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After a quick trip to Raleigh, Syracuse returns home to host Louisville. The Orange are looking to build on a successful last week as Louisville is the second straight opponent for SU that ranks outside of KenPom’s top 100.

The Cardinals just parted ways with head coach Chris Mack, currently sitting under .500 in conference play. They also suspended leading scorer Malik Williams for a game against North Carolina that Louisville ended up losing in overtime.

Here’s what you need to know about Louisville (11-11, 5-7 Atlantic Coast) as Syracuse (11-11, 5-6 ACC) looks to climb up the ACC rankings:

All-time Series

Louisville leads 19-10.

Last time they played

Syracuse and Louisville last played on Feb. 19, 2020. The Cardinals were ranked at No. 11 that season when Syracuse traveled to play them. The Orange were blown out 90-66 despite four players scoring in the double-digits. Buddy Boeheim led with 15 points, while Quincy Guerrier, Joe Girard III and Elijah Hughes also managed to hit double figures.

While the halftime deficit was just seven, Louisville pulled ahead in the second half, taking advantage of Syracuse’s poor shooting from 3. In the second half, Syracuse was just 2-for-13 from beyond the arc, with Hughes in particular struggling as he made just one 3 the whole night. On the other end, then ACC second leading scorer, Jordan Nwora led all players with 17.

KenPom odds

KenPom gives Syracuse a 74% chance of winning with a projected score of 77-70.

The Louisville report

Louisville is currently 1-7 in its last eight games. However, the Cardinals just took UNC to overtime on Tuesday and lost by only seven. Before that, Louisville had lost to most of the ACC, with its only win in the last eight conference matchups being at home over Boston College.

Most notably, the Cardinals parted ways with Mack in the midst of this losing streak. Louisville also handed Williams a one-game suspension against UNC, leaving the Cardinals without their top scorer this season. His status for Syracuse’s game is unclear as interim head coach Mike Pegues has said the suspension could be indefinite.

How Syracuse beats Louisville

Syracuse should beat Louisville with relative ease, as the Cardinals are not standouts in any category. The Orange’s chances will likely increase if Williams is suspended for another game as the Cardinals’ big man currently averages 10 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. If he plays, Williams would likely pose a threat to Jesse Edwards down low.

However, the rest of Louisville’s offense isn’t great. The Cardinals offense ranks 173rd in offensive efficiency on KenPom. Syracuse will just need to outscore an weak offense in order to win, which should be fairly straightforward after Buddy was named ACC Player of the Week following two offensive outbursts against Pitt and Wake Forest.

Player to watch: Noah Locke, guard, No. 0

Locke is the next man up after Williams on the team. The senior guard transferred to Louisville from the University of Florida and is second on the team with 9.7 points per game, while also leading the team with 50 made 3-pointers this season.

In the loss to UNC, Locke scored eight points on 2-for-8 shooting from 3. As Locke and the rest of the offense have struggled, the Cardinals have lost four of their last seven games by double-digit margins.

Stat to know: 98.5

Louisville’s defensive efficiency rating on KenPom is 98.5, which is good for 92nd in the nation. The Cardinals’ defense is the stronger side of the team, as the offense is ranked 173rd. Louisville struggles to create turnovers, sitting all the way at 301st in defensive turnover percentage on KenPom.

This should play right into the hands of a Syracuse offense that is peaking at the right time. Buddy and Cole Swider combined for 48 points in the win over the Demon Deacons. Head coach Jim Boeheim said it was the best Swider has looked this season.

Published on February 3, 2022 at 1:37 am

Contact Gaurav: [email protected]