Sophomore Abdul-Malik Abu pushes past the High Point defense during the 76-73 buzzer-beating thriller over High Point University in PNC Arena Dec. 16." />
Nick Faulkner
Sophomore Abdul-Malik Abu pushes past the High Point defense during the 76-73 buzzer-beating thriller over High Point University in PNC Arena Dec. 16.
As conference play ramps up, so does the quality of opponents the NC State men’s basketball team faces. The No. 16 Louisville Cardinals pay a visit to PNC Arena Thursday night as the Wolfpack hosts its first regular season conference home game of 2016.
The Wolfpack (10-4, 0-1 ACC) plays host to Louisville (12-2, 1-0 ACC) after falling to the Virginia Tech Hokies in overtime Saturday. The Pack held a 16-point lead during the first half in Blacksburg, Virginia, but it did not prove insurmountable as the Hokies rallied to force overtime and eventually came out on top.
These two teams last met in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen March 27 in Syracuse, New York with the Cardinals advancing to the Elite Eight in a 75-65 win over the Pack. Earlier that same season, State traveled to the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky and walked away with a 74-65 victory over the No. 9 Cardinals.
This Cardinal team State faces boasts a record with just two blemishes, losing at No. 5 Michigan State and at No. 9 Kentucky by a combined six points. Aside from their most recent win over Wake Forest, the Cards have racked up 11 wins against teams that should be considered less than spectacular. With wins over Samford and North Florida, many sub-par teams have crossed paths with Louisville, providing little to no challenge for head coach Rick Pitino and company.
Although integral players Montrezl Harrell and Terry Rozier from last season’s Louisville team are gone, the Cards still boast plenty of experience. The Wolfpack will need to figure out a way to contain Louisville’s veteran backcourt as senior guards Damion Lee and Trey Lewis average 17.6 and 14.3 PPG respectively. Sophomore center Chinanu Onuaku’s presence down low could prove troublesome to an undersized Wolfpack frontcourt.
Louisville’s defense will also be difficult to deal with, as it ranks second in the country allowing 57.4 PPG to opposing teams. The Cardinals also rank 25th in to country in scoring, averaging 83.6 PPG.
Junior guard Anthony “Cat” Barber will need play lights out in order to put the Pack in a position to win. Major contributions from sophomore guard Caleb Martin and freshman guard Maverick Rowan will help keep the Pack’s scoring evenly distributed. Sophomore forward Abdul-Malik Abu, along with junior forwards Lennard Freeman and BeeJay Anya, will have to hold his own down in the post against Onuaku as both the Wolfpack and Cardinals are evenly matched when it comes to rebounding.
Thursday’s game is a perfect opportunity for the Pack to get a pivotal ACC win early in the season and a résumé-building win for the NCAA Tournament as well. The Wolfpack lost a winnable game to Virginia Tech over the weekend, so a home win over a Louisville team it can beat would be a huge momentum builder. And with a brutal slate of ACC games still to come, the last the thing the Pack wants to do is lose its first two conference games.
After Thursday’s game against the Cardinals, the Wolfpack hits the road Sunday and travels to Winston-Salem to take on the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest. The Pack then returns home Jan. 13 for a matchup with the Florida State Seminoles.