No. 6 Louisville rafts into Ohio River rival territory to sort out Cincinnati

An extended-time rivalry between Ohio River rivals renews Friday night time when No. 6 Louisville visits Cincinnati.

The Cardinals (4-0) are among the many quickest risers within the polls because the begin of the season, leaping six spots to No. 6 after rolling previous one other rival — Kentucky 96-88 — behind star freshman Mikel Brown Jr., who tallied a team-high 29 factors.

Whereas Friday’s recreation is in Cincinnati, the annual Hoops Traditional at Heritage Financial institution Middle shall be performed on the impartial downtown web site, not the UC campus.

The 2 faculties have been as soon as bitter rivals in numerous conferences, together with the Missouri Valley Convention, Metro Convention, Convention USA and Large East earlier than Louisville left for the ACC and Cincinnati wound up within the Large 12.

Louisville adopted up its emotional victory over Kentucky with a 106-81 win over Ohio on Saturday, and has scored 100 factors in three video games in a single season for the primary time because the 2010-2011 season.

“I’m happy with our guys,” stated Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey, who’s a Cincinnati native. “Coming off a recreation that was the magnitude of the one the opposite night time by way of hype, I anxious slightly bit about human nature, whether or not there could be some sort of let down. However that goes in opposition to every thing we consider in. … I believed our guys have been phenomenal in preparation and have been on the small print.”

Cincinnati (4-0) can also be good in its first 4 video games, together with a win over in-state rival Dayton. The Bearcats, nonetheless, are coming off a considerably sluggish recreation during which they trailed 36-30 at halftime earlier than pulling away for a 72-55 win over Mount. St. Mary’s on Sunday.

Cincinnati pulled away with a 19-2 run throughout a seven-minute stretch to take a 61-50 lead with 6:22 remaining.

Day Day Thomas scored a game-high 16 factors and went an ideal 3-for-3 from past the arc. He additionally added season highs of 5 assists and 5 rebounds. Freshman guard Keyshuan Tillery chipped in a career-best 9 factors in 14 minutes.

Cincinnati’s guard play shall be examined by Louisville’s top-10 roster. The Cardinals have 4 guards averaging double figures in scoring via 4 video games.

“There’s only a ton of nice guard play,” Cincinnati coach Wes Miller stated of Louisville. “Mikel Brown – I believe the flexibility is there in each means. He is acquired the flexibility to make each learn within the open courtroom in area and on decide and roll. He is acquired nice measurement. He shoots at a very excessive price, off the catch, off the dribble. The one factor you could possibly say is he is nonetheless younger, however he would not play younger.

Along with Brown, Ryan Conwell performs a distinguished function for Louisville. Conwell was on the Xavier roster final season, and Miller stated he was the hardest participant for his workforce to protect when he was with the Musketeers.

“It is laborious to recreation plan for any 4 of them individually as a result of there’s any individual else on the market on the courtroom,” Miller stated. ” … Numerous groups you may play in opposition to have one man which you could actually give attention to. Louisville has 4.”

–Area Degree Media