Coming off a pair of 3-point barrages, Louisville has a chance to match last season’s win total when it hosts Eastern Kentucky on Saturday afternoon.
The Cardinals (7-5) followed up their 14 made 3-pointers in a Dec. 14 loss at then-No. 5 Kentucky by knocking down 15 of 29 triples in a 90-76 win against Florida State in their most recent game on Dec. 21.
Reserve Reyne Smith hit six of those 3-pointers against the Seminoles, and Terrence Edwards led the team with five treys off the bench against the Wildcats.
“We played with great poise,” Louisville coach Pat Kelsey said after the Florida State win. “I felt like our guys did a great job of finding (shooters) especially when they got a hot hand.”
Edwards in particular has been red hot. Since losing his starting spot off a 2-for-13 shooting game against Ole Miss on Dec. 3, he has scored 21, 22, 23 and 19 points in his last four games to regain the starting nod.
Chucky Hepburn, who made seven 3-pointers in the last two games, leads the Cardinals with 15.3 points per game and Edwards averages 14.3.
Eastern Kentucky (6-6) arrives looking for a major upset as it prepares to enter Atlantic Sun conference play.
The Colonels are coming off a 91-80 loss at Jacksonville State on Dec. 21. Senior Devontae Blanton had a game to remember, even in a loss, with a career-high 36 points on 13-of-26 shooting. He has scored 1,707 points at EKU and leads the team with 16.4 points per game this year.
“(Blanton) is a special story,” coach A.W. Hamilton said earlier this season. “He’s one of the guys that has stuck with the program. He’s found a home (here). He’ll go down as one of the best players in program history. He could play anywhere in the country, but he chose to stay at Eastern.”
Louisville leads the all-time series by a 50-22 margin.
–Field Level Media
