A protracted-time rivalry between Ohio River rivals renews Friday night time when No. 6 Louisville visits Cincinnati.
The Cardinals (4-0) are among the many quickest risers within the polls for the reason that begin of the season, leaping six spots to No. 6 after rolling previous one other rival — Kentucky 96-88 — behind star freshman Mikel Brown Jr., who tallied a team-high 29 factors.
Whereas Friday’s sport is in Cincinnati, the annual Hoops Basic at Heritage Financial institution Heart shall be performed on the impartial downtown website, not the UC campus.
The 2 colleges had been as soon as bitter rivals in varied conferences, together with the Missouri Valley Convention, Metro Convention, Convention USA and Huge East earlier than Louisville left for the ACC and Cincinnati wound up within the Huge 12.
Louisville adopted up its emotional victory over Kentucky with a 106-81 win over Ohio on Saturday, and has scored 100 factors in three video games in a single season for the primary time for the reason that 2010-2011 season.
“I’m happy with our guys,” stated Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey, who’s a Cincinnati native. “Coming off a sport that was the magnitude of the one the opposite night time when it comes to hype, I frightened slightly bit about human nature, whether or not there can be some sort of let down. However that goes in opposition to all the pieces we imagine in. … I believed our guys had been phenomenal in preparation and had been on the small print.”
Cincinnati (4-0) can be good in its first 4 video games, together with a win over in-state rival Dayton. The Bearcats, nonetheless, are coming off a considerably sluggish sport wherein they trailed 36-30 at halftime earlier than pulling away for a 72-55 win over Mount. St. Mary’s on Sunday.
Cincinnati pulled away with a 19-2 run throughout a seven-minute stretch to take a 61-50 lead with 6:22 remaining.
Day Day Thomas scored a game-high 16 factors and went an ideal 3-for-3 from past the arc. He additionally added season highs of 5 assists and 5 rebounds. Freshman guard Keyshuan Tillery chipped in a career-best 9 factors in 14 minutes.
Cincinnati’s guard play shall be examined by Louisville’s top-10 roster. The Cardinals have 4 guards averaging double figures in scoring by way of 4 video games.
“There’s only a ton of nice guard play,” Cincinnati coach Wes Miller stated of Louisville. “Mikel Brown – I believe the power is there in each approach. He is bought the power to make each learn within the open court docket in house and on decide and roll. He is bought nice measurement. He shoots at a very excessive price, off the catch, off the dribble. The one factor you might say is he is nonetheless younger, however he would not play younger.
Along with Brown, Ryan Conwell performs a distinguished function for Louisville. Conwell was on the Xavier roster final season, and Miller stated he was the hardest participant for his workforce to protect when he was with the Musketeers.
“It is arduous to sport plan for any 4 of them individually as a result of there’s someone else on the market on the court docket,” Miller stated. ” … Quite a lot of groups you will play in opposition to have one man that you may actually give attention to. Louisville has 4.”
–Discipline Degree Media
