No. 14 Louisville is in an all-out sprint to the regular-season finish line.
Winners of seven straight and 17 of their last 18 games, the Cardinals continue their push for a share of an Atlantic Coast Conference title Wednesday night against California in the middle game of a three-game homestand.
Louisville’s latest win was a 79-68 decision Saturday against Pittsburgh. Wisconsin transfer Chucky Hepburn had the game of his life with a career-high 37 points, 24 of them in the first half, when he made 6-of-6 3-pointers. No ACC player has scored more points in a first half this season.
It was no surprise the ACC picked Hepburn on Monday as its Player of the Week.
“Chucky had a game that he’s going to tell his grandchildren about,” said first-year Cardinals coach Pat Kelsey. “That stretch of four minutes before half was amazing … it kind of looked like Steph Curry out there. I played basketball my whole life and I’ve never been in a zone like that. I struggled to score in an empty gym.”
Hepburn is leading the team in scoring (16.3 ppg) and assists (6.0), while James Madison transfer Terrence Edwards Jr. hasn’t skipped many beats in his new league, hitting for 15.1 ppg. Reyne Smith (13.8) and J’Vonne Hadley (12.3 ppg, 7.3 rebounds) also supply double-figure scoring.
Louisville’s recent surge also has brought the fans back to KFC Yum! Center. Saturday’s crowd of 18,459 was its largest home audience of the year in the 22,000-seat facility, which once was packed for every game before the program’s multi-year skid that resulted in Kelsey taking the job prior to this season.
“This team reflects the character, the toughness, the grit of the city of Louisville,” Kelsey said.
While the Cardinals are surging, the Golden Bears (13-16, 6-12) have endured predictable struggles while playing in an east coast-based league for the first time. But they did clinch a berth in next week’s ACC tourney Saturday by stopping Boston College 82-71 in Berkeley.
Michigan State transfer Mady Sissoko compiled career-highs of 21 points and 15 rebounds while Grand Canyon transfer Jovan Blacksher Jr. added 18 points and four assists. The Golden Bears shot 49.2 percent from the field and scored 38 points in the paint.
This game is the start of a lengthy eastern swing to end the season for Cal. It travels from Louisville to South Bend, Ind. for Saturday’s game at Notre Dame, then flies to Charlotte for the ACC tournament that starts Tuesday.
“It’s a big challenge and it’s something we’re getting acclimated to and figuring out on the fly,” said Golden Bears coach Mark Madsen. “We’ve consulted with a lot of science people to try to optimize it as best we can. I think we really felt it after those first two trips.
“I’ve never had this type of travel, not even in the NBA, because typically when you go to the east coast, you play five to 10 games out there.”
This will be just the second matchup of these two schools. Cal won the first 15 years ago in an NCAA Tournament first-round game in Jacksonville, Fla.
–Field Level Media
