Shorthanded Louisville Avoids Upset, Holds Off Miami

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Despite being without their best player and losing another starter early on, the Louisville men's basketball program was able to hold on for dear life against a struggling Miami squad, emerging with an 88-78 victory on Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center.

The Cardinals (18-6, 11-2 ACC) have now won back-to-back games since seeing their 10-game winning streak get snapped. They're won 12 of their last 13 since starting the year 6-5.

While they've been no stranger to injuries this season, having already lost Kasean Pryor and Koren Johnson for the year, their matchup with the Hurricanes (5-18, 1-11 ACC) provided an extra challenge. Point guard Chucky Hepburn, UofL's scoring leader and the ACC's leader in assists, had to miss the matchup against The U due to a groin injury suffered in the last game at Boston College.

On top of that, they suffered yet another injury during the game. Just under nine minutes into the contest, Center James Scott, Louisville's blocks leader and second-leading rebounder, had to exit the game after taking a hard fall, leaving with a noticeably bloody mouth.

Even with this in mind, Louisville had minimal issues with Miami on the offensive end. Facing a Canes defense that ranked 345th in D1 in terms of defensive efficiency (per KemPom), the Cards shot 49.3 percent from the field, and were 11-of-31 on three-point attempts. They assisted on 20 of their 33 made baskets, and turned it over only eight times.

Meanwhile, UofL wasn't nearly as efficient on the defensive end. They allowed UM to shoot 50.8 percent from the field despite holding them to a 6-of-21 mark on threes. While they gave up 44 points in the paint, mainly as a byproduct of being without Scott, they did out-rebound them 39-to-33.

Terrence Edwards Jr. and Reyne Smith led the way for the Cardinals, combining for 53 points. Edwards took over ball handling duties with Hepburn out, and finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Smith added 26 points, mainly off of six made threes, while also adding five assists and four boards.

J'Vonne Hadley also broke double figures in scoring with 12 points on top and a team-high seven rebounds. A.J. Staton- McCray and Matthew Cleveland combined for 43 points for Miami.

Over the first 10 minutes of the game, Miami was able to somewhat keep pace with Louisville. They opened the game shooting 8-for-19, and were down just four points at the 9:25 mark of the half.

The Cardinals fired off an 8-0 run to push their lead to 12, and connected on 10 of their final 13 shots of the half after shooting 10-of-24, leading by as much as 13. That being said, the Canes still wouldn't go away, shooting 8-of-16 down the stretch and hitting four of their final five shots of the half, giving UofL just a 46-38 lead at the break.

Early in the second half, the prospect of a Miami upset seemed very possible. They scored 11 of the period's first 17 points, pulling to within three points just over four minutes into the period.

Louisville took this early second half punch, and responded with a counter punch. They hit five in a row after going 2-for-10 to start the half, and held their visitors to a 1-for-8 stretch after they started the period 5-of-7, resulting in a 14-2 run that saw them go up 15 with 12:05 left.

The Canes then countered that counter, hitting 11 of their final 15 shots of the game, while holding the Cardinals to a 2-of-9 shooting stretch to pull back within five points with 6:08 to go.

UofL then responded with a 7-0 run, and while Miami kept battling until the end, it proved to be the final spurt needed to put the game away, as they hit four of their final six attempts and forced four turnovers in the final four minutes.

Next up, Louisville heads back on the road to take on NC State. Tip-off against the Wolfpack is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 7:00 p.m. EST.

(Photo of Reyne Smith, A.J. Stanton-McCray, Terrence Edwards Jr: Jamie Rhodes - Imagn Images)

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