Louisville vs. Miami: College basketball game preview, TV schedule
Louisville has been the surprise of the ACC so far. Will they keep it up against Miami?
TV schedule: Wednesday, Jan. 24, 8:00 p.m. ET. ESPN2
Arena: Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Florida
The ACC basketball conference is filled with Hall-of-Fame coaches and a few more potentially on their way. But the one that’s been doing the best job so far is the person that’s not technically the head coach for their team.
Louisville 15-4 (5-1) sits in second place of the conference after a couple of wins over Boston College and Notre Dame. Star players such as Deng Adel and Ray Spalding have been playing some of their best basketball as of late, and the Cardinals stand alone in second place in the ACC. Interim coach David Padgett not only needs to have his interim tag removed but garner some serious consideration for ACC Coach of the Year.
In the latest edition of Busting Bracket’s Bracketology, Louisville has risen to an eight seed, which also happens to be the same as the team’s next opponent, Miami 14-4 (3-3). After losing at home to Duke last week, the Hurricanes rebounded with an 86-81 win over NC State.
After struggling from the field in the past few games, Bruce Brown had 19 points on 7/8 shooting, while still dishing out nine assists. A couple of players who have really stepped up with their offense for this team has been the freshmen duo of Chris Lykes and Lonnie Walker. Both have been consistently in the double-digit range while getting a few starts as well.
Both teams have been scoring well of late, but are primarily defensive teams who have great athletes. Miami’s strength is on the perimeter and at the center position with Dewan Huell, while Louisville is very strong at the wings and forward positions.
Next: Latest ACC power rankings
I could see both teams struggling to score on each other to start the game, but get in going in the second half. However, I love the way the Cardinals have been playing, and the momentum should continue in a tight back and forth battle in at the Hurricane’s house.
Prediction: Louisville 74 – Miami 70