Louisville Blasts Wake Forest, Pushes Winning Streak to 10 Games

The Cardinals have matched their longest winning streak in five years.
Jan 28, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA;  Louisville Cardinals guard Chucky Hepburn (24) and guard Terrence Edwards Jr. (5) try to strip the ball from Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Hunter Sallis (23) during the first half at KFC Yum! Center.
Jan 28, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Chucky Hepburn (24) and guard Terrence Edwards Jr. (5) try to strip the ball from Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Hunter Sallis (23) during the first half at KFC Yum! Center. / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Returning to action after having a week off following their last game, the Louisville men's basketball program picked up where they left off, taking down Wake Forest 72-59 on Tuesday night at the KFC Yum! Center.

The No. 21 Cardinals (16-5, 9-1 ACC) extend their current winning streak to 10 consecutive, which ties their longest since the 2019-20 season. Additionally, they snap a three-game losing streak to the Demon Deacons (15-6, 7-3 ACC) in the process.

With the victory, Louisville not only maintains their second place standing in the ACC behind Duke, but they also move to 8-5 against Quadrant 1 and 2 teams in the NET rating.

Much like the previous game at SMU, crisp ball movement, three-pointers and stout defense was the winning recipe for Louisville. They shot 11-for-36 from downtown despite going 39.0 percent from the field overall, and assisted on 17 of their 23 made baskets while turning it over only nine times.

Meanwhile on the other end of the court, the Demon Deacons uncomfortable and out of rhythm for the majority of the night. They shot 41.1 percent and 8-of-21 on threes, but connected on just 17 of their first 47 attempts. They also turned it over 15 times for 17 Louisville points off them.

In fact, Wake Forest got so frustrated that they were called for three technical fouls This included two on leading scorer Hunter Sallis, who was ejected just over five minutes into the second half.

Terrence Edwards led the scoring charge with 18 points, Reyne Smith was right behind him with 16 points, while Chucky Hepburn added 14 points and eight assists.

A gritty, physical tone was set by both teams from the jump. Louisville struggled to get into a rhythm offensively, opening up the game shooting 4-of-11, but so did Wake Forest. They hit just four of their first 10 shots, and turned the ball over five times in the first four minutes.

A critical stretch came after this defensive standoff. While the Demon Deacons missed their next six shots, the Cardinals found their offensive groove and hit eight of their next 10 - including five consecutive. This put them on a 12-0 run to lead by 15 with 8:26 until halftime.

Wake Forest cut this lead to as little as 13, but Louisville ended the half on a 12-3 run to take a 45-21 lead into halftime. After the slow start from both teams, the Cards wound up shooting 17-of-35 in the first half, while the Deacs were just 8-of-27.

Louisville wasn't nearly as efficient after halftime, shooting only 6-of-24 in the second half to Wake Forest's 15-of-29, but they still kept their guests from mounting a late comeback. Despite the shooting discrepancy in the period and taking their foot off the gas late, they led by as much as 29 and their lead didn't dip under 20 points until the final three minutes of the game.

Next up, Louisville plays back-to-back road games starting with a matchup at Georgia Tech. Tip-off against the Yellow Jackets is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 1 at 3:45 p.m. EST.

(Photo via Jamie Rhodes - Imagn Images

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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