Skip to main content
Louisville HC Chris Mack Previews Pitt (1/14/22)

Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Pitt Panthers

The Cardinals are heading to the Steel City for a rematch with the Panthers.

Louisville Cardinals (10-6, 4-2 ACC) at Pitt Panthers (6-10, 1-4 ACC)

- Tipoff: Saturday, January 15th at 4:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Peterson Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pa..
- How To Watch: ACC Network
- How To Listen: WKRD 790 AM
- Betting Favorite: Line not yet set
- All-Time Series: Louisville leads 21-6
- Last Meeting: Louisville won 75-72 on Jan. 5, 2022 (KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.)

Projected Starting Lineups

Louisville

  • F Samuell Williamson (6-7, 205, Jr.)
  • F Matt Cross (6-7, 230, So.)
  • C Malik Williams (6-11, 245, Sr.)
  • G Noah Locke (6-3, 210, Sr.)
  • G Jarrod West (5-11, 185, Gr.).

Pitt

  • F Mouhamadou Gueye (6-10, 200, Gr.)
  • F John Hugley (6-9, 280, So.)
  • F William Jeffress (6-7, 205, So.)
  • G Femi Odukale (6-5, 205, So.)
  • G Jamarius Burton (6-4, 200, Sr.)

Main Storylines

Here are the more significant storylines to follow ahead of Louisville's matchup with Pitt: Points of Emphasis: Louisville vs. Pitt

Comparison

See how the Cardinals stack up against the Panthers, and who the statistical models favor: Tale of The Tape & Prediction: Louisville vs. Pitt

Game Notes

Louisville

  • Louisville dropped its second straight game in falling 79-63 to NC State in the KFC Yum! Center on Wednesday despite having their best shooting half of the season in the second half, shooting 60.9 percent (14-for-23). NC State shot 56.1 percent from the field for the game, the highest for a UofL opponent this year, including making 12-of-25 three-pointers. The Cardinals’ bench contributed a season-high 52 bench points, but managed just 11 points from its starting lineup.
  • Sydney Curry produced his first double-double for the Cardinals with 22 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes against NC State, all season-highs. A junior college transfer, he had scored 33 total points in 12 games entering the game. Curry is averaging 12.0 points and 8.0 rebounds over the last three games.
  • Louisville’s 34 ACC road wins in its eighth year in the league is the fourth-most in the ACC in that period.
  • Louisville has averaged 29.4 points per game from its bench this season. The Cardinals’ bench contributed a season-high 52 points against NC State, UofL’s eighth game this season with over 30 bench points. Louisville’s leading scorer has come off the bench in six games this season.
  • Noah Locke, fifth in the ACC in three-pointers made per game (2.5), totaled 13 points -- his 11th game in double figures this year -- vs. NC State and matched his season highs of four rebounds and three assists. He passed 1,100 points in his collegiate career on Wednesday. He has made at least three threes in nine games and has made 15-of-29 threes over the last five games.
  • Jarrod West, third in the nation in career steals among active players with 281, passed 1,300 career points at Marshall and UofL. West is fourth in the ACC in assists-turnovers ratio (2.33), sixth in steals (1.7) and 11th in assists (3.5).
  • Malik Williams has grabbed at least eight rebounds in 10 of his 15 games and is third in the ACC in rebounding (8.5 rpg) and 29th in the nation in defensive rebounding (6.9 per game). He needs 10 rebounds for 600 in his career.
  • Dre Davis scored 13 points against NC State for his sixth double-digit scoring game of the season and second in four games. He came off the bench for the first time this season at Georgia Tech and responded with 13 points, all in the second half.
  • Louisville got a season-high 52 points off its bench vs. NC State, its most since scoring 63 against Southern on Nov. 13, 2018, but managed just 11 points from its starting lineup, the fewest from a starting group in 88 years.
  • Louisville has a 47-18 record during the month of January over the last six years (.723)
  • Louisville is 8-1 this season when out-rebounding its opponent, 9-1 when shooting better from the field than the opposition, and 8-1 when shooting more free throws than its opponent
  • Louisville fought back from a 14-point deficit at Florida State to close within two points inside of five minutes remaining, but could not complete the comeback
  • Louisville has averaged shooting over nine more free throws over its last five games than it had in its first 11 games
  • The Cardinals grabbed 10 offensive rebounds at Florida State, their eighth game this season with at least 10. Louisville turned the offensive rebounds into 19 second chance points, three shy of its season best total. UofL had nine offensive boards vs. NC State. The Cardinals rank 47th in the nation in total rebounds per game (39.3)
  • Uof L held Florida State to 34.8 percent (8-for-23) from the field in the second half, the lowest shooting percentage in a half by an ACC team against Louisville this season
  • Louisville’s defense has not been as stingy in recent games as it has been earlier this season. Over the last three games, opponents are shooting 10 percent higher (.488 to .388) and scoring over 10 points more per game (76.7 to 66.0) than in the Cards’ first 13 games of the season when UofL ranked among the top 25 defenses in the nation by Kenpom analytics (No. 51 now).

