LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- To any University of Louisville basketball fans in despair about the state of the Cardinals’ men’s program, here are two encouraging words for the future:
Wake Forest.
In his second season, Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes transformed the Demon Deacons from a program that went 35-58 in the final three seasons of Danny Manning to a team that has already won 20 games and is projected to make the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Give Forbes a solid “A” for his work in the transfer portal. He has done the best job in the Atlantic Coast Conference by signing Alondes Williams of Oklahoma, Jake Laravia of Indiana State, Damari Monsanto of East Tennessee State and Khadim Sy of Ole Miss.
Time/Place: Saturday, 7:05 p.m.; Lawrence Joel, Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
TV: ACC Network — Jay Alter, play by play; Malcolm Huckaby, analyst.
Records: Louisville is 12-15 overall and 6-11 in the Atlantic Coast Conference; Wake Forest is 21-8 and 11-7.
The Last Time: The Cards defeated the Demon Deacons, 73-69, on Dec. 29 in Louisville in their second ACC game this season. Noah Locke led Louisville with 17 points, making five shots from distance.
“I think it means a lot (that U of L won that game),” U of L interim coach Mike Pegues said. “Obviously, we don’t have a ton of conference wins. To beat a team, especially a team that’s been as successful throughout the year as Wake Forest, serves as a boost.”
The Ratings: Neither team in ranked in the AP Top 25. The Cards are No. 124 in Ken Pomeroy’s computer power formula and No. 121 in the NCAA Net. Wake Forest is No. 38 in KenPom and No. 43 in Net.
The Quote: Pegues discussed Louisville’s issues with shot selection at the end of games:
“We have to finish stronger. We have to run through the tape. We can’t crawl through the finish line by jacking up threes and hoping they go in.”
The News: The Demon Deacons are the surprise hit in the ACC this season. Wake was picked to finish 13th, seven spots behind the Cards, at ACC Media Day in October. Wake is currently tied with Virginia for fifth place while Louisville is tied with Boston College for 10th.
The Matchup That Matters: Williams ranks second to Paolo Banchero of Duke in Ken Pomeroy’s ACC player of the year statistics. A transfer from Oklahoma, Williams leads the ACC in scoring at 19.6 points per game and also leads in assists at 5.1. The Cards limited Williams to 15 points in December.
Strengths: According to KenPom, Wake leads the ACC in effective field goal percentage as well as two-point field goal percentage. Louisville’s best offensive category is turnover percentage. The Cards rank sixth in the league, turning the ball over on 16.1% of their possessions.
Weaknesses: Wake can be careless with the ball, ranking 14th in the league in turnover percentage at nearly 20%. Shooting is an issue for the Cards, who rank 12th in three-point percentage (32.1%) last in free throw percentage (67.1%).
Tasty Tidbits: Forbes is the frontrunner for ACC coach of the year, unless voters turn sentimental and honor Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski during his farewell season. Joe Lunardi of ESPN.com has Wake positioned as a No. 10 seed in his latest bracket forecast. If Wake does not slip, it would be the first NCAA appearance by the Demon Deacons since 2017. Wake has lost its opening game in the ACC Tournament for four straight seasons. Jae’Lyn Withers has averaged 9.4 points and 5.4 rebounds over the last 10 games. Like Dre Davis of the Cards, Wake forward Jake Laravia played high school ball in Indianapolis. After two seasons at Indiana State, Laravia ranks 14th in the ACC in scoring at 14.8 per game.
Prediction: Wake Forest 73, Louisville 65.
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