Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Clemson Tigers

The Cardinals return home for a big time matchup against the Tigers.

Louisville Cardinals forward Aboubacar Traore (25) looks to pass around Spalding University's Caden Bradford (0) at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. / Matt Stone/Courier Journal/USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Clemson Tigers (12-3, 4-0 ACC) at Louisville Cardinals (10-5, 3-1 ACC)

- Tipoff: Tuesday, January 7 at 7:00 p.m. EST
- Location: KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.
- How To Watch: ESPNU
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Louisville -2.0
- All-Time Series: Louisville leads 9-6
- Last Meeting: Clemson won 70-64 on Jan. 20, 2024 (Clemson, S.C.)

Projected Starting Lineups

Louisville

• G Chucky Hepburn (6-2, 190, Sr.)
• G J'Vonne Hadley (6-6, 215, 5th)
• G/F Terrence Edwards Jr. (6-6, 205, 5th)
• F Noah Waterman (6-11, 230, 6th)
• C James Scott (6-11, 220, So.)

Clemson

• G Jaeden Zackery (6-1, 218, Gr.)
• G Chase Hunter (6-5, 202, Gr.)
• F Ian Schieffelin (6-8, 240, Sr.)
• F Chauncey Wiggins (6-11, 216, Jr.)
• C Christian Reeves (7-2, 253, R-So.)

Comparison

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

Game Notes

Louisville

• Louisville’s five losses have all come to teams now ranked in the AP Top 25: No. 1 Tennessee (14-0), No. 4 Duke (12-2), No. 6 Kentucky (12-2), No. 17 Oklahoma (13-1) and No. 23 Ole Miss (12-2). As of Jan. 6, those teams are a combined 63-7.
• Against North Carolina on Jan. 1, Chucky Hepburn made 16 free throws, tying the program record for free throws made in a single game.
• Louisville played five ranked opponents before the New Year. The Cardinals have the 12th best strength of schedule according to KenPom as of Jan. 6.
• As of Jan.6, Louisville is eighth in the country in 3-point attempts per game (31.1), 52nd in free throw attempts per game (23.1) and 54th in free throws made per game (16.7).
• As of Jan. 6, Chucky Hepburn is 14th in the country in steals per game at 2.53 and 10th in total steals with 38. Reyne Smith is fourth in total 3-pointers made (53), fifth in the country total 3-point attempts (138) and ninth in 3-pointers per game at 3.53.
• Sophomore forward James Scott is seventh in the country in dunks as of Jan. 6 with 30 makes on the year, according to Bart Torvik. He leads the ACC in that category.
• Senior guard Reyne Smith was named ACC Player of the Week on Dec. 23 for his 27-point performance at Florida State. It was just the third time in the program’s 11 years in the ACC that Louisville has had multiple ACC Player of the Week awards as Chucky Hepburn also earned that title on Dec. 2.
• Against Florida State on Dec. 21, Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards Jr. both logged eight assists apiece; it was the first Louisville game to have two Cardinals log at least eight assists each in the same game since Peyton Siva and Gorgui Deng both had eight against Syracuse in the 2013 Big East Tournament championship game.
• Louisville’s 89-61 victory over No. 14/15 Indiana in the quarterfinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis was Louisville’s first win over a ranked team since beating No. 19/20 Virginia Tech 73-71 on Jan. 6, 2021. It’s the highest ranked opponent the Cards have beat since beating No. 3 Duke 79-73 on Jan. 18, 2020.
• In the win over Indiana, UofL’s Chucky Hepburn logged 16 points, 10 assists and seven steals. He’s the first DI player with at least those marks since Markquis Nowell of Kansas State did it against West Virginia with 23 points on Dec. 31, 2022.
• Louisville’s 48-point season-opening victory over Morehead State on Nov. 4 was Louisville’s largest margin of victory since a 104-54 win vs. Southern on Nov. 13, 2018, and largest in a season opener since a 92-38 win vs. South Alabama on Nov. 18, 2001.
• Against Winthrop on Nov. 22, Louisville logged 10 blocks, including seven in the first half. Sophomore James Scott blocked five on his own. The 10 total, seven in a half and Scott’s five were all the first time those feats happened for the Cardinals since March 7, 2018 against Florida State.
• Louisville’s 48 first-half points against Bellarmine on Nov. 19 were the most since leading Eastern Kentucky 50-32 at halftime on Dec. 14, 2019.
• In its season opener against Morehead State on Nov. 4, the Cardinals held the Eagles to a 23.1% clip from the floor.
• In his Louisville debut, fifth-year senior Kasean Pryor logged a doubledouble of 18 points and 12 rebounds against Morehead State on Nov. 4. He is one of seven Cardinals since 1965 to produce a double-double in their first time on the court in a Louisville uniform.
• The Cardinals are one of the more experienced teams in the country this season. Between the 17-man roster, the average amount of years in college basketball is 3.0 years with just two underclassmen on the roster. The Cards have 12 players designated as seniors this season, tied with Western Kentucky for the most on any team in men’s DI college basketball.
• Louisville has just two underclassmen in freshman Khani Rooths and sophomore James Scott. Louisville is one of just 11 schools in DI that has two or fewer underclassmen on their roster, and the only Power Four school in that list.

