Preview: Louisville Hosts Syracuse for Home Finale

The Cardinals welcome the Orange to the KFC Yum! Center for their final home game of the 2025-26 season.

Louisville Cardinals guard Isaac McKneely (10) celebrates after scoring a three point basket as the Louisville Cardinals host the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in an NCAA basketball game at the KFC Yum! Center, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Louisville. | Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Syracuse Orange (15-14, 6-10 ACC) at Louisville Cardinals (20-9, 9-7 ACC)

- Tipoff: Tuesday, Mar. 3 at 9:00 p.m. EST
- Location: KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.
- How To Watch: ACC Network
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Louisville -14.0
- All-Time Series: Louisville Leads 20-14
- Last Meeting: Louisville won 85-61 on Jan. 14, 2025 (JMA Wireless Dome)

Projected Starting Lineups

Louisville

• G Mikel Brown Jr. (6-5, 190, Fr.)
• G Isaac McKneely (6-4, 195, Sr.)
• G Ryan Conwell (6-4, 215, Sr.)
• F J'Vonne Hadley (6-7, 210, 6th)
• F/C Sananda Fru (6-11, 245, Jr.)

Syracuse

• G Naithan George (6-3, 185, Jr.)
• G JJ Starling (6-4,206, Sr.)
• G Nate Kingz (6-5, 190, R-Sr.)
• F Donnie Freeman (6-9, 205, So.)
• F William Kyle (6-9, 230, Sr.)

Comparison

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

Additional Coverage

• Three Takeaways from Louisville's Loss at Clemson
• Watch: Pat Kelsey Previews Syracuse
• Louisville Receives Votes, Falls Out of AP Top 25

Game Notes

Louisville

• Louisville men’s basketball turns the page to March as it returns to the KFC Yum! Center for the Cardinals' home finale against Syracuse. The Cards have dropped their last two games, both on the road, most recently coming up short against Clemson Saturday afternoon.
• Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey is 176-70 (.715) all-time conference games as a head coach.
• Freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. tied Louisville's single-game scoring record with 45 points against NC State on Feb. 9. He tied the legendary Wes Unseld who was the lone owner of the record since Dec. 1, 1967. Brown also broke the ACC freshman single game scoring record, previously set by Cooper Flagg at 42 points.
• Louisville had two 30-point scorers in one game for the first time in program history as Mikel Brown Jr. scored 45 and Ryan Conwell scored 31 against NC State on Feb. 9. UofL is one of three teams in DI this season to have a game with two 31+ point scorers. The duo became the first pair of ACC players to drop 30+ each against another ACC team since Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson of UNC did it at Florida State on Jan. 4, 2016.
• Freshman Mikel Brown Jr. was named ACC Player and Rookie of the Week on Feb. 16 in addition to Naismith Trophy Player of the Week and AP National Player of the Week.
• According to OptaSTATS, Mikel Brown Jr. and Ryan Conwell are the only DI teammate duo in the last 30 seasons to combine for 75+ points, 15+ rebounds and 15+ threes made in a game. Only one NBA duo has ever done it: Damian Lillard and Nassir Little during Lillard's 71-point game on Feb. 26, 2023. Mikel Brown Jr. is the only DI player since at least 2010-11 to record 45 points, nine rebounds, two assists and three steals in 34 minutes or less in a single game. He did so against NC State on Feb. 9.
• Louisville is one of three DI teams with at least six victories of 40 points or more this season, joining Michigan (7) and High Point (6). The six 40+ point wins are the most UofL has ever had in a single season.
• Mikel Brown Jr. is one of 10 players in DI this season to score 45 points, and one of seven to do it in a regulation length game.
• Louisville is one of four programs that has logged at least three games of 18+ made 3's, joining Cornell (4 games), Charleston Southern (3) and VMI (3).
• Louisville has had five games of at least 24 assists, the first time since 2010-11 that the program has had multiple games of 24+ assists; the Cardinals had five games of at 24+ assists that season. Louisville is one of 16 teams in 2025-26 as of Feb. 27 to have five games or more of at least 24 assists.
• Louisville has had 10 games of 20+ assists, also one of 22 teams in the nation to do so.
• Louisville shot 60% from the 3-point line against the Wolfpack on Feb. 9. It was the best the Cards have shot from the arc, since shooting 62.5% in an 82-74 victory over Florida State on March 8, 2018.

Syracuse

• The Orange have been defeated in three straight contests, including Saturday’s 88-83 decision at Wake Forest.
• Sophomore forward Donnie Freeman (17.3 ppg., 6.9 rpg.) posted a season-best 28 points at Wake Forest.
• Senior forward Nate Kingz (11.6 ppg.) has shot .500 from the field and .416 on 3-point tries in ACC games. Kingz is averaging 14.5 points per game over the last six contests.
• Junior guard Naithan George is averaging 10.3 points and 5.9 assists in ACC games.
• SU ranks third in NCAA Division I blocks per game (6.0), trailing only Georgia (6.4) and Virginia (6.1).
• Syracuse converted a season-high 13 3-pointers at Wake Forest.
• The Orange will celebrate senior day on Saturday, March 7, when they take on Pittsburgh in the JMA Wireless Dome.
• Syracuse hosted the largest on-campus crowd in college basketball this season with 23,606 against North Carolina.
• Recent contests:
• February 28: Donnie Freeman (28) and Nate Kingz (20) each topped 20 points but it was not enough in a loss at Wake Forest, 88-83. Naithan George contributed 13 points and 10 assists and Sadiq White added 12 points. Syracuse made a season-high 13 3-pointers against the Demon Deacons.
• February 21: #16/20 North Carolina broke open a 44-44 game with eight unanswered points and went on to beat Syracuse, 77-64. J.J. Starling led all scorers with 22 points. Tyler Betsey added 10 points, including a trio of 3-pointers.
• February 16: #3/3 Duke shot 38-of-61 (.623) from the field, including12-of-20 (.600) on 3-point tries, and defeated Syracuse, 101-64. It was the Blue Devils’ 11th straight win against the Orange William Kyle III had 12 points and two blocks against Duke.
• February 14: The Orange came back from a 12-point, second-half deficit to defeat SMU, 79-78. Nate Kingz’ layup with two seconds left was the game winner. Donnie Freeman had 18 points and Naithan George had 16 points and six assists for Syracuse.

(Photo of Isaac McKneely: Jeff Faughender - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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