Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Syracuse Orange

Louisville Cardinals (11-11, 5-7 ACC) at Syracuse Orange (11-11, 5-6 ACC)

- Tipoff: Saturday, February 5th at 2:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.
- How To Watch: ESPN2
- How To Listen: WHAS 840 AM
- Betting Favorite: Syracuse -7.0 (KenPom)
- All-Time Series: Louisville leads 19-10
- Last Meeting: Louisville won 90-66 on Feb. 19, 2020 (KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.)

Projected Starting Lineups

Louisville

F Matt Cross (6-7, 210, So.)
F Dre Davis (6-6, 210, So.)
C Sydney Curry (6-8, 270, Jr.)
G Noah Locke (6-3, 210, Sr.)
G Mason Faulkner (6-1, 185, Gr.)

Syracuse

F Jimmy Boeheim (6-8, 225, Gr.)
F Cole Swider (6-9, 220, Sr.)
C Jesse Edwards (6-11, 230, Jr.)
G Joseph Girard III (6-1, 195, Jr.)
G Buddy Boeheim (6-6, 205, Sr.)

Main Storylines

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

Comparison

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

Game Notes

Louisville

Louisville fell 90-83 in overtime to North Carolina on Tuesday in the KFC Yum! Center as El Ellis led the Cardinals with a season-high 25 points off the bench -- all in the second half and overtime -- and Matt Cross produced his first double-double with 13 points, a career-high 15 rebounds and a career-best three steals for UofL. The Cardinals buried a season-high 15 three-pointers in the game (in 35 attempts, .429), their most in eight years and a span of 257 games.
Louisville has averaged 29.0 points per game from its bench this season. The Cardinals have had 26 double-figure scoring efforts off the bench this season, including 25 points from El Ellis and 12 from Jae’Lyn Withers vs. North Carolina. Louisville’s bench has contributed 30 or more bench points on 11 occasions this season (44-0 bench scoring advantage vs. North Carolina). The Cards are 17th in the nation in bench minutes (41.6 percent).
Mason Faulkner’s next assist will be the 500th of his career. Jarrod West needs 10 assists for 500 in his career. Faulkner is third in the ACC in assist-turnover ratio (2.78) while West is sixth (2.20).
Sydney Curry has scored 59 points in his last six games after combining for 33 points over his first 12 games this season (10 pts., 6 reb., 2 blocks vs. North Carolina). He is averaging 9.8 points and 4.3 rebounds over his last six games.

Syracuse

Syracuse (11-11, 5-6 ACC) has won three of its last five, including an 89-82 victory at NC State on Feb. 2 in their last outing. The last three scheduled games between the two schools were cancelled due to COVID issues: the 2020 ACC Tournament quarterfinals (3-10-20) and both regular season games last year, when each team had already traveled to each school’s city for the game (Feb. 3 and 17, 2021).
The Orange are third in the ACC in three-point field goals made per game (8.7) and fourth in scoring (77.8 ppg). All five starters are averaging scoring in double figures, led by guard Buddy Boeheim, who is second in the ACC in scoring (19.3 ppg) and free throw percentage (.894) and leads the league in minutes played (37.8 per game).
Syracuse is No. 64 in ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI), No. 77 by KenPom, No. 63 in the Sagarin Ratings and No. 93 in the NCAA’s NET rankings through Feb. 2. Louisville is No. 98 in ESPN’s BPI, No. 120 by KenPom, No. 100 in the Sagarin Ratings and No. 121 in the NCAA’s NET.
Louisville leads 19-10 in its series vs. Syracuse, winning six of the last nine. In the last matchup two years ago, Louisville prevailed 90-66 (2-19-20) as UofL made 10-of-24 threes and held a 45-36 rebounding advantage. Five Cardinals scored in double figures, led by Jordan Nwora’s 17 points, while Malik Williams produced his fifth career double-double (14 points,13 rebounds).
UofL twice beat Syracuse in the championship game of the Big East Tournament (2009, 2013). Louisville has an all-time 15-10 record in games played on Feb. 5, winning four of the last five games played on that date.

(Photo of Noah Locke: Geoff Burke - USA TODAY Sports)

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