Louisville vs. Miami Preview: Cards Look For Much-Needed Win Over Visiting Canes

NO. 12 LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (20-6, 8-5) vs. MIAMI HURRICANES (17-9, 7-6)

Game Time: 2:05 p.m.

Location: KFC Yum Center: Louisville, Ky.

Television: ESPN

Announcers: Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Doris Burke (analyst).

Officials: Mike Eades, Earl Walton, and Tim Comer

Favorite: Louisville by 8

All-Time Series: Louisville leads 8-2

Last Meeting: Louisville won 63-55 in Miami on Feb. 3.

Series History:

Probable Starting Lineups:

Statistics:

Relevant Video:

About Miami:

The Hurricanes have won three of their last four outings, including a 76-52 victory over Virginia Tech on Feb. 18 as junior guard Sheldon McClellan scored 21 points and junior center Tonye Jekiri added 15 points and 15 rebounds.

Junior guard Angel Rodriguez is second in the ACC in steals (2.0 spg, 12.6 ppg, 4.3 apg, 45-of-146 three-pointers), Jekiri leads the ACC in rebounding (10.4 rpg, 8.5 ppg) and McClellan is the Hurricane's top scorer (14.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg). Miami, which has beaten three ranked opponents this season including two on the road, commits just 10.3 turnovers per game, 15th best in the nation.

Notable

--Despite losing its last two games, Louisville is 44-13 in the month of February over the last 8 seasons.

--Louisville has forced fewer than 8 turnovers in its last two games for the first time since the statistic began being tracked in 1969.

--Terry Rozier has averaged 19.4 points and 5.9 rebounds over the last eight games, scoring over 20 points in five. He has averaged 18.0 points overall and 18.9 in ACC games, both which are third in the league. He is fourth in the ACC in steals

--Louisville's 116 victories over the last four years are tied for the most wins in the nation in that stretch. Louisville is the only school in the nation with three straight 30 win seasons, including a school-record 35 victories amassed by Louisville's 2012-13 NCAA Championship team (30 in 2011- 12, 31 in 2013-14).

--Miami is 3-3 against ranked teams this season, including 1 1 against Top 5 teams and 2-2 against Top 10 teams. In the three losses, one was a double-overtime defeat, and the Canes came up 13 total points short in the other two outings. The Canes are 1-2 at home and 2-1 on the road. vs. Top 25 opponents.

--Wayne Blackshear (still) needs 97 points to become Louisville's 67th all-time 1,000-point scorer.

--Under Jim Larranaga, Miami is 17-15 in ACC road games.

--U of L is 159-9 over the last 14 seasons under Coach Rick Pitino when scoring 80 or more points (20-1 last season, 11-1 in 2012-13).

Ken Pomeroy Prediction: Louisville 67, Miami 59