Skip to main content
Louisville HC Kenny Payne Previews Maryland (11/28/22)

Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Maryland Terrapins

The Cardinals return home to face the Terrapins as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Maryland Terrapins (6-0, 0-0 Big Ten) at Louisville Cardinals (0-6, 0-0 ACC)

- Tipoff: Tuesday, November 29 at 7:00 p.m. EST
- Location: KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.
- How To Watch: ESPN2
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Maryland -10.0
- All-Time Series: Louisville leads 6-2
- Last Meeting: Louisville won 63-55 on Nov. 27, 2021 (Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship - Nassau, Bahamas)

Projected Starting Lineups

Louisville

  • G El Ellis (6-3, 180, Sr.)
  • G/F Mike James (6-5, 215, R-Fr.)
  • F J.J. Traynor (6-8, 190,Jr.)
  • F Jae'Lyn Withers (6-9, 220, R-Jr.)
  • F Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (6-10, 250, So.)

Maryland

  • G Jahmir Young (6-1, 185, Gr.)
  • G Don Carey (6-5, 187, Gr.)
  • G Hakim Hart (6-8, 205, Sr.)
  • F Donta Scott (6-8, 230, Sr.)
  • F Julian Reese (6-9, 230, So.)

Comparison

See how the Cardinals stack up against the Terrapins, and who the statistical models favor: Tale of The Tape, Predictions: Louisville vs. Maryland

Game Notes

Louisville

  • Louisville is 4-4 all-time in ACC/Big Ten Challenge games, with all four wins coming at home and all four losses coming on the road. This marks the eighth time in nine years that Louisville’s Challenge opponent has been ranked.
  • UofL has won 45 of its last 103 games against AP ranked opponents. The Cardinals are 62-71 against Top 25 teams over the last 12-plus years. 
  • Maryland head coach Kevin Willard was an assistant coach at Louisville under Rick Pitino from 2001-07. The Cardinals were a combined 142-58 during Willard’s six years at Louisville, reaching the 2005 Final Four.
  • Current UofL associate head coach Danny Manning was on staff at Maryland last year and served as interim head coach after Mark Turgeon stepped down on Dec. 3. UofL junior guard Aidan McCool also spent his first two seasons with Maryland.
  • Over the first three games of the season, junior forward JJ Traynor averaged four points and made 5 of 13 total shots (38.5%). In the last three games, including his first start against Cincinnati, Traynor has averaged 8.3 points and made 10 of 21 shots (47.6%). Traynor is 5 of 12 from 3-point range this year (41.7%) after making seven total 3s in his first two seasons.
  • Last game: Louisville fell 81-62 to Cincinnati in their third and final game in the Maui Invitational. It was their 100th all-time matchup with the Bearcats, more than any other opponent in program history.
  • KEY FIRST HALF RUN: With the Bearcats opening up a four-point advantage, the Cardinals put together a 6-0 burst starting at 3:58 to take a 24-22 lead. The sequence was the largest unanswered run of the first half. The first half was marked by 16 lead changes, leading to Cincinnati securing a one-point advantage into the locker room off of a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by David DeJulius.
  • KEY SECOND HALF RUN: The Bearcats roared to an 11-0 run starting at 15:19 to open up an 14-point advantage. They were also able to string together a 7-0 spurt starting at 10:30, as they led by as much as 20 in the second half. o The Cardinals tallied eight turnovers in the second half, all coming within the first 12 minutes as UC took control. After taking a one-point lead into halftime, Cincinnati outscored Louisville 50-32 in the second half.
  • UofL shot 22 of 51 (43.1%) from the field, 3 of 13 (23.1%) from 3-point range, and 15 of 21 (71.4%) from the free-throw line.
  • The Cardinals had four players score in double figures for the first time this season with Huntley-Hatfield, Ellis, Traynor, and Lands all scoring over 10 points.
  • Brandon Huntley-Hatfield set a new career high in scoring with 15 points, shooting 4 of 9 from the field. He also had a career night from the charity stripe, hitting seven of his eight attempts at the free-throw line. The forward also pulled down three rebounds and blocked a shot in 30 minutes of action.
  • J.J. Traynor set a new season-best in scoring, pouring in 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting. He also secured three rebounds and tallied one assist. The junior finishes the Maui Jim Maui Invitational with 25 points in the three games in Hawaii, the most over a three-game span in his career. The game against Cincinnati was the second start of his career and the first of the season for Traynor, leading to a career-best mark in minutes played with 33
  • El Ellis scored 13 points in a team-leading 37 minutes, shooting 5 of 14 from the floor and 3-4 from the free-throw line. The guard tied his career-best in assists, dishing out six helpers. Ellis has now scored in double figures in five of the first six games this season.
  • Kamari Lands scored 10 points, his second time this season scoring in double figures after totaling 13 points against Arkansas. Lands shot 3 of 6 from the field, also grabbing a career-high four rebounds in 20 minutes of play.