Clemson

• Ian Schieffelin is averaging 13.6 points and 10.8 rebounds, while adding 2.9 assists per game. One of four players nationally to average that line. He earned ACC Player of the Week and Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for his performances during the week of Dec. 9.
• Schieffelin totaled a career-best 20 rebounds in Clemson's win over Kentucky (Dec. 3). It was the most rebounds in a game for a Tiger since Harold Jamison collected 20 on March 4, 1999 against Florida State. Schieffelin added 11 points and four assists in addition to 20 rebounds in the win over Kentucky. He is the only men's division I player in the last 25 years to put up 10+ points, 20+ rebounds and 4+ assists in a win against an AP Top 5 opponent.
• Chase Hunter is the only player nationally to average at least 17.0 points and produce a shooting line of at least .490/.420/.880.
• Clemson is 4-0 to start ACC play – tied for the third-best start to league play in program history. Clemson started 4-0 in 1986-87, 5-0 in 1996-97 and a record 7-0 under Head Coach Brad Brownell in 2022-23.
• Clemson began the season 9-1 and it marked its 20th start of 9-1 or better in season. Only once before has it included an AP Top 5 victory.
• Schieffelin totaled his third double-double of the season with 18 points and 13 rebounds, earning MVP of the Sunshine Slam, against Penn State in the title game. Schieffelin added a career-high eight assists, four steals and two blocks.
• Schieffelin is the second to post that stat line in a game dating back 1996-97 (Rayvonte Rice, Drake) and the first to do so in regulation.
• Chase Hunter earned All-Tournament Team honors for his peformances in the Sunshine Slam: 13.0 pts, 4.0 reb, 2.5 ast per game.
• Chase Hunter has played in 95 Clemson victories in his career. He's set the new mark for most wins in program history.
• Dillon Hunter is now second in Clemson history in career assist/turnover radio. He has 108 assists and 44 turnovers in his 83-game career and that 2.45/1 ratio is the best in Clemson history.
• Dillon Hunter turned in a career-high 15 points in the Tigers' victory over Radford (11/21). He connected on a career-best seven made field goals and finished with two 3-pointers in the contest. It was the first double-digit scoring game of his career. Hunter followed up the performance with 11 points and six rebounds in a win over San Francisco (11/25).
• Jake Heidbreder posted a season-high 15 points off the bench in a win over Wake Forest (12/21). He made three 3-pointers and finished 4-for-5 from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
• Chauncey Wiggins posted a season high 17 points on six made field goals and four 3-pointers in a win over Stanford (1/1).
• Chase Hunter posted a career-high 30 points in a loss at Boise State (11/17). He also totaled a career-best 12 made field goals in the effort. He became the 21st player in program history to score 30 in a true road game and it was the 33rd overall occurrence in a true road environment.
• Chase Hunter and Dillon Hunter completed their last two contests with each recording a career-best in points. Chase finished 12-21 at Boise State with a career-high 30 points, topping his previous best of 26. Dillon helped lead the Tigers to a 29-point victory over Radford with a career-high 15 points. He finished 5-8 from the floor. His previous best was nine points.
• Jaeden Zackery has 33 steals (2.4/game). His per game average is fourth-best for a single season in school history as it stands.
• Clemson opened the season with consecutive victories of 25 points or more for the 10th time in program history. The Tigers defeated Charleston Southern (+27) and Saint Francis (+26).
• Clemson swiped 16 steals in a win over Stanford – the most in a game since 1-1-13 against The Citadel (12 years to the day). Since 1984-85, the Tigers have had 16 or more steals against an ACC opponent just nine times.
• Ian Schieffelin and Chase Hunter were tabbed preseason Second Team All-ACC by media at the league’s annual preseason media day.
• In addition, Clemson was predicted to finish fourth in the ACC. That is the highest preseason prediction for the Tigers since 2010 when they were picked to finish third. The last time Clemson was picked fourth in the preseason poll was 2008 when they finished third.
• Hunter became the 46th 1,000-point scorer in Clemson history against Louisville (January 30, 2024) and currently has 1,469 career points.
• Brownell has led the Tigers to the fourth-most overall wins amongst ACC teams since 2017-18 (153). The Tigers have won 76 games in the league, which ranks fifth in that same time frame.
• Brownell signed a contract extension that runs through 2029. Brownell is the winningest coach in program history with 277 wins as the leader of the Tigers, earning the 2017-18 Sports Illustrated National College Coach of the Year Award. The Tigers have reached the NCAA Tournament four times, including three in the last seven seasons that have culminated in a Sweet 16 appearance in 2018 and an Elite Eight in 2024. They are one of just 24 programs since 2018 to advance to a Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in separate seasons.

(Photo of Aboubacar Traore: Matt Stone - Courier Journal/USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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