Reeling Louisville Blasted at Syracuse, Fall Under .500

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - With or without Chris Mack, the Louisville men's basketball program is still struggling to find the win column.

Hitting the road for the first time since the university and Mack mutually parted ways, the Cardinals were as cold as the upstate New York air they were playing in, getting ran off the floor of the Carrier Dome by Syracuse 92-69 Saturday.

Not only did the loss extend the Cardinals' (11-12, 5-8 ACC) to current losing streak to five straight - and saw them drop eight of their last nine - but Louisville falls to under .500 for the first time since dropping their 2003-04 opener.

It's their first time with a losing record in the month of February or later since the 2000-01 season - Denny Crum's final year as the head coach. It was also the last time Louisville had a five-game losing streak.

Syracuse opened the game by connecting on their first seven shots, and never looked back, scoring 25 points in the first eight minutes. The Oraange shot 55.2 percent from the field and 12-23 on three-point attempts, and led by as much as 32 in the final six minutes of the game.

As for the Cardinals, their own shooting put them in an inescapable hole, hitting only 40.3 percent of their shots and 10-35 from beyond the arc - including a ghastly 2-16 in the first half. They also turned the ball over 14 times, leading to 16 'Cuse points on the other end.

All five of Syracuse's starter finished in double figures, led by 19 points from both Buddy Boeheim and Jesse Edwards. Jae'Lyn Withers led the Louisville scoring with 13 points, and Sydney Curry came close to a double-double with eight points and 10 boards.

Next up, Louisville will stay on the road and travel to South Bend for a rematch with Notre Dame. Tip-off against the Fighting Irish is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 7:00 p.m. EST.

(Photo of Louie: Jeremy Brevard - USA TODAY Sports

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