Cardinals Face No. 19/17 Texas to Open Empire Classic

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville men's basketball hits the road for the first time this season to compete in the 2023 Saatva Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project presented by Continental Tire. The Cardinals open against No. 19/17 Texas at 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The game will air on ESPN.

The Cardinals bounced back Wednesday with a 61-41 blowout of Coppin State at home. Texas improved to 3-0 by routing Rice 80-64 on Wednesday.

Louisville is 4-1 all-time against Texas, but the two teams have not met since the 1997 NCAA East Regional.

GAME 4

2023 Empire Classic
#19/17 Texas (3-0) vs. Louisville (2-1)
November 19, 2023 | 3:30 p.m. CT
Madison Square Garden | New York

MEDIA INFO

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

Watch: ESPN (Karl Ravech, pxp | Jay Williams, analysis | Myron Medcalf, sideline)

Live Stats: Tournament Stats

TOP STORYLINES

• The Cardinals have played 53 times previously in Madison Square Garden, dating back to a 1948 matchup with Kentucky in the Olympic trials. Many memorable Louisville moments have occurred in the historic venue, including the 1956 NIT championship, Big East Tournament titles in 2009, 2012 and 2013, as well as the 1971 Holiday Festival Tournament championship in head coach Denny Crum's first season at the helm.

• The NBA's New York Knicks call Madison Square Garden home. From 2020-22, Louisville head coach Kenny Payne served as an assistant coach for the Knicks before returning to his alma mater. The Knicks posted a 41-31 record in 2020-21, finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference.

• This is also a return trip for two other members of Louisville's staff – Director of Analytics and Video Technology Gabe Snider, and Chief of Staff/Director of Basketball Administration Justin Perez. Snider worked from 2020-22 as an assistant director of video, player development and analytics for the Knicks. In that role, he analyzed game film of team and opponents to aid in creation of scouting materials, produced individual player-specific edits to support player development, and led on-court individual player development workouts among other tasks. Perez, who completed law school at Columbia University in New York City, previously worked as an intern for the Knicks.

• This will be Louisville's first game against a ranked opponent this season. The Cardinals have won 45 of their last 108 games against AP ranked opponents. Louisville has a 62-76 record against Top 25 teams over the last 13 years.

• Louisville's 41 points allowed against Coppin State on Wednesday were its fewest surrendered since Dec. 5, 2018, against Central Arkansas. It's just the third time since 2016 that they've allowed 41 points or fewer in a game.

• As of Friday, the Cardinals ranked third in the ACC and 41st in the country with 44.3 rebounds per game. They rank second in the ACC and rank 16th nationally in offensive rebounds per game (17.0). Junior forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield is ranked 35th in the country in rebounds per game (10.3), and 24th in offensive rebounds per game (4.0).

• Louisville has been outscored by 42 points from the 3-point line in its first three games, but the Cardinals have found success inside, outscoring their three opponents 122-84 in the paint.

• This trip is also a homecoming for freshman guard Ty-Laur Johnson, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. As a high school senior, Johnson attended Our Saviour Lutheran School in the Bronx.

HISTORY VS. TEXAS

Last Meeting: Louisville 78, Texas 63
March 21, 1997 | NCAA East Region Semifinal (Syracuse, N.Y.)

DeJuan Wheat sat out most of the second half with a severe ankle sprain, but the Cardinals still managed to beat Texas 78-63 to advance to the East Regional final.

Alvin Sims scored a career-high 25 points and Damion Dantzler and Alex Sanders added 17 apiece for sixth-seeded Louisville.

Wheat, averaging 18 points a game, missed seven of eight shots before hurting his left ankle with 15:52 left when he landed on the foot of a Texas player. He was carried off the court and didn't play again.

But Dantzler took over, scoring all of his season-high 17 points in the second half. Sims carried Louisville early in the game, scoring 15 in the first half when Wheat was struggling.

Texas star Reggie Freeman was held to a season-low six points, 16 below his average. Freeman scored 34 points earlier in the season against Louisville, which won that meeting 85-78 in overtime.

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Players Mentioned

Brandon Huntley-Hatfield

Ty-Laur Johnson

University of Louisville Athletics