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Louisville Basketball: Cardinals suspend two vs Virginia

By Patrick OBrien

Jan 24, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Louisville Cardinals forward Deng Adel (22) warms up prior to the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 24, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Louisville Cardinals forward Deng Adel (22) warms up prior to the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Louisville basketball will be without two key pieces for Monday’s match-up against Virginia.

The Louisville Cardinals have been hitting their stride as of late, winning seven out of their last eight games, and now find themselves at No. 4 in the latest AP Top 25, which was released on Monday.

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On Monday night, the Cardinals have a huge road game against No. 12 Virginia, as both are battling to remain near the top of the ACC.

However, on Monday morning, it was announced that head coach Rick Pitino has suspended two key players for their trip to Charlottesville. Deng Adel and Mangok Mathiang have been suspended for Monday night due to curfew violation on Saturday night.

Adel is the third leading scorer for the Cardinals, averaging 11.1 points per game and 4.3 rebounds this season while shooting 40 percent from the field. The sophomore forward is coming off a 19-point performance in a win over Boston College this past weekend.

Senior Mathiang has been a big contributor in the past five games and is coming off a 16-point performance against the Eagles as well. On the season, the 6-10 forward is averaging 7.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.

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With Adel and Mathiang being suspended, and Quentin Snider and Tony Hicks already missing action due to injuries, the Cardinals come into this match-up with seven scholarship players. That means Donovan Mitchell and others will be counted on to pick up the production in the meantime. Expect a rock fight tonight in the ACC, with two teams focusing more on the defensive end.

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