Tale of The Tape, Predictions: Louisville vs. Cincinnati

Take a look at how the Cardinals stack up against the Bearcats for their Friday matchup, and who the statistical models favor:
Louisville Cardinals guard J'Vonne Hadley (1) scored on a layup during the second half as the Louisville Cardinals hosted the Kentucky Wildcats at the KFC Yum! Center on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. The Cardinals defeated the Wildcats 96-88.
Louisville Cardinals guard J'Vonne Hadley (1) scored on a layup during the second half as the Louisville Cardinals hosted the Kentucky Wildcats at the KFC Yum! Center on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. The Cardinals defeated the Wildcats 96-88. | Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville (4-0, 0-0 ACC) is set to face Cincinnati (4-0, 0-0 Big 12) on Friday, Nov. 21 at 6:30 p.m. EST at the Heritage Bank Center. Here's how the Cardinals stack up against the Bearcats:

*Mobile users can scroll left and right on the tables below*

Rankings

Cincinnati

Louisville

AP/USAT

NR/NR

6th/6th

SOS

270th

216th

SOR

35th

6th

NET

N/A

N/A

RPI

49th

105th

BPI

50th

4th

KenPom

42nd

10th

Torvik

41st

6th

EvanMiya

39th

12th

Team Leaders

Cincinnati

Louisville

Points

Baba Miller (15.8)

Mikel Brown Jr. (19.3)

Rebounds

Baba Miller (10.5)

J'Vonne Hadley (7.0)

Assists

Kerr Kriisa (5.0)

Mikel Brown Jr. (6.8)

Steals

Moustapha Thiam (1.8)

Kobe Rodgers (2.0)

Blocks

Moustapha Thiam (2.3)

Sananda Fru (1.3)

Scoring

Cincinnati

Louisville

Points Per Game

78.5

103.0

Field Goal %

44.3

50.0

FGM/FGA Per Game

25.5/57.5

33.3/66.5

Three Point %

29.9

36.4

3PTM/3PTA

8.0/26.8

12.8/35.0

Free Throw %

63.4

73.6

FTM/FTA Per Game

19.5/30.8

23.8/32.3

Rebounding

Cincinnati

Louisville

Rebounds Per Game

41.3

44.3

Off. Reb. Per Game

10.5

14.3

Def. Reb. Per Game

30.8

30.0

Rebound Margin

6.0

9.8

Defense

Cincinnati

Louisville

Opp. Points Per Game

61.0

71.0

Opp. FG%

35.6

38.9

Opp. 3PT%

27.0

32.1

Steals Per Game

8.0

11.3

Blocks Per Game

6.3

2.8

Turnovers Forced Per Game

17.8

17.0

Ball Handling

Cincinnati

Louisville

Assists Per Game

16.5

22.5

Turnovers Per Game

16.3

11.0

Turnover Margin

1.5

6.0

Assist/Turnover Ratio

1.01

2.04

Predictions

ESPN Prediction: Per ESPN's Basketball Power Index, Louisville has an 82.6 percent chance to win against Cincinnati. Louisville has a BPI rating of 20.9 (4th overall), whereas Cincinnati has a BPI rating of 11.7 (50th overall).

- KenPom Prediction: Per KenPom.com, the Cardinals have a 68 percent chance to take down the Bearcats, with a projected final score of 83-78 in favor of UofL. Louisville has an adjusted efficiency margin of +26.30 (10th overall), whereas Cincinnati has an adjusted efficiency margin of +17.05 (42nd overall).

- Torvik Prediction: Per BartTorvik.com, the Cards have a 72 percent chance to take down the Bearcats, with a projected final score of 83-76 in favor of UofL. Louisville has a "Barthag" of .9352 (6th overall), whereas Cincinnati has a "Barthag" of .8518 (41st overall).

- Personal Prediction: Louisville 88, Cincinnati 79.

More Cardinals Stories

(Photo of J'Vonne Hadley: Jeff Faughender - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

You can follow Louisville Cardinals On SI for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter/X - @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram - @louisvilleonsi

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter/X and @mattmcgavic.bsky.social on Bluesky


Published
Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic