Canes Hoops Preview: Louisville at Miami

The Canes continue their tough midseason stretch tonight when they take on the Louisville Cardinals.

Who: 15-4 (5-1) Louisville Cardinals at 14-4 (3-3) Miami Hurricanes

When: January 24th

Time: 8 PM Eastern

TV: ESPN2

Louisville is unranked despite just one ACC loss and 15 overall wins this year. They currently sit in second in the ACC.

Opponent’s Resume

Best Win: A 73-69 win over FSU on January 10th. UL came back from a 13-point halftime deficit behind 16 points from Deng Adel and 15 from Ray Spalding

Worst Loss: A 90-61 drubbing against Kentucky at Rupp. Kentucky is and will be a top program for the foreseeable future, but to lose to this year’s UK team, especially by just under 30, is simply not what I would expect any team of Louisville’s caliber to do, especially since the Wildcats are Louisville’s archrival.

Scouting report

The Cards leading scorers are Deng Adel and Quentin Snider, averaging just under 16 and 13 points per game respectively. Both Adal, a stretch forward, and Snider, a guard, are 3-point capable, with both shooting above .333 on the season from deep.

Post Ray Spalding is the leading rebounder, averaging more than nine per game. Defensively, Louisville likes to speed up the pace of play at times by mixing traps and full court defense on opponents, something the Canes are accustomed to now. In the halfcourt, look for the Cards to rely on man-to-man defense as they have in their past few games. However, the program that made the match-up zone defense famous can change looks if they need, something they may look to do against a Miami team that has struggled against the zone all year.

Line: Miami -4

ESPN’s Basketball Power Index Win Probability: 73.9% Miami

Prediction: Miami and Louisville speed the game up behind capable guard play and shooting. However, Dewan Huell makes the difference down low and the Canes win 81-73.