LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- From the moment his point guard pulled up with what appeared to be a groin strain, Louisville coach Pat Kelsey keeps hearing the same two words.
"How's Chucky?"
It was the first question from reporters when Kelsey sat down to talk about his team's 2 p.m. game against Miami on Saturday. The answer? Well, there is no clear answer. Kelsey described Chucky Hepburn's status as day-to-day.
He'll be limited in practice on Friday and coaches and trainers will make a determination on Saturday.
"It's just day-to-day, you know?" Kelsey said. "Just seeing how he responds today and tomorrow with some rest and treatment, and we'll go from there. ... We'll be smart, obviously, about what we do. It's about, you know, getting him to the jump circle healthy."
Louisville lost its backup point guard, Koren Johnson, to an injury early into the season. Without Hepburn, the Cards played the final 15 minutes with Terrence Edwards running the point and extended their second-half lead for a 26-point win at Boston College.
Miami has had major struggles since head coach Jim Larranaga resigned midway through the season. The Hurricanes had lost 10 in a row before a home-court victory over Notre Dame last Saturday. They've had a full week to get ready for the Cardinal but come into the game with a record of 5-17, 1-10 in the ACC.
There would seem to be little reason to risk Hepburn, who leads Louisville with 15 points and 6.2 assists per game, if rest would help him heal better. In that event, Kelsey said Edwards likely would continue to take care of triggering the offense.
"Obviously Chucky is our primarily, primary ballhandler, but as I've told you, we've, we've played two point guards 98% of the minutes this year because Terrence and Chucky have been on the floor at the same time," Kelsey said. "Terrence was essentially a point guard last year for James Madison, and obviously we know the magical season that they had. He scores when he needs to score. He distributes when he needs to distribute. He does what the game tells him. He can guard a bunch of different positions. So, in terms of, like, point guard play, I feel great about what we get from Terrence's decision making and his assist-turnover ratio. Obviously that would be the adjustment."
Louisville has eight games remaining this season, five of them at home, and will be significant favorites in all eight. Should the Cards run the table, their 25 wins would match the most regular-season wins for the program since the 2014 season. They already have attained the most wins for the program since the 2020 season, and have clinched the program's first winning season since 2021.
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