Louisville-Grand Canyon preview: Cards face first true road test

NO. 14 LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (6-1) At GRAND CANYON ANTELOPES (3-3)

Game Time: 9 p.m.

Location: GCU Arena: Phoenix, Ariz.

Television: WAVE-3 (in Louisville)/ESPN3/GCU TV (link)

Announcers: Barry Buetel (play-by-play), Scott Williams (analyst) and Kate Longworth (reporter)

Officials: Darron George, Mark Schnur, Vladimir Voyard-Tada

Favorite: No Line

All-Time Series: Louisville leads 1-0

Last Meeting: Louisville won 111-63 on Dec. 5, 2015 at the KFC Yum Center

Probable Starting Lineups:

Statistics:

Relevant Video:

About Grand Canyon:

A year after winning 27 games and going 11-3 in WAC play, the Grand Canyon Antelopes enter Saturday night's game against Louisville with a 3-3 mark. The Lopes, whop opened the season with a 96-61 loss at preseason No. 1 Duke, are coming off a disappointing 76-64 home loss to SIU-Edwardsville.

The team is led by senior guard DeWayne Russell, who is averaging 24.3 ppg after sitting out the first two games of the season. The reigning WAC Player of the Week scored 30 points and dished out 10 assists in a win over Albany earlier this year. Fellow starter Darion Clark ranks second in the WAC in rebounding, averaging 7.5 per game, while Shaq Carr ranks second in assists at 4.33 per game.

Notable:

--Louisville has a 26-4 record during the month of December over the last four years, winning 14 of its last 17 in that month.

--Grand Canyon will be hosting an AP Top 25 team for the first time in program history. The Lopes are 0-3 all-time against ranked foes.

--Louisville hasn't played in Phoenix since defeating Michigan State and Florida to advance to the 2012 Final Four.

--Donovan Mitchell leads the ACC and is 11th in the nation in steals (2.7 per game). His seven steals against Old Dominion matched the fourth-most ever at U of L.

--Louisville is seventh in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.348) and sixth in scoring defense (57.7 ppg) and 18th in three-point percentage defense (.272).

--Louisville has won its last 10 games against teams coached by former NBA All-stars.

--Louisville center Anas Mahmoud will not play in this game after suffering a concussion in the team's win over Purdue on Wednesday.

--Grand Canyon is still transitioning to Division-I, which means they won't be eligible to compete in the NCAA Tournament until 2017-18.

--Louisville is 11-1 all-time against current members of the WAC.

--Louisville is one of just four schools which have won 20 or more games in each of the last 14 seasons (also Kansas, Duke and Gonzaga).

--Louisville has opened with an 11-1 record each of the last four seasons.

Ken Pomeroy Prediction: Louisville 77, Grand Canyon 63