Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Oklahoma Sooners

It's the Cardinals vs. the Sooners in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game.

Nov 28, 2024; Paradise Island, Bahamas, BHS; West Virginia Mountaineers forward Amani Hansberry (13) tries to shoot as Louisville Cardinals guard J'Vonne Hadley (1) defends during the second half at Imperial Arena at the Atlantis resort. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Louisville Cardinals (5-1, 0-0 ACC) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (6-0, 0-0 SEC)

- Tipoff: Friday, November 28 at 5:30 p.m. EST
- Location: Imperial Arena in Nassau, The Bahamas
- How To Watch: ESPN
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Louisville -1.0
- All-Time Series: Oklahoma Leads 3-1
- Last Meeting: Louisville won 78-48 on Mar. 23, 2008 (NCAA Tournament - Birmingham, Ala.)

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 Kasean Pryor (6-10, 225, 5th)
• F Noah Waterman (6-11, 230, 6th)

Oklahoma

• G Kobe Elvis (6-1,180, Gr.)
• G Duke Miles (6-2, 188, R-Sr.)
• G Jeremiah Fears (6-4, 192, Fr.)
• F Jalon Moore (6-7, 215, Sr.)
• F Sam Godwin (6-10, 240, Sr.)

Comparison

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

Additional Coverage

• Watch: Louisville HC Pat Kelsey, G Chucky Hepburn Preview Battle 4 Atlantis
• What Pat Kelsey, Louisville Players Said After 79-70 Win vs. West Virginia

Game Notes

Louisville

• Louisville has played in the Battle 4 Atlantis twice before and has a 8-2 on-court record in the in-season tournament. The Cardinals made it to the championship game in both 2012 and 2016, but fell to Duke 76-71 and Baylor 66-63, respectively, in those contests.
• Louisville’s 89-61 victory over No. 14/15 Indiana on Wednesday 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.
• Against Indiana, Louisville’s 23 assists were its most since having 23 in a 90-66 win against Syracuse on Feb. 19, 2020. It’s 15 steals were the most since logging 15 in a 77-54 win over Georgia Tech on Feb. 8, 2018.
• Senior guard Chucky Hepburn is the first Cardinal since Russ Smith (2011-12) to have three games of six or more steals in a single season.
• Louisville’s overtime win against West Virginia in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis was UofL’s largest margin of victory in an overtime game since beating North Carolina 78-68 on Jan. 31, 2015, and the biggest overtime win away from home since beating West Virginia 82 71 in double overtime on March 8, 2007, in the Big East Tournament.
• As of Nov. 27, Louisville is third in turnovers forced per game (19.8), ninth in the country in three point attempts per game (32.6) and 10th in the country in turnover margin (7.0).
• 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.
• The 48-point 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.
• Louisville was selected ninth in the ACC Preseason Media Poll.
• Louisville will play six teams ranked in the AP Preseason Top 25 all before January 2.
• UofL has a 256-80 record (.762) against non-conference opponents over the last 24 seasons (includes postseason), including a 186-26 record in home regular season non-conference games.
• In its season opener against Morehead State on Nov. 4, the Cardinals held the Eagles to a 23.1% clip from the floor. It’s the lowest field goal percentage of any Louisville opponent since Nov. 13, 2015 when the Cards held Samford to 21.0%.
• The Cardinals took a foreign tour trip to the Bahamas in late July/early August to compete in two exhibition games as part of the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League. Louisville won the first exhibition game played in July in the program’s record, defeating the Bahamas Select team 111-59 on July 30, 2024. The Cardinals dished out 38 assists in the victory which would have been a program record in a regulation game. Louisville defeated the Calgary Dinos 111-71 on August 1 to finish off the trip.
• 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.

Oklahoma

• The Sooners are 6-2 in the Battle 4 Atlantis, appearing in the event for the third time in 2024. Oklahoma played in its first B4A tournament in 2014, making it to the championship game
  before it fell to then-No. 2/3 Wisconsin. OU played in the 2018 tournament and opened with a victory over Florida before another loss to Wisconsin. OU capped the event with a win over Dayton.
• Redshirt freshman Jacolb Fredson-Cole, graduate Kobe Elvis (Dayton/DePaul), sixth year Brycen Goodine (Syracuse/Providence/Fairfield), graduate Mohamed Wague (Harcum College/West Virginia/Alabama), redshirt senior Duke Miles (Troy/High Point) senior Glenn Taylor Jr. (Oregon State/St. John's), freshman Jeremiah Fears and freshman Dayton Forsythe made their Oklahoma debuts in the season opener against Lindenwood on Nov. 4. Miles, Goodine and Elvis earned their first starts in the Crimson and Cream against the Lions, while Taylor Jr. started against Northwestern State and Stetson. Fears appeared in the starting lineup against East Texas A&M and Providence, recording 20 points in both contests.
• Oklahoma head men's basketball coach Porter Moser is in his fourth season leading the program. Moser guided Oklahoma to a 20-12 record and an 8-10 mark in OU's final season in
  the Big 12. The 2023-24 squad was the first team to reach 20 regular season wins since the 2016 Final Four team.
• Moser earned his 350th career victory when the Sooners topped Stetson 86-64 on Saturday, Nov. 16 at Lloyd Noble Center.
• Junior Jalon Moore and super senior Sam Godwin return as starters from last season's 20-win team. Moore earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades, averaging 11.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 0.6 steals and 0.5 assists per outing in 31 starts. Godwin started 31 games in 2023-24 and shot 59.8% from the field (75-126), ranking seventh in program history for singleseason field goal percentage. Moore recorded 20-plus points in the first three games, while Godwin led the Sooners on the glass, recording 9-plus rebounds in the first three contests.
• OU embarks on its inaugural season in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in 2024-25 after 28 years in the Big 12, finishing with a 258-214 (.548) mark in conference competition.
• Jeremiah Fears was tabbed the No. 24 prospect in the 2025 ESPN100 before reclassifing to the class of 2024. Member of the 2024 USA Men’s U18 National Team and won a gold medal at the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup for Team USA. He is 16th in NCAA DI in steals per game (2.8).
• Kobe Elvis played one season at DePaul and three at Dayton, starting 33 games for the Flyers in 2023-24. Elvis appeared in 86 games over three seasons for UD, making 80 starts.
• Duke Miles played three seasons at Troy and one season at High Point. Miles was named 2023-24 Big South Newcomer of the Year, Big South First Team All-Conference and a two-time Big South Player of the Week. He is 28th in assist/turnover ratio (3.8).
• Jalon Moore played two seasons at Georgia Tech before joining the Sooners prior to the 2023-24 campaign. Moore earned AllBig 12 Honorable Mention accolades after last season. He scored 20-plus points in three consecutive games to open the season.
• Sam Godwin played two seasons at Wofford and joined the Sooners as a walk-on before the 2022-23 season, earning a scholarship in 2023-24. Godwin is 11th among active NCAA DI career leaders in field goal percentage (62.5%).

(Photo of J'Vonne Hadley: Kevin Jairaj - Imagn Images)

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