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Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

The Cardinals will attempt to bounce back from their heartbreaking loss to Syracuse when they host the Demon Deacons.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (10-5, 2-2 ACC) at Louisville Cardinals (2-13, 0-4 ACC)

- Tipoff: Saturday, January 7 at 3:00 p.m. EST
- Location: KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.
- How To Watch: ACC Network
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Wake Forest -9.0 (KenPom)
- All-Time Series: Louisville leads 9-3
- Last Meeting: Wake Forest won 99-77 on Feb. 26, 2022 (Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum - Winston-Salem, N.C.)

Projected Starting Lineups

Louisville

  • G El Ellis (6-3, 180, Sr.)
  • G/F Mike James (6-5, 215, R-Fr.)
  • F Jae'Lyn Withers (6-9, 220, R-Jr.)
  • F Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (6-10, 250, So.)
  • F Sydney Curry (6-8, 270, Sr.)

Wake Forest

  • G Tyree Appleby (6-0, 175, Gr.)
  • G Cameron Hildreth (6-4, 200, So.)
  • G Damari Monsanto (6-6, 200, R-Jr.)
  • F Andrew Carr (6-10, 220, Jr.)
  • C Matthew Marsh (7-0, 250, S0.)

Comparison

See how the Cardinals stack up against the Demon Deacons, and who the statistical models favor: Tale of The Tape, Predictions: Louisville vs. Wake Forest

Game Notes

Louisville

  • Louisville’s 70-69 loss to Syracuse on Tuesday was its fourth one-point loss of the season, which is the most in a season in UofL history and tied for the most ever by an ACC program – joining 2014-15 Georgia Tech, 2004-05 Florida State and 1970- 71 Wake Forest. It was the first one-point loss for the Cardinals since losing their first three games by a single point.
  • The Cardinals will honor the 40th anniversary of their 1983 Final Four team at halftime of Saturday’s game. That team was led in scoring by Milt Wagner, UofL’s current Director of Player Personnel and Alumni Relations.
  • Over the last six games, senior guard El Ellis has averaged 20.8 points, 6.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 steals while making 14 of 35 3-pointers (40%) and 39 of 47 free throws (83%). As of Thursday, Ellis was one of 12 players in the nation with at least 265 points and 65 assists this season. Wake Forest’s Tyree Appleby is also among that list.
  • After averaging 1.7 points and 3.6 rebounds across the first nine games, senior forward Sydney Curry is averaging 9.8 points and 7.7 rebounds over the last six games while shooting 64% overall. His career-high 19 rebounds against Florida A&M were the most by a Cardinal since Luke Whitehead grabbed 19 boards against Marquette on Jan. 31, 2004.
  • Sophomore forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield has made 13 of 18 total shots from the field (72.2%) in the last three games. He went 9 of 23 from the field (39.1%) combined in the previous four games.
  • Per Ken Pomeroy, Louisville is 341st in the country in Division I experience with an average of 0.88 years.
  • Last game: Louisville lost a heartbreaker to Syracuse, falling 70-69 after the ball was poked away on El Ellis' last-second drive.
  • KEY FIRST HALF RUN: Louisville opened up a nine-point advantage early in the second half on the heels of a 13-0 run that began at the 14:44 mark and spanned only 2:11. Syracuse immediately answered back with a 12-0 run of its own over the next 3:35 of game time that was keyed by eight points from Joseph Girard III. The two teams played each other evenly for the remainder of the half before a Brandon Huntley-Hatfield jumper at the buzzer gave the Cardinals a 35-34 advantage heading into the locker room.
  • KEY SECOND HALF RUN: Louisville began the second half by stretching their run to 10-0 to bring their lead to seven after scoring the final four points of the first half. The Orange again answered the challenge with a 9-2 run to tie the game at 43 with 16:11 remaining. The Cardinals maintained a slim lead over the course of the second half with neither team able to gain much separation, but a pair of successful trips to the charity stripe by Girard III and Judah Mintz proved to be the difference for the Orange.
  • UofL shot 27 of 63 (.429) from the field, 11 of 27 (.407) from 3-point range, and 4 of 10 (.400) from the free-throw line. o The Cardinals tied a season high with 17 assists, matching their output from their Dec. 14 win over Western Kentucky. Seven different Cardinals recorded at least one assist, which also stands as a season-best.
  • Louisville won the rebounding battle 38-33, marking the sixth time this season they have out-rebounded their opponent. They also recorded season-highs with 15 offensive rebounds and 19 second-chance points.
  • El Ellis led the Cardinals with 20 points and nine assists while playing all 40 minutes for the third time this season. The guard was 7 of 14 from the field, 4 of 8 from three-point range, and cashed in on both of his free-throw attempts. Ellis also tallied four rebounds to match a season high and collected three steals, a game after setting a new career high in steals against Kentucky.
  • Mike James put forth a career-best scoring output, tallying 19 points on 7 of 12 shooting from the floor and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. The guard also snared four rebounds, dished out two assists, and recorded both a steal and a block over his 33 minutes of action.
  • Jae'Lyn Withers reached double figures for the fifth time this season, pouring in 10 points to go with seven rebounds. The forward chipped in defensively as well, blocking one shot and recording one steal over 22 minutes.
  • Brandon Huntley-Hatfield scored six points on 3 of 4 shooting from the floor to go with a team-leading eight rebounds. The forward has now led the team in rebounding in seven games this season, the most of any Cardinal. He also blocked two shots and finished with two assists on the evening.

