The Louisville men’s basketball team will look to snap a nine-game losing streak when they travel to Notre Dame for a 12 p.m. ET matchup on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
The Cardinals are currently 2-18 overall and 0-9 in the ACC, while Notre Dame sits at 9-12 overall and 1-9 in the conference. Louisville has struggled on the road against Notre Dame in the past, with a record of 6-10. They have also lost the last two games in the series after previously winning the last six.
One player to watch for Louisville is freshman forward/center Emmanuel Okorafor, who was recently added to the roster on Jan. 19. The 6-foot-9 native of Lagos, Nigeria is eligible to play immediately after arriving from NBA Academy Africa.
Another player to keep an eye on is redshirt freshman guard/forward Mike James, who has been on a tear since the calendar turned to 2023. Over the last six games, he is averaging 14.7 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 44% from the field and 48% from the 3-point line. In the first 14 games of the season, James averaged just 6.9 points while shooting 44% overall and 31% from 3-point range.
Senior guard El Ellis has also been playing well for Louisville. Over the last 11 games, he has averaged 19.7 points, 5.7 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals. As of Friday, Ellis was one of 22 players in the nation with at least 350 points and 90 assists this season.
On the Notre Dame side, they will be looking to break a four-game losing streak after falling 85-82 at NC State on Tuesday.
Fans can tune into the Cardinal Sports Network for radio coverage of the game, or watch on ESPN2 with Doug Sherman calling the play-by-play, Cory Alexander providing analysis, and Angel Gray reporting from the sidelines. Live stats will also be available through StatBroadcast.
INSIDE THE CARDS
One area where the team has struggled is scoring. The Cardinals are currently averaging 62.5 points per game, while their opponents are scoring 75.2 points per game. This scoring margin of -12.7 is a significant disadvantage for the team.
They also have a lower field goal percentage and 3-point percentage, and a lower rebounding total and per game average. Additionally, they have fewer assists, more turnovers, and a lower assist-to-turnover ratio compared to their opponents. They also have fewer steals and blocks per game than their opponents.
Another area of concern for the Cardinals is their shooting percentages. The team is currently shooting just .409 from the field and .323 from beyond the arc. In comparison, their opponents are shooting .477 from the field and .350 from 3-point range. The team’s poor shooting percentages have contributed to their low scoring output.
On the rebounding front, the Cardinals are narrowly outrebounded by their opponents, 31.9 to 34.2. This margin of -2.3 rebounds per game is not a significant disadvantage, but it is still an area where the team could improve.
The Cardinals have also struggled in terms of assists, averaging just 8.8 per game compared to their opponents’ 14.2 per game. Additionally, the team has a poor assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.5, which is significantly lower than their opponents’ ratio of 1.2.
In terms of attendance and crowd support., the Cardinals have has had much smaller turnout in comparison with previous years, with an average of 12,454 fans per home game. However, their opponents have had an average of 10,515 fans per game.
Overall, the Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team is facing a challenging season, with struggles in scoring, shooting, and assisting. While there have been individual performances that are worth noting, the team will need to improve in these areas if they hope to secure a win in the future.
