Opponent Preview: What to know about Louisville in 2nd matchup with SU

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For the first time in over two seasons, Syracuse is making a late-season bid for the postseason. The Orange are still pretty far from actual contention, but a three-game win streak builds confidence. If SU wins out in the regular season and pulls off some wins in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, it could open the door for the Orange to return to the NCAA Tournament.

For now, though, SU looks ahead to Louisville, a team it beat earlier this month 94-92. If the Orange hope to be considered by the selection committee, a win Saturday is essential. Syracuse was not mentioned in the field, first four out or next four out in Joe Lunardi’s most recent bracketology, which was published before SU’s 84-71 win over Virginia Tech.

Here’s everything you need to know about Louisville (8-20, 3-14 Atlantic Coast Conference) in its second matchup versus Syracuse (19-10, 10-8 ACC).

All-time series

Louisville leads 19-13.

Last time they played…

On Feb. 7, the Orange were reeling from a blowout loss against Wake Forest and the dismissal of forward Benny Williams. They responded by scoring the most points in a conference matchup this season. Five Syracuse players finished in double figures, but Chris Bell was the standout performance with a career-best 30 points. Maliq Brown also contributed 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists — his most proficient passing performance as of late.

Yet, the Cardinals nearly eked out a victory. Skyy Clark scored a team-high 23 points, shooting 4-of-8 from 3, eventually leading Louisville to a 76-72 advantage. The game went back and forth in the final moments, with Clark hitting a game-tying 3 before Quadir Copeland rushed down the floor off an inbound and drew a shooting foul. Copeland drained both free throws and Clark missed the game-winning attempt, cementing Syracuse a 94-92 win.

KenPom odds

Syracuse has a 71% chance of winning, with a projected score of 81-75.

The Cardinals report

If Clark made that 3-point shot against the Orange, that still wouldn’t have made a difference in Louisville’s dreadful season. Since the first matchup between the two teams, the Cardinals have gone 1-5. Louisville has lost to Notre Dame, Pitt and Duke by over 20 points in each contest, with no player scoring over 20 points.

There hasn’t been any aspect of Louisville’s game that it can hang its hat on. With a 48% effective field goal percentage (277th in the country), 29.1% offensive rebounding rate (173th), 17.9% turnover rate (229th) and 30% 3-point percentage (334th), its offense has trudged along. Clark, the team’s leading scorer, has only played three times since the loss to SU and shoots over 50% from the field.

Cole Ross | Digital Design Editor

How Syracuse beats Louisville

The obvious answer is for Syracuse to just score at the same rate as last time. But Louisville is coming into this matchup on a three-game skid, while the Orange have a three-game win streak. With how Judah Mintz, Bell and Brown have been playing, the Cardinals simply do not have the defenders to keep up.

One way SU could stumble would be through Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, who dominates scoring and rebounding. If the Orange can gather enough offensive boards and box out Huntley-Hatfield, then they can likely breathe easy.

Stat to know: 40%

For as mediocre as Louisville’s offense is, it has done quite well at getting to the foul line. Of all the Cardinals’ shots, 40% of them are free throws, a mark that ranks 23rd in the nation and first in the ACC. But against Syracuse, Louisville struggled to get to the charity stripe, recording only 15 attempts, the sixth fewest in a game this season for the Cardinals. But aside from that, Louisville has attempted at least 16 free throws in all but 12 contests this year.

Player to watch: Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, forward, No. 5

Against the Orange at the Dome, Huntley-Hatfield was dominant around the paint and the arc. He posted a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds, taking advantage of Syracuse’s loss of size with the dismissal of Williams. He also dominated from outside, knocking down three 3-pointers.

Since the loss, Huntley-Hatfield has scored at least 10 points in each game, scoring 21 points in a defeat to Boston College. The recent stretch has been part of a longer stretch of double-digit scoring for Huntley-Hatfield. Since the start of the new year, he has been in double figures in 13 of the Cardinals’ 16 games.