Maryland

  • After a 95-79 win over Coppin State at home on Friday, the Terps head out for their first true road game on Tuesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Louisville. Thanks to its impressive 6-0 start to the year, Maryland enters the week at No. 22 in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Polls moving up one and three spots, respectively, from last week.
  • Maryland is the only school to compete on both sides of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge - for the ACC prior to 2014 and for the Big Ten since. The Terps were 10-5 when playing for the ACC, but have been just 1-7 since joining the Big Ten making Maryland 11-12 all-time in the challenge. As a Big Ten member, Maryland is 0-3 on the road in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Louisville is 4-4 all-time in the challenge since joining the ACC with a 4-0 record at home.
  • Head Coach Kevin Willard was an assistant coach/associate head coach at Louisville from 2001-02 through 2006-07 under Rick Pitino.
  • Under head coach Kevin Willard, Maryland has put together one of the toughest defenses in the country ranking 47th in scoring defense (61.3 ppg), 70th in field goal percentage defense (39.1%), and 30th in three-point percentage defense (26.3%). The Terps have also controlled the boards with a +8.0 rebounding margin good which is 38th nationally.
  • Maryland improved to 6-0 for the first time since 2019-20 and the 16th time overall after the 95-79 win over Coppin State last Friday night.
  • The win over Coppin State featured three players scoring 20-or-more points in a game for the first time in 20 years: Julian Reese (24), Hakim Hart (22), and Jahmir Young (21).
  • Maryland is one of just 20 remaining unbeaten teams in the country and one of three in the Big Ten.
  • The Terps have been averaging 92.7 points over the last three games and have won all six games of the year by double-figures including by 20-plus points for the first four straight. Maryland's +21.3 scoring margin is 20th nationally.
  • Kevin Willard has become the first coach in Maryland history to start 6-0 in his first season leading the Terps. He has also become the first coach in program history to have Maryland ranked nationally during a coach's first season.
  • Maryland features four players averaging in double figures so far this season. Led by Donta Scott's 15.5 points, Julian Reese is just behind at 15 per game. Hakim Hart (14) and Jahmir Young (13.7) round out the quartet.
  • On the year, Julian Reese is second on the team in scoring at 15.0 points and leads the Terps in rebounds (8.0). Nationally, Reese leads all players with an 80.4 field goal percentage (37-of-46).
  • Donta Scott became the 59th player in program history to reach 1,000 points in the win over Miami. He scored 24 points in that game and now has 1,019 career points. He is also the 17th Terp to post 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career. Through 100 career games he now has 533 rebounds.
  • In a total of 240 game minutes played this season, Maryland has trailed a total of 3-minutes, 23 seconds (3:23).
  • Maryland has a +8.0 rebounding margin for the season which ranks 38th nationally. The Terps have held the rebounding adavantage in all six games this year. Individually, Julian Reese ranks 19th nationally with 3.83 offensive boards per game.
  • In the first three games of the season, sharpshooter Don Carey was just 2-of-14 from beyond the arc; that changed dramatically in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off tourament at Mohegan Sun. In the wins over Saint Louis and Miami, Carey drilled 8-of-19 from deep averaging 14 points per game.
  • Maryland is forcing 13.8 turnovers per game which has translated to 16.5 points off turnovers. Nearly 20 percent of the Terps offense has been generated off turnovers.

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

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

Facebook - @LouisvilleReport
Twitter - @UofLReport
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.