At 2:00 EST, and after 54 years, Louisville plays its final game at Freedom Hall. And it couldn’t be a bigger game: with their tournament future in jeopardy, the unranked Cardinals play No. 1 Syracuse.
Louisville-Syracuse, 2 P.M.: Choose Your Own Significance
Check this post for thoughts on what Freedom Hall, and sports venues in general, should mean to fans.
Of course, our Syracuse and Louisville blogs are ready for this game to tip off. Jump into a live game thread and talk it up with fans.
Syracuse game thread at Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician
Louisville game thread at Card Chronicle
Game preview via Sports Network:
GAME NOTES: An extremely emotional Louisville squad will welcome the top- ranked Syracuse Orange to Freedom Hall this afternoon for a Big East clash.
The Cardinals will be closing out the regular season as well as ending an era, as their 54-year stay at Freedom Hall will be coming to a close as well. Next season, the Cardinals will move to a new 22,000 seat arena in downtown Louisville. At 19-11 overall, Louisville has probably done enough to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The team is a solid 10-6 in conference play, but has dropped two of its last three outings, including a humbling 69-48 decision at Marquette this past Tuesday.
Syracuse on the other hand comes in off an 85-66 trouncing of St. John’s which earned the Orange the Big East title. It marked the fourth straight victory for Jim Boeheim’s squad, which earned the top spot in the national rankings for the first time in 20 years entering the week.
Syracuse has just two losses all season long, but one of them came on February 14th against Louisville, as the Cardinals invaded the Carrier Dome and left with a 66-60 victory. The win pushed Louisville’s lead in the all-time series to 11-4.
The Orange shot a sizzling .571 from the floor in the first half against St. John's and never looked back, as Syracuse posted a rather easy victory and claimed the outright Big East title in the process. Arinze Onuaku was outstanding in the win, finishing with 21 points and eight rebounds to lead the way. Andy Rautins poured in 14 points, followed by Wes Johnson and Kris Joseph with 13 points apiece, and Scoop Jardine, with 10 points off the bench. It has been a lot of the same for Syracuse this year, as the team has been potent offensively, averaging 81.8 ppg, while leading the nation in field-goal percentage (.518). Scoring depth is vast, with five players currently averaging double figures. Johnson has been a real workhorse in the frontcourt, pacing the team in both scoring (15.6 ppg) and rebounding (8.6 rpg). Rautins (11.9 ppg) is a perfect complement with his long range acumen (.405 from three-point range, 81 treys). Joseph is next in line at 11.3 ppg, followed by Onuaku and Rick Jackson at 10.6 and 10.2 ppg, respectively.
The Cardinals are certainly no slouches when it comes to offensive production either, as they come into the regular-season finale netting a respectable 76.6 ppg. The catalyst for this team anchors in the middle in the form of center Samardo Samuels. The sophomore big man is converting over 51 percent from the floor and leads the team in both scoring (15.5 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg). Senior guard Edgar Sosa provides the perimeter balance at 12.9 ppg, while doling out a team-best 4.4 apg. Fellow senior Jerry Smith (8.4 ppg) is valuable contributor as well. The team's usual proficiency at the offensive end was nowhere to be found last time out, as not much went right for the Cardinals in Milwaukee. The team shot a miserable .370 from the floor, while scoring just 48 points in a 21-point blowout loss to Marquette. Louisville turned the ball over 16 times, was outscored at the free-throw line 18-1 and even lost the battle on the boards, 30-28. Sosa led the team in scoring, but he only finished with nine points.
While this will certainly be an emotional game for the Cardinals, Syracuse has flourished on the road with an unblemished 11-0 mark outside of the Carrier Dome, including neutral site affairs. The Orange are just dialed in right now and should be able to get a little revenge here and earn the win.
GAME NOTES: An extremely emotional Louisville squad will welcome the top- ranked Syracuse Orange to Freedom Hall this afternoon for a Big East clash.
FACTS & STATS: Site: Freedom Hall (18,865) -- Louisville, Kentucky. Television: ESPN. Home Record: Syracuse 17-2, Louisville 14-4. Away Record: Syracuse 8-0, Louisville 4-7. Neutral Record: Syracuse 3-0, Louisville 1-0. Conference Record: Syracuse 15-2, Louisville 10-7. Series Record: Louisville leads, 11-4.
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