Louisville goes on the road Sunday for its toughest test of the season so far when the No. 10 Cardinals renew their rivalry with Memphis.
It will be the first game in eight days for the Cardinals (2-0). Last Saturday, they blew out Morehead State 107-57. Coach Pat Kelsey’s squad enjoyed a 40-2 run to start the second half, including scoring 33 straight points in 11 minutes. That ranks as the fifth-longest run in a game between two Division I schools.
The Tigers (2-1) stumbled Tuesday in Nashville, falling to No. 22 Vanderbilt 105-81. However, coach Penny Hardaway’s team does have a win this season against Iowa State, which was ranked 18th at the time.
“We got to be on it,” Kelsey said. “They have our guys’ attention, and they know how dangerous this team is.”
The Cardinals featured a balanced attack in their first two games, with seven players averaging at least 10 points. Adrian Wooley, Kelsey’s lone scholarship holdover from last season, averages 13.5 points to go with 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals. Flory Bidunga, last season’s Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year at Kansas, is averaging 13.0 points and 8.0 rebounds.
The Cardinals may be able to exploit the Tigers’ leaky defense. Memphis ranks 329th out of 361 teams, allowing opponents to shoot 49.7% from the field. It’s even worse on the perimeter, where the Tigers rank 351st with opponents shooting 42.1% from beyond the 3-point arc.
Vanderbilt made 15 of 32 from 3-point range in its win over Memphis, a mark that disappointed Hardaway.
“We want to get out there, not dare shots and contest everything,” he said. “We’re just not doing it yet. We’ll just have to get better with that.”
Kelsey’s team likes to shoot 3-pointers, although the shots don’t always fall. Louisville averages 36.5 3-point attempts per game this season, the ninth-most in the nation, but the Cardinals have made just 30.1%. However, they are shooting 70.3% (45-for-64) inside the arc.
Memphis’ loss at Vanderbilt may have been hindered by injuries to key players. Jayden Reid, who leads the team averaging 23.0 points per game, injured his left ankle just a couple of minutes into the contest. He returned but finished with 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting in 30 minutes.
In addition, Luke Almodovar hit his head on the floor after a dunk midway through the second half. He did not return to the game and finished with 21 points in 24 minutes.
Kelsey, who noted during his Friday press conference that he recruited Reid hard when he coached at College of Charleston, expects both will be in the Memphis lineup on Sunday.
For years, the two schools were bitter rivals throughout their tenures in various conferences. Before last season, when Louisville won 99-73 at home, the two had not faced each other since Dec. 16, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
–Field Level Media
