who has five double-figure scoring games this season, had scored just 14 points over the previous four games combined.
Matt Cross has scored in double figures in five of the last six games, including 13 points and a season-high nine rebounds and two blocked shots at Georgia Tech.
Louisville was a member of the Big East Conference with Pittsburgh for eight seasons (2005-13). Three UofL losses to Pitt came in Big East Conference Tournaments in the Cardinals' first three years in that league.
UofL Coach Chris Mack is 4-1 against Pitt, including when his first Xavier team beat the Panthers 71-68 in the 2010 NCAA Tournament Second Round in Milwaukee, Wisc. to advance to the Sweet 16. Pitt coach Jeff Capel was the head coach at Oklahoma when UofL beat the Sooners 78-48 in the 2008 NCAA Tournament second round in Birmingham, Ala. (3-23-08). UofL went on to reach the NCAA Elite Eight that season.
Louisville has held 11 of its first 13 opponents under 43 percent from the field this season and six under 40 percent. The Cardinals lead the ACC and are 35th nationally in field goal percentage defense (.388).
While Louisville has made 70.5 percent of its free throws on the season, the Cardinals have made 76.0 percent at the line (38-of-50) in the last five minutes of games
Louisville achieved a collective 3.102 grade point average for the 2021 fall semester, with 12 of its 18 student-athletes earning a 3.0 or better GPA. The Cardinals have attained a collective 3.0 GPA for 24 of the last 27 semesters. UofL has produced an ACC-best 39 All-ACC Academic Team selections over the last seven years.

University of Louisville Athletics

ACC Leader Cards Face Pitt on Wednesday in KFC Yum! Center

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Players Mentioned

Matt Cross

Dre Davis

Mason Faulkner

David Johnson

Noah Locke

Jarrod West

Malik Williams

Samuell Williamson

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