All week long, the men’s basketball team has been practicing and training hard in preparation for Friday’s game against the #8/#13 Louisville Cardinals. The reigning national champs come into tonight’s matchup with a 19-4 record overall and an 8-2 record in AAC play. The Owls sit last in the conference with a 1-9 record and a 6-16 record overall.
While this may be a big matchup, players and coaches are looking at it as just a normal game. “Louisville has some very talented guys. But we’re looking at it as a game that we need to win to pull us out of this slump,” said junior point guard Will Cummings.
The team had a new face practicing on the court during Wednesday’s practice. Former Temple standout and now a member of the Phoenix Suns Dionte Christmas, was back in town for the NBA’s all-star break. “It’s nice to have Dionte here practicing with us. He plays at the pro level and it gives us a wake-up call as to the pace we’ll be dealing with against Louisville,” said senior Dalton Pepper.
The Owls will look to stop Louisville guard Russ Smith from pushing down the floor and controlling the game. The Cardinals are coming off a 77-62 win against Houston where Smith scored 17 points and dished 6 assists.
On offense the Owls will look to use Dalton Pepper’s hot hand to their advantage. Pepper is averaging 17.5 ppg and is shooting 40.8% from beyond the arc.
Gametime is set for 6:00pm at the Liacouras Center. Coverage: ESPN2
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