Pitt

  • Louisville posted a three-point win over Pitt in the first meeting of the season in a game that featured six technical fouls, 43 fouls called and 57 free throw attempts.
  • John Hugley has scored in double figures a team-best 11 times, including five games with 20 or more points. He leads Pitt in scoring (15.2 ppg.), rebounds (8.2 rpg.), offensive rebounds (46), fi eld goals (75), fi eld goal attempts (166), free throws made (89), free throw attempts (124) and double-doubles (5).
  • Jamarius Burton has scored 14 or more points in six of the past seven games and is averaging a team-best 15.8 points per game in that stretch.
  • John Hugley ranks ninth in the NCAA in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (7.3) and free throw rate (74.7 pct.), while Femi Odukale is 13th overall in free throw rate (70.5 pct.).
  • Mouhamadou Gueye is averaging 11.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 11 games when playing 25 minutes or more. He has scored in double figures eight of the 11 contests and blocked two or more shots in seven of those games.
  • Jamarius Burton has made at least one three-point fi eld goal in each of the past nine games. He is averaging 15.0 points per game, while going 13-of-33 (.394) from three-point range in that span.
  • John Hugley has gotten to the free throw line 97 times in the past 10 games, including a career-best 20 times in the win over Boston College. He leads the league in free throw attempts (7.8 ftapg.) and free throws made (5.6 ftmpg.), while shooting 71.8 percent (89-of-124) from the charity stripe.
  • Femi Odukale is averaging 15.4 points per game in contests he makes at least one three-point field goal. He has scored in double figures in seven of the eight games this season when he has made a three-pointer.
  • Jamarius Burton went 9-of-9 from the foul line and scored a career-high 21 points in the first meeting with Louisville.
  • Onyebuchi Ezeakudo was placed on scholarship for the remainder of the season prior to Pitt’s home game against Louisville Jan. 15. The former walk-on guard is shooting a team-high 42.1 percent (8-of-19) from three-point range, while averaging 1.9 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 17.8 minutes per game.
  • Pitt’s sophomore class - Noah Collier, John Hugley, William Jeffress and Femi Odukale - combines to average 33.9 points and 18.1 rebounds per game for the Panthers. Odukale (32.5), Jeffress (29.5 mpg.) and Hugley (29.2 mpg.) are three of the top four Panthers in minutes played per game and have combined to make 44 starts.
  • Pitt has made 258 free throws, while its opponents have attempted 266 free throws this season. The Panthers lead the ACC with 23.8 free throw attempts per game and have outscored the opposition by 75 points from the free throw line.
  • The Panthers have been out-rebounded just two times this season. Pitt ranks third in the ACC in rebounding margin (+4.93) with the starting frontcourt of John Hugley (8.2 rpg.), Mouhamadou Gueye (5.9 rpg.) and William Jeffress (4.4 rpg.) combining for 51.8 percent of the team’s rebounds.
  • Pitt is averaging 23.7 points in the paint and 16.1 points from the foul line per game. Interior scoring and foul shots have accounted for 64.0 percent (638-of-997) of the team’s points this season.
  • The Panthers lead the NCAA in free throw rate (47.4 percent) and are one of just two schools with a free throw rate above 45.0 percent. Pitt is also first in the NCAA with 25.9 percent of its points coming from the free throw line.
  • Pitt ranks fourth in the NCAA with 23.8 free throw attempts per game. The tandem of John Hugley (124) and Femi Odukale (98) has combined for 222 of the team’s 380 free throw attempts

(Photo of Malik Williams, John Hugley: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter - @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram - @louisville_report

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter

© 2024 ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. - All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators’ opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. Gambling content intended for 21+. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.