Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Miami Hurricanes

The Cardinals hit the road to face the Hurricanes and attempt to snap a three-game losing streak.

Louisville Cardinals (5-9, 0-3 ACC) at Miami Hurricanes (11-3, 2-1 ACC)

- Tipoff: Wednesday, January 10 at 7:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla.
- How To Watch: ACC Network
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Miami -16.0
- All-Time Series: Louisville leads 13-8
- Last Meeting: Miami won 93-85 on Feb. 11, 2023 (Watsco Center - Coral Gables, Fla.)

Projected Starting Lineups

Louisville

• G Skyy Clark (6-3, 205, So.)
• G Ty-Laur Johnson (6-0. 160, Fr.)
• G/F Mike James (6-5, 200, R-So.)
• F Danilo Jovanovich (6-8, 220, So.)
• F Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (6-10, 240, Jr.)

Miami

• G Nijel Pack (6-0, 185, R-Jr.)
• G Bensley Joseph (6-2, 196, Jr.)
• G Matthew Cleveland (6-7, 208, Jr.)
• G Kyshawn George (6-8, 205, Fr.)
• F Norchad Omier (6-7, 240, R-Jr.)

Comparison

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

Game Notes

Louisville

• Louisville’s next five games are against the current top five teams in the ACC standings (combined 13-2 in league play).
• UofL announced Saturday that senior forward JJ Traynor re-injured his left shoulder on Friday and will miss the remainder of the season. He is expected to undergo surgery to repair the shoulder.
• Louisville sophomore forward Danilo Jovanovich, who has started the last two games, transferred to UofL from Miami. He played in one game as a true freshman last year as the Hurricanes advanced to the NCAA Final Four. Jovanovich has played 36 total minutes in the last two games after playing 41 total minutes over UofL’s first 12 games.
• UofL’s Kenny Payne and Miami’s Jim Larrañaga are two of 29 Division I head coaches in the country who were NBA Draft picks. Payne was selected 19th by the 76ers in 1989, while Larrañaga was the Pistons’ sixth-round pick in 1971.
• Over the last five games, junior forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield is averaging 13.6 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 63% from the field (22 of 35) and 77% from the free-throw line (24-31). He was the first Cardinal to register three straight double-doubles since Dwayne Sutton did it from Jan. 9-16 in 2019.
• Freshman guard/forward Curtis Williams is averaging 11.5 points over the last four games while making 10 of 23 3-pointers (43.5%). After not reaching double figures in the first 10 games of his career, Williams has scored at least 11 points in three of the last four outings.
• Last time out: Louisville suffered their third straight defeat, falling to Pitt 83-70 in their first ACC home game of the season.
• KEY FIRST HALF RUN: The Panthers jumped out to an early 6-0 lead to begin the game. The Cardinals managed to close the gap midway through the first half by going on a 13-12 run to bring themselves within four with 11:22 remaining in the half. Pitt led 40-34 going into the half after a 3-point basket by Curtis Williams cut the Pitt lead to six.
• KEY SECOND HALF RUN: Pittsburgh stretched their lead to 19 after a 15-6 run with 5:22 remaining in the game, clinching the victory for the Panthers.
• UofL shot 24 of 47 (51.1%) from the field, 10 of 21 (47.6%) from 3-point range, and 12 of 14 (85.7%) from the free-throw line.
• Louisville turned the ball over a season-high 18 times contributing to 28 points for Pitt.
• The battle of the boards was evenly matched with Pitt holding a slight edge 28-27.
• The Cardinals made a season-high 10 three-point shots on 21 attempts.
• Pittsburgh shot an uncharacteristic 90.5% from the free throw line. Entering the game, the Panthers shot 66% from the charity stripe.

Miami

• As a team, Miami has been electric from 3-point range this season, shooting 42 percent from distance, a mark which ranks first in the nation. The Hurricanes average 9.5 made 3-pointers per game and have tallied 10-plus threes in nine of 14 games played this season. Thirty three percent of Miami’s scoring (399-of-1193) comes from beyond the arc.
• Freshman Kyshawn George had a career game at Wake Forest, setting new career highs in scoring (21), rebounding (eight) and threes (five). George is the first freshman since Isaiah Wong to score 20-plus points in a game (27 at Virginia Tech, 2/19/20). As a starter, George is averaging 13.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and shooting 42.9 percent from distance.
• Dating back to the start of the 2021-22 season, Miami has the second-most ACC victories in the league (31), trailing only Duke (32). When playing at home, Miami is 17-5 (.750) against conference opponents in that same time span, which ranks third in the ACC behind only Duke (19) and Virginia (18).
• Forward Norchad Omier is playing some of his best basketball right now, scoring 20-plus points in five straight games. During that span, Omier is averaging a double-double at 22.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 67.7 percent from the field and 92 percent at the free throw line.
• Omier currently ranks tied for first in the ACC in double-doubles with seven (Armando Bacot) and is one of three ACC players to rank in the top 10 in the conference in scoring (sixth) and rebounding (third). The forward is one of three Division I players to average 18.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and shoot 60 percent. Omier has set new Miami career highs in both scoring (27 vs. UNF) and rebounding (17 vs. Stonehill) this season.
• Freshman Kyshawn George has come into his own over the last few weeks, entering Wednesday’s contest averaging 7.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per contest. He is one of just six ACC freshmen averaging those numbers this season. George currently ranks 10th among ACC freshmen in scoring and ninth in rebounding. When playing 20-plus minutes a game, George is averaging 12.0 points 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
• The Hurricanes played their first overtime game of the season on Saturday, falling to Wake Forest 86-82. Miami is 44-52 all-time in overtime contests and 12- 14 under Coach Larrañaga. In ACC overtime games, the Hurricanes hold an 8-9 mark.
• The Hurricanes are 149-49 (.750) at the Watsco Center during Jim Larrañaga’s tenure. Prior to Coach L’s arrival, the Hurricanes were 95-44 (.683) there.
• In Miami’s game against Clemson, the entirety of its 95 points came from the starting five. Since 1996, Miami is one of 13 teams to score 95-plus points and have zero points come from the bench, per Stats Perform.
• Bensley Joseph was just one block shy of the elusive 5x5 vs. UCF (11/10), recording 15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 4 blocks. He is just one of three Division I players to put up those numbers in the last 14 years

(Photo of: Hercy Miller: Rich Storry - USA TODAY Sports)

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