Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Indiana Hoosiers

Louisville Cardinals (2-2, 0-0 ACC) vs. Indiana Hoosiers (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten)

- Tipoff: Monday, November 20 at 4:30 p.m. EST
- Location: Madison Square Garden in New York City, N.Y.
- How To Watch: ESPNU
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Indiana -5.0 (KenPom)
- All-Time Series: Indiana leads 11-9
- Last Meeting: Indiana won 68-67 on Dec. 9, 2018 (Assembly Hall - Bloomington, Ind.)

Projected Starting Lineups

Louisville

G Skyy Clark (6-3, 205, So.)
G Tre White (6-7, 205, So.)
G/F Mike James (6-5, 200, R-So.)
F J.J. Traynor (6-8, 190, Sr.)
F Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (6-10, 240, Jr.)

Indiana

G Xavier Johnson (6-3, 200, R-Sr.)
G Trey Galloway (6-5, 205, Sr.)
F Mackenzie Mgbako (6-8, 217, Fr.)
F Malik Reneau (6-9, 233, So.)
C Kel'el Ware (7-0, 242, So.)

Comparison

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

Game Notes

Louisville

The Cardinals have a storied history in Madison Square Garden with 54 games played in the historic venue. Several members of the staff, including head coach Kenny Payne, also have familiarity with the arena and city in their previous roles with the NBA’s New York Knicks.
Payne and Indiana head coach Mike Woodson previously worked together as assistant coaches for the New York Knicks. Payne and Woodson are two of 29 coaches in the country who were NBA Draft picks, and they’re also two of the 51 coaches in the nation currently leading their alma mater.
UofL Director of Analytics and Video Technology Gabe Snider – an on-court coach for the Cardinals who worked with Payne and Woodson at the Knicks – was also a graduate assistant for Indiana from 2016-18.
Seven of the previous 20 meetings between Louisville and Indiana came with Denny Crum and Bobby Knight at the helm of their programs (4-3 UofL edge). Crum passed on May 9 of this year at age 86, while Knight passed Nov. 1 at 83.
After allowing UMBC and Chattanooga to make 25 of 55 combined 3-pointers (45.5%), the Cardinals have held Coppin State and Texas to 5-for-34 from 3-point range (14.7%) in their last two games.
Louisville’s 27 made free throws against Texas were its most since Nov. 27, 2018, against Michigan State. The Cardinals have made 75 of 104 free throws through four games while their opponents have attempted just 73.
Last game: Louisville was heartbroken by Texas in their first game in the Empire Classic, falling 81-80 on a last-second, go-ahead jumper by Longhorns guard Max Abmas with 0.4 seconds left.
KEY FIRST HALF RUN: Texas used a 12-2 run between 16:40 and 13:23 to take a nine-point lead on the Cardinals, and Louisville responded with seven straight points to cut its deficit to two. The Longhorns would immediately push it back to six, but never higher. Louisville took a one-point lead twice in the final 6:10 of the half and trailed by three at the break.
KEY SECOND HALF RUN: Neither team completed a run longer than six points in the half. Louisville led by as much as four points and Texas led by as much as five.
UofL shot 23 of 53 (43.4%) from the field, 7 of 16 (44%) from 3-point range, and 27 of 31 (87.1% from the free-throw line.
Louisville’s 27 made free throws are its most since making 30 against Michigan State on November 27, 2018. The Cardinals have only made 27 or more free throws 15 times since at least 2010-11.
There were 21 lead changes and 14 ties throughout the game.
Entering the game, Texas was fifth in the country in 3-point percentage (45.7%) and 18th in 3-pointers per game (10.7). Louisville held the Longhorns to just two made 3’s, both in the first half, and an 11.8% clip from the arc.
For the second time this season, Louisville had five players in double figures.
The Longhorns outscored the Cardinals in the paint 48-30, but Louisville’s bench outscored Texas’ 25- 17.
Tre White had 20 points on 6 of 12 shooting, adding seven boards.
Skyy Clark scored a career-high 20 points, making 7 of 14 from the field. He netted a season high 4 of 6 from the arc. Clark added five rebounds and four assists in his 33 minutes.
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield finished the game with 11 points and nine boards in a limited 27 minutes due to foul trouble. He had nine points and six rebounds in the first half alone.
Ty-Laur Johnson had a standout performance in his homecoming, scoring a career-high 14 points, knocking down 10 of his points from the charity stripe. He also dished out a game-high and career-high six assists.
J.J. Traynor was in double figures for the second time this season with 11 points. He pulled down six rebounds, as well, in his 26 minutes.

Indiana

The Cardinals meet the Hoosiers in the third-place game after dropping an 81-80 game at the buzzer against No. 19/17 Texas in the semifinal game of the Empire Classic on Sunday evening. UofL is 2-2 entering the game.
Indiana head coach Mike Woodson and Louisville head coach Kenny Payne overlapped by a year (2020-21) on the bench of the New York Knicks.
Against UConn, sophomore forward Malik Reneau tallied a career-high 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor to go along with three rebounds, three blocks, and one steal before fouling out in 27 minutes in a 77-57 loss to No. 5/4 UConn in the opening round of the Empire Classic.
Sophomore center Kel’el Ware 11 points and eight rebounds, while senior guard Trey Galloway checked out with 10 points.
Indiana was out-rebounded 44-22 by Connecticut. The Huskies pulled down 15 offensive boards and outscored the Hoosiers 16-0 in second-chance points.
Indiana holds a record of 14-13 while playing in Madison Square Garden.
Sixth-year guard Xavier Johnson returned for his sixth season of college basketball after receiving a medical hardship waiver following a season-ending injury in 2022-23. The former Pitt Panther is averaging 11.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game.
Indiana averages 36.0 points per game in the paint and shoots 59.6% (84-of-141) from inside the arc. The Hoosiers hold opponents to 23.5 points per night in the key. IU scored a season-best 56 points in the paint against Wright State (Nov. 16).
Senior guard Trey Galloway, known primarily for his on-ball defense, scored a team-high 16 points against FGCU (Nov. 7) in the season opener. He converted 7-of-9 shots. Galloway has scored at least 15 points in four career games. IU holds a record of 4-0 in those contests.
Reneau has scored at least 14 points in all four games this season, including a career-high 18 points against No. 5/4 UConn (Nov. 19). The Miami, Fla., native scored in double figures in seven games during his freshman campaign, while hitting 14 points or more just twice. Reneau is averaging 15.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and a team-high 1.8 blocks in 30 minutes per game.
Ware, a transfer from Oregon, leads the team in points per game (16.5) and rebounds (9.5). He has also posted 1.5 blocks while shooting 59.5% in 33 minutes per game. The North Little Rock, Ark., native posted his first career double-double (13p, 12r) in his Indiana debut against Florida Gulf Coast (Nov. 7). His second-career double-double came against Wright State (Nov. 16) with 22 points and 12 boards.

(Photo of Tre White: Vincent Carchietta - USA TODAY Sports)

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