Cardinals Host Bellarmine in Wednesday's Season Opener

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The University of Louisville men's basketball team officially opens its 109th season and 13th year in the KFC Yum! Center against Bellarmine at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday. The game will air on ACC Network.

The Cardinals bounced back Thursday with an 80-73 victory over Chaminade in their exhibition finale, led by El Ellis' game-high 28 points and a 26-for-32 team free throw performance.

Bellarmine, coached by 1978 UofL graduate and former Cardinal assistant Scott Davenport, beat Centre College 71-34 in its only exhibition on Oct. 27. Louisville is 12-0 all-time against the Knights, not inclusive of eight exhibition wins between 2005-17.

GAME 1

Bellarmine (0-0) at Louisville (0-0)
November 9, 2022 | 9 p.m. ET
KFC Yum! Center | Louisville, Ky.

MEDIA INFO

Listen: Cardinal Sports Network (WLCL 93.9 FM & WGTK 970 AM flagship); Streaming (Paul Rogers, pxp | Bob Valvano, analysis)

Watch: ACC Network (Wes Durham, pxp | Dan Bonner, analysis)

Live Stats: Louisville Stats

PROMOTIONS/TICKETS

Single-Game Tickets | Season Tickets

TOP STORYLINES

• Louisville has won its last 18 season openers and 27 of its last 29. The Cardinals are 75-33 all-time in season openers, and they've won their last 21 home openers. This is the seventh time in the last eight years that UofL has opened at home.

• Through two exhibition games, redshirt junior forward Jae'Lyn Withers averaged 18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds while netting 7 of 11 3-pointers (63%) and 12 of 13 free throws (92%).

• After missing all of last season with a torn Achilles tendon, redshirt freshman guard/forward Mike James has started each of the Cardinals' exhibition games. James averaged 7.5 points and made 4 of 6 shots from long range in those games.

• El Ellis' 28 points in the Cardinals' exhibition win over Chaminade on Thursday were tied for the most by a Louisville player in an exhibition since 2008. Jordan Nwora also had 28 against Bellarmine in 2019.

• Bellarmine head coach Scott Davenport spent nine seasons on the UofL staff from 1996-2005, including five seasons under head coach Denny Crum and then the last four as administrative assistant to head coach Rick Pitino. Bellarmine assistant coach Doug Davenport was Louisville's Director of Video Operations for three years (2012-15).

• Louisville head coach Kenny Payne enters his first season at the helm after 17 years as a college and NBA assistant. Payne is the only Division I men's basketball head coach in the country who was a NBA Draft pick, as well as a national champion as a player and a coach (including as an assistant).

HISTORY VS. BELLARMINE (UofL Leads 12-0)

Last Meeting: Louisville 76, Bellarmine 64
Dec. 10, 2006 | Louisville, Ky.

Terrence Williams and Juan Palacios led Louisville with 16 points each to defeat the Bellarmine Knights 76-64 in the NABC Classic. Williams also had 12 rebounds.

Dzaflo Larkai and Matt Otte led the Knights with 14 points each.

The game looked like it might become a blowout as the Cardinals scored the first six points of the game against the Division II Knights. The Knights threatened to make a game of it when Larkai made a layup trimming the Cardinals' lead to 15-12. Louisville went on a 12-2 run, to make the score 27-14 with 8:31 left in the first half.

The closest Bellarmine would get in the second half was after an Otte 3-pointer made the score 52-46 with 13:18 left.

Louisville got its largest lead, 62-48, after a layup by freshman Derrick Caracter, with 9:13 remaining.

Cardinals Host Bellarmine in Wednesday's Season Opener

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Players Mentioned

El Ellis

Mike James

Jae'Lyn Withers

University of Louisville Athletics