Wake Forest

  • With the 77-75 win over Virginia Tech, Wake Forest has now started 8-0 at home for the second season in a row and just the second time since 2013-14 when the Deacs went 12-0. This season marks the first time Wake has had back-to-back 8-0 home starts since 2007-08 and 2008-09 when they went 12-0 and 8-0, respectively, inside LJVM Coliseum.
  • Andrew Carr’s turnaround jumper to win the game vs App State in December was the second SportsCenter No. 1 highlight of the season for the Deacs. Tyree Appleby’s buzzer-beater three-pointer against Utah Valley in November was also the No. SportsCenter No. 1 play.
  • Cameron Hildreth has increased his ppg average to 11.3 this season while leading Wake Forest on the glass (6.3 rpg). Back on Nov. 26, in a home victory over Hampton, the Worthing, England native became the third player in program history to record a triple-double, fi nishing with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. With the triple-double, Cameron Hildreth is the ONLY ACC player to achieve the feat so far this season.
  • Sophomore big man Matthew Marsh has increased his minutes per game from his freshman to sophomore campaign by 14 minutes, recording just 6.0 minutes per game in 2021-22 to 20.0 minutes per game this season.
  • Wake Forest is in the top six in the conference in multiple statistical categories - Third: Defensive Rebound Percentage (.752) Fourth: Scoring Offense (75.87 ppg); FT Percentage (.748); 3-PT FG Percentage (.363); Rebounding Defense (33.27); 3-PT FG Made (129 total, 8.60 pg) Fifth: Defensive Rebounds per game (26.33) Sixth: Rebounding Margin (+2.20); Steals (100 total, 6.67 pg)
  • Tyree Appleby leads the ACC in league play with 7.27 assists per game. He is third in the ACC overall in scoring, averaging 18.3 points per game and leads the Demon Deacons in both categories. He is fourth in the ACC and 59th nationally with a free throw percentage of 86.8. He has gone 79-91 this season. As one of the most fouled players, Appleby’s 91 attempts ranks second the ACC and 27th nationally.
  • Andrew Carr is among the top 10 rebounders in the league during ACC play, coming in at 10th with an average of 7.25 boards per ACC game.
  • Hildreth is 16th in the league in rebounding during ACC play with 6.0 boards per game and fifth in FT percentage during league play (.909, 10-of-11).
  • With one of the best backcourts in the country, Wake Forest is the only school in the country to have two players measuring 6’ or shorter averaging 9.7 points or more for the season in graduate guards Tyree Appleby (18.3 ppg) and Daivien Williamson (9.7 ppg). Appleby’s 18.3 points per game leads all major conference players 6’ or shorter. His 48.8 field-goal percentage is the best in the country for players 6’ or shorter. Appleby leads the ACC in assists, averaging 7.25 dimes per ACC game and is third in scoring with his 18.3 ppg overall. Williamson is averaging 89.3 percent from the free throw line as he’s gone 25-28 this season. Appleby is shooting 84.5 percent with 82 makes on 97 attempts.
  • Since his return from an Achilles injury last season, Damari Monsanto has played in almost every game for the Deacs, recording a season-high 31 minutes in his fi rst start of the season last year at Clemson in February 2022. He scored a season-best 17 points and tied a season-high with four triples in the loss to the Tigers. He also hit four three-pointers in 20 minutes at Syracuse. He reached 19 minutes in the win against North Carolina at home and made three triples in a row in the second half. This season, Monsanto has earned a spot in the starting lineup for eight out of 15 games. He has reached double-figure scoring in seven of the 15 games this season and is currently averaging 10.9 points per game while shooting 38 percent from three-point range. His average of 2.71 three’s per game is fourth-best in the league. He has made three or more from range in seven games this season.
  • Sophomores Cameron Hildreth and Matthew Marsh have taken exceptional leaps in their second seasons of collegiate play as two reliable factors for the Demon Deacons this year. After averaging close to four points and three rebounds per game in 2021-22, Hildreth has increased his ppg average to 11.3 this season while leading Wake Forest on the glass (6.3 rpg). Marsh has played in 12 games this season while starting the team’s last five. The 7-1 big man continues to display eye-popping efficiency, holding an 88.1 fi eld goal percentage. Playing almost 20 minutes per contest, Marsh averages 7.1 points per game and five rebounds per game.

(Photo of Jae'Lyn Withers: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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