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(23) Louisville (17-4) at (21) Georgetown (16-5)
After winning a duel against the leading scorer in the Big East, Louisville has had one day to prepare for another high-scoring guard in Austin Freeman.
The No. 23 Cardinals should have their hands full Monday night when they travel to face Freeman and No. 21 Georgetown.
Three of the last four wins for Louisville (17-4, 6-2) have been by one point, including two thrilling games last week. The Cardinals beat West Virginia 55-54 on Peyton Siva’s basket with 4.5 seconds, and Siva had two layups in the second overtime of a 79-78 win at No. 5 Connecticut on Saturday.
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Louisville also came back from an 18-point deficit with under 6 minutes left in a 71-70 victory over Marquette on Jan. 15.
“I can’t say enough about our guys,” coach Rick Pitino said Saturday. “I thought I saw it all with Marquette, saw it all even with the last game. But this game, for me, is the capper of the season for us right now. Now we have to get Georgetown.”
The Cardinals forced UConn star Kemba Walker to miss 16 of 23 shots for 20 points - 4.2 below his Big East-leading average.
“It’s tough, but we didn’t try to do it with one person,” Pitino said. “We weren’t afraid to trap him, make the rotations.”
Louisville may choose to employ a similar strategy to try to slow down Freeman, averaging 24.3 points during the Hoyas’ four-game win streak. Freeman scored 30 in Saturday’s 69-66 win at No. 8 Villanova.
“We wanted to concentrate on getting the ball to Austin,” point guard Chris Wright said. “It’s stupid not to give him the ball.”
Georgetown (16-5, 5-4) earned its first win over a Big East opponent with a winning conference mark by shooting 52.2 percent Saturday. The Hoyas are second in the nation at 50.9 percent.
Freeman scored 29 points on 9-of-12 shooting in last season’s 70-60 victory at Louisville in the lone meeting between these teams. That marked his second-highest scoring effort of that season, but he’s already scored at least 30 three times in 2010-11.
“If I have the opportunity to shoot I’m going to take it,” Freeman said. “Otherwise, I’ll look for a teammate. I have confidence in myself and I have confidence in my teammates.”
Siva was a freshman last season who logged five minutes in the loss to the Hoyas. He’s taken on a more commanding role as a starter this season, and has made 18 of 25 shots over his last four games.
“We don’t have no superstars on this team and that helps us out a lot, because we know anybody can take that last shot,” Siva said.
The Cardinals remain without freshman center Gorgui Dieng after he landed on his head in Wednesday’s contest and missed the road trip. Without the 6-foot-10 Dieng, the Cardinals were outrebounded 51-36 on Saturday.
The lack of size may not be a factor against a Georgetown team that features a lineup of three guards 6-3 or shorter.
After winning a duel against the leading scorer in the Big East, Louisville has had one day to prepare for another high-scoring guard in Austin Freeman.
The No. 23 Cardinals should have their hands full Monday night when they travel to face Freeman and No. 21 Georgetown.
Three of the last four wins for Louisville (17-4, 6-2) have been by one point, including two thrilling games last week. The Cardinals beat West Virginia 55-54 on Peyton Siva’s basket with 4.5 seconds, and Siva had two layups in the second overtime of a 79-78 win at No. 5 Connecticut on Saturday.
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Louisville also came back from an 18-point deficit with under 6 minutes left in a 71-70 victory over Marquette on Jan. 15.
“I can’t say enough about our guys,” coach Rick Pitino said Saturday. “I thought I saw it all with Marquette, saw it all even with the last game. But this game, for me, is the capper of the season for us right now. Now we have to get Georgetown.”
The Cardinals forced UConn star Kemba Walker to miss 16 of 23 shots for 20 points - 4.2 below his Big East-leading average.
“It’s tough, but we didn’t try to do it with one person,” Pitino said. “We weren’t afraid to trap him, make the rotations.”
Louisville may choose to employ a similar strategy to try to slow down Freeman, averaging 24.3 points during the Hoyas’ four-game win streak. Freeman scored 30 in Saturday’s 69-66 win at No. 8 Villanova.
“We wanted to concentrate on getting the ball to Austin,” point guard Chris Wright said. “It’s stupid not to give him the ball.”
Georgetown (16-5, 5-4) earned its first win over a Big East opponent with a winning conference mark by shooting 52.2 percent Saturday. The Hoyas are second in the nation at 50.9 percent.
Freeman scored 29 points on 9-of-12 shooting in last season’s 70-60 victory at Louisville in the lone meeting between these teams. That marked his second-highest scoring effort of that season, but he’s already scored at least 30 three times in 2010-11.
“If I have the opportunity to shoot I’m going to take it,” Freeman said. “Otherwise, I’ll look for a teammate. I have confidence in myself and I have confidence in my teammates.”
Siva was a freshman last season who logged five minutes in the loss to the Hoyas. He’s taken on a more commanding role as a starter this season, and has made 18 of 25 shots over his last four games.
“We don’t have no superstars on this team and that helps us out a lot, because we know anybody can take that last shot,” Siva said.
The Cardinals remain without freshman center Gorgui Dieng after he landed on his head in Wednesday’s contest and missed the road trip. Without the 6-foot-10 Dieng, the Cardinals were outrebounded 51-36 on Saturday.
The lack of size may not be a factor against a Georgetown team that features a lineup of three guards 6-3 or shorter.
