TV info, story lines for U of L-Wake Forest
U OF L AT WAKE FOREST
Game time: 8 p.m. Site: Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem, N.C. Line: N/A. Series: U of L leads 2-1, but Wake Forest won the last meeting 60-59 in the 1996 NCAA tournament. Television: ESPNU. Radio: WHAS-840.
PROJECTED STARTERS
WAKE FOREST (8-6, 0-1 ACC)
Pos.-Player Ht. Cl. Rb. Pts.
G-Mitchell Wilbekin 6-2 Fr. 1.9 8.0
G-Codi Miller-McIntyre 6-3 Jr. 5.0 13.1
F-Greg McClinton 6-7 Fr. 3.2 4.4
F-Devin Thomas 6-9 Jr. 9.6 10.7
C-Darius Leonard 6-9 Gr. 2.6 6.3
Key reserves - Madison Jones, G, 6-1, Jr., 5.9 pts.; Cornelius Hudson, F, 6-6, Fr., 7.1; Dinos Mitoglou, F, 6-10, Fr., 8.4; Aaron Rountree, F, 6-8, Jr., 3.3; Rondale Watson, G, 6-3, Fr., 1.9; Andrew Washington, C, 7-0, Jr., 2.1.
LOUISVILLE (12-1, 0-0 ACC)
Pos.-Player Ht. Cl. Rb. Pts.
G-Chris Jones 5-10 Sr. 3.9 11.4
G-Terry Rozier 6-1 So. 5.8 17.1
F-Wayne Blackshear 6-5 Sr. 5.8 13.3
F-Montrezl Harrell 6-8 Jr. 9.3 16.0
F-Anas Mahmoud 7-0 Fr. 2.8 2.1
Key reserves – Shaqquan Aaron, G, 6-7, Fr., 1.0 pts.; Chinanu Onuaku, F, 6-10, Fr., 4.3; Mangok Mathiang, C, 6-10, R-So., 2.7; Anton Gill, G, 6-3, So., 3.5; Quentin Snider, G, 6-1, Fr., 2.6; David Levitch, G, 6-3, So., 2.2; Jaylen Johnson, F, 6-9, Fr., 1.6; Matz Stockman, C, 7-0, 1.3.
STORYLINES
The most obvious story in this game is that it's Louisville's first Atlantic Coast Conference contest. The Cards have played in eight hoops conferences in their century of history, and the ACC may just be the most intriguing of all of them. In its first year in the league, U of L is considered one of two primary challengers to Duke's preseason favorite status, with Virginia being the other. The Cards have a relatively fertile starting schedule to league play, with three of their four opening games against Wake, Clemson and Virginia Tech.
MORE | Himmelsbach | Cards' ACC debut is history
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Wake Forest just doesn't have the profile of a team that can really challenge U of L, at least on paper. The Demon Deacons rank 222nd in offensive efficiency and struggle with turnovers and shooting. One area that should help them, though, is rebounding. Wake is second in the nation in defensive rebounding percentage, which means we'll see one of the country's top defensive rebounding teams vs. one of the top offensive rebounding squads in U of L.
Louisville has won its first conference road game in each of the past seven seasons and their opening league game in five of the past six ... Rick Pitino is 2-0 as a coach against Wake Forest, beating the Demon Deacons twice as Kentucky's coach in the NCAA tournament in the 1990s ... U of L is 12-1 for the third time in the past four seasons.