Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs

The Cardinals are heading to the Bahamas for their first games away from the KFC Yum! Center this season.

Louisville Cardinals (3-1, 0-0 ACC) vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-0, 0-0 SEC)

- Tipoff: Thursday, November 25th at 9:30 p.m. EST
- Location: Baha Mar Convention Center in Nassau, Bahamas
- How To Watch: CBS Sports Network
- How To Listen: WHAS 840
- Betting Favorite: Mississippi State -1.0
- All-Time Series: Louisville leads 3-2
- Last Meeting: Mississippi State won 79-56 on Mar. 20, 2018 (KFC Yum! Center - Louisville, Ky.)

Projected Starting Lineups

Louisville

• F Dre Davis (6-5, 210, So.)
• F Jae’Lyn Withers (6-8, 225, R-So.)
• C Malik Williams (6-11, 245, Sr.)
• G Noah Locke (6-3, 210, Sr.)
• G Jarrod West (5-11, 185, Gr.)

Mississippi State

• F Cameron Matthews (6-7, 225, So.)
• F Garrison Brooks (6-9, 230, Gr.)
• F D.J. Jeffries (6-7, 215, Jr.)
• G Iverson Molinar (6-3, 190, Jr.)
• G Shakeel Moore (6-1, 185, So.)

Main Storylines

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

Comparison

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

Game Notes

Louisville

• After playing its first four games at home in the KFC Yum! Center, Louisville travels to Nassau, Bahamas to face the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship on Thursday. It is the first of two games for the Cardinals at the Baha Mar resort in the four-team event.
• Louisville prevailed 73-67 over Detroit Mercy on Nov. 20 as Dre Davis led the Cardinals with 18 points and a career-high nine rebounds. It was the ninth double-figure scoring game of Davis’ career. A starter at forward for the first four games, Davis is the third different player to lead the Cardinals in scoring through four games.
• Noah Locke needs three points to reach 1,000 career points after scoring 933 points in three seasons at Florida and 64 in the Cardinals’ first four games. Locke’s 16 points against Southern is tied for the 11th most scored in a UofL debut. He has scored in double figures in each of the first four games and ranks 12th in the ACC in scoring (16.0 ppg).
• Jarrod West is third in the nation in career steals among active players with 260 career steals, including nine in his first four games at Louisville. West had three or more steals in nine games last season and has two this year with the Cardinals. He has handed out 12 assists with just three turnovers this season, ranking third in the ACC in assists-turnovers ratio (4.00).
• Louisville is averaging 29.5 points per game from its bench. Cardinal players have scored in double figures off the bench four times this year.
• A graduate transfer has started in the Louisville backcourt in each of the last four seasons and five of the last seven, as Jarrod West is doing this season for the Cardinals.
• Louisville has shot well in the first half of its last two games, shooting 58.1 percent from the field (18-of-31) over the first 20 minutes against Detroit Mercy after shooting 58.6 percent in the opening half against Navy.
• Louisville won the rebounding battle 37-33 against Detroit Mercy, just the second time the Cardinals have had more rebounds than the opposition through four games.
• Louisville has held all four of its opponents under 43 percent from the field this season. The Cardinals are fourth in the ACC in field goal percentage defense (.381).
• Louisville has produced nine or more steals in three of its four games.
• UofL Head Coach Chris Mack is serving a university-imposed suspension for six games from Nov. 8 through Nov. 27. UofL assistant coach Mike Pegues will serve as the Cardinals’ acting head coach while Mack is out.

Mississippi State

• Iverson Molinar is an explosive combo guard who is a talented shooter, passer and slasher that can get to the rim.
• 2021-22 Wooden Award Watch List
• Consensus 2021-22 All-SEC Preseason First Team
• 15+ PTS and 5+ ASST in 3 of 4 GMS in 2021-22
• 9 career GMS of 20+ PTS, MSU is 8-1
• 15.8 PPG is 9th and 5.3 APG is T-5th in SEC (11/22)
• 35 GMS of 10+ PTS where MSU is 25-10 • 10+ PTS in 34 of 41 career starts
• Dialed up a career-high 25 PTS versus Louisiana Tech (03/27/2021)
• SEC career-best 24 PTS at VANDY (01/09/2021) & at UGA (12/30/2020)
• 747 career PTS, would be 8th under Howland & 41st at MSU to reach 1,000 PTS
• Shakeel Moore is part of a talented four-member transfer class, which amassed 2,536 career PTS between Garrison Brooks, D.J. Jeffries and Rocket Watts
• 3 of his top 6 scoring performances have come in 2021-22 at MSU
• Tied his career-high 19 PTS against UDM (11/17) aided by career-best 4 treys
• Posted 6.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.7 APG and a team-leading 1.4 SPG over his 25 GMS at NC State in 2020-21
• NCST best was 19 PTS at BC (02/06/2021)
• Amassed 75.3 percent of his PTS, 76.2 percent of his REB, 72.1 percent of his ASST and 68.6 percent of his STL against ACC opponents
• Recorded 2+ STL at NCST 11x and in all 4 GMS at MSU
• His 3.0 SPG are T-2nd in SEC (11/22)
• 1.4 SPG were 9th among ACC leaders in 2020-21
• D.J. Jeffries' Career-high 23 PTS vs. Ole Miss (11/23/2019)
• MSU best 15 PTS vs. Montana (11/13)
• 2nd career double-double, 13 PTS & 10 REB vs. Morehead St (11/21)
• 2020-21 Julius Erving Award Preseason Watch List
• 2020-21 All-AAC Preseason 2nd Team
• Teams are 24-5 when Jeffries scores 10+ PTS
• Jeffries was rated the nation’s No. 25 prospect by ESPN.com and named the state of Mississippi’s top prospect for the Class of 2019
• High school teammates with MSU’s Cameron Matthews at Olive Branch where the team won the 2017-18 Class 5A state title
• Cameron Matthews is a versatile G/F who possesses great handles, can see the floor & attack the rim. Solid defender who is a strong rebounder & rim protector.
• Career-high 19 PTS versus Memphis (03/28/2022) in NIT Finals
• 2021-22 season’s best is 11 PTS against Montana (11/13)
• Secured game-clinching steal on Scotty Pippen Jr. during the closing seconds at VANDY (01/09/2021)
• Has 9 career GMS of 2+ STLs
• Garrison Brooks' MSU season-highs are 18 PTS against UNA (11/10) and 11 REB versus Montana (11/13)
• 7.3 RPG are T-12th in the SEC rankings (11/22)
• Poured in 1,276 PTS and 798 REB over his four seasons at UNC
• The 1,276 PTS are 50th, whereas the 798 REB are 21st at UNC
• Scored 10+ PTS 62 times
• Notched 36 GMS with 10+ REB
• Scored 20+ PTS 13 times
• Collected 15 double-doubles
• Registered 43 of his 62 GMS in double figures, headed by 12 of his 13 outings of 20+ PTS during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons
• 2021-22 All-SEC Preseason Coaches 2nd Team
• 2020-21 ACC Preseason POY
• 2020-21 Wooden Award & Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch Lists
• Poured in a career-best 35 PTS and 11 REB against Georgia Tech in 2019-20
• Finished 2019-20 with 7 straight GMS of 20+ PTS

(Photo of Tyrone Lyons, El Ellis: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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