The No. 11-ranked Louisville Cardinals (21-6) head to Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers (19-7) in what should be a high-scoring game. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 24 and can be seen on EFC and ES3.
The Panthers enter this game hoping for similar success after topping Syracuse 66-52 on Saturday. Jamel Artis was a key piece, recording his first double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds. The Cardinals, meanwhile, are coming off a 71-64 win against Duke on Saturday. Damion Lee was the team’s top scorer, accounting for 24 points on 8-for-17 shooting.
This showdown pits one of the nation’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Pittsburgh currently ranks 12th in offensive efficiency and Louisville is fourth in defensive efficiency.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Cardinals winning the first matchup 59-41. Lee had a stellar game with 18 points, five rebounds, one assist, four steals, and one block.
Notes
The Louisville Cardinals have a defensive rating of 91.7, fourth-best in the country. The Pittsburgh Panthers have a top-tier offense with an offensive rating of 116.4 (ranked 12th).
On average, Pittsburgh has 67.2 possessions per game and scores 1.164 points on each possession. Louisville has both fewer possessions (66.7) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.160).
The Pittsburgh Panthers average an effective field goal percentage of 52.0% this season. The Louisville Cardinals are 2-3 when opponents have an eFG% of 52.0% or greater.
The Pittsburgh Panthers average 18.0 three point attempts per game, and the Louisville Cardinals attempt 17.0 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; Pittsburgh is 9-1 and Louisville is 5-2.
The 11th-ranked team in the category, Pittsburgh has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.54 this season. Louisville ranks outside the top 100 at 113th with an A/TO of 1.16.
Pittsburgh ranks 47th in rebounds per game with 39.5 and Louisville ranks 44th with 39.5 rebounds per game.
When it comes to offensive rebounds, Louisville ranks 13th. Pittsburgh ranks 115th in defensive rebounds.
On average, Pittsburgh forces a turnover rate of 17.3%. When Louisville turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 8-4 record.
