The Louisville basketball program has been rejuvenated after several years of struggles.
This past offseason, the Cardinals hired former College of Charleston head coach Pat Kelsey, an excellent, proven coach with an electric personality.
Kelsey has found early success in Louisville, bringing in a massive transfer class full of proven Division One players. Kelsey’s squad has picked up early-season wins over Indiana, West Virginia, Clemson, North Carolina, and others so far, and is entering this weekend on a red-hot streak.
The Cardinals stand at 4-1 in ACC play so far, and have won five-straight games heading into Saturday’s matchup against Pitt.
Colorado transfer J’vonne Hadley dropped 32 points on 10-for-12 shooting in Louisville’s win over Clemson on Tuesday. While his teammates (and the team’s leading scorers on the year) Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards Jr. couldn’t get shots to fall, Hadley and the Cardinals’ supporting cast took down the talented Tigers and improved to 4-1 in league play.
The Cardinals are a top-five team in the ACC in rebounding, averaging 38.3 rebounds per contest. They lead the league in three-point attempts per game, as a team. They have a three-point sniper that comes off the bench, too. Reyne Smith is leading the league in three pointers per game at 3.4, and has made 54 threes so far this year. They also have two players with at least 38 offensive rebounds this season — Hadley and James Scott — while Pitt has none. The Cardinals are the No. 2 team in the ACC in offensive rebounding, averaging 12+ per game.
NOTE* One of the team’s leaders, Kasean Pryor, is currently out for the season with an injury.
Pitt Vs. Louisville will tip off at 12 p.m. on Saturday at the Petersen Events Center. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
