Points of Emphasis: Louisville vs. Pitt

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - On the heels of a tough 79-63 home loss to NC State, the Louisville men’s basketball program is hitting the road in an attempt to snap a two-game losing streak, traveling to the Steel City for a rematch with Pitt.

Here are a few of the more significant storylines to follow ahead of the Cardinals' matchup against the Panthers:

Off the Schneid

After their previous matchup with Louisville, Pitt fell to 0-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and was one of three teams left in the league without a win in ACC play. While it will only have been 10 days since that matchup when these teams meet again, Pitt in no longer winless in the conference.

Immediately their loss to the Cardinals, Pitt hosted Boston College and captured a close 69-67 win against the Eagles. They might have followed that up with a 77-61 beating at the hands of Syracuse on the road, but they are not the lone winless team in conference play. That title, somewhat surprisingly, belongs to Virginia Tech.

Still Tough as Nails

In case you needed a reminder, Pitt is still one of the more physical and tough teams to play in the ACC. While they might sport a measly 6-10 record on the year, at times, they still show a lot of fight and absolutely wear teams down.

The Panthers' average defense possession lasts 18.4 seconds, which ranks 341st out of 358 D1 teams in defensive tempo. On the other end of the court, their offensive tempo is 325th.

Not only are they physical, they find a way to not be extremely reckless in the process. Their 258 free throws made on 380 attempts both rank in the top 15 in Division I, while averaging 15.7 fouls per game. While this results in teams shooting only 41.9 percent against them, this physical defense, oddly enough, only forces 10.4 turnovers per game.

The Hughley Show

On the other end of the court, Pitt isn't exactly an offensive juggernaut. Their field goal percentage of 41.2 ranks just 304th, their scoring offense of 62.3 is 327th, and their overall offensive efficiency is 213th.

But when the offense does get going, as Louisville fans know by now, it's because of John Hugley.

Against the grain of most levels of modern basketball, Pitt's offense run through the 6-foot-9, 280-pound big man. He averages a team-best 15.2 points and 8.2 rebounds, including a 32-point/13-rebound effort in the Panthers win against Boston College. He was "limited" to 11 points and seven rebounds in the last game against the Cardinals.

Guards Jamarius Burton and Femi Odukale are solid threats, as they both average double digits and shoot threes at a 33.3 percent clip, but offense flows through Hugley.

"We got to do an even better job, expecting Hugley to be on the floor a lot more," head coach Chris Mack said.

Searching for Consistency

Despite it being mid-January, Louisville is still looking for any modicum of consistency.

Against NC State, the Cardinals' starting lineup had just 11 points. Over the last three games, their elite defense has stumbled dramatically. During a time where head coach Chris Mack should know what he is getting when he puts someone on the floor, the exact opposite is happening.

"The thing that that I've noticed with a few of the guys on the team, is when things aren't going necessarily great for them, they struggle being being consistent with their effort," Mack said. "You can't do that at this level, they get exposed."

Even with the wholly inefficient production, Mack says he still will employ the same starting five against Pitt that was against NC State. However, he did have the caveat that they have to be more consistent.

(Photo of Roosevelt Wheeler: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports

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