U of L readies for first true road game at WKU

Conference play is just about two weeks away, and the annual rivalry game against Kentucky is next week, so University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino wanted to test his team with its first true road game just before the meat of the Cardinals' schedule.

Saturday's noon tip-off against Western Kentucky at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green will provide that challenge for fourth-ranked U of L, which used the past week since their apathetic win over UNC Wilmington to finish up classes and look for some mojo on offense.

"What we like to do right before conference play is go into a hostile environment," Pitino said on his radio show Thrusday night in his only media appearance this week.

"It is going to be a very difficult game."

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If last year's matchup is any indication, Pitino could actually be right. Louisville needed a strong finish to pull away and win by 16 points in what was probably its hardest-earned nonconference win.

WKU's game plan worked for 30 minutes or so in that game. The 'Toppers limited turnovers, hit the offensive glass and kept U of L from its transition offense, but Louisville's 13-0 second-half run fueled by Terry Rozier and Chane Behanan erased any WKU hopes of an upset.

The early-season scouting report on WKU (5-4) this year implies it might be a bit tougher for the Hilltoppers to bother U of L that much. WKU's struggled with turnovers on offense and has had a hard time keeping opponents off the offensive glass, and that plays right into U of L's strengths.

In its three biggest wins this season against Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio State, Louisville (9-0) forced 51 turnovers and grabbed 52 offensive rebounds.

"We're going to have to play an Indiana or an Ohio State-type game to come away with a victory (Saturday)," Pitino said.

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A U of L win Saturday would even the series at 39 wins apiece for Louisville and WKU. The rivalry stretches back to 1926, when the Cards won 28-27, but it's been rather one-sided since the early 1960s.

Louisville is 22-3 in the 25 meetings between the teams since 1962 and has won the past five.

Both Pitino and WKU coach Ray Harper said this week that they'd like to continue the series past 2015, which is the last game on the current contract.

But Pitino also said Thursday that, with the Cardinals' new membership in the Atlantic Coast Conference, they might approach scheduling differently in the future.

"We'll see what happens," he said.

Still, this year's version of Louisville's second in-state rivalry will provide a valuable opportunity for the Cards. They were furious with their performance against UNC Wilmington, and they needed this week's five-day break from games to rekindle some fire on offense.

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Pitino on Thursday sounded like he did early last week before the Indiana game: hopeful about his team after a few solid days of practice.

The Cards, he said, are "ready to go" ahead of Saturday's game, and they'll have to be. If they play like they did against UNC Wilmington, Pitino said last Sunday, "We would have lost to Western."

Reach U of L beat writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).