Rivals has a glitch in posting stories this morning, but the show must go on, so a different way of doing Scouting Louisville, who have two starters out with injury (one with a season ending injury).
Scouting Louisville
Louisville has had a miserable season and coach Kenny Payne is firmly on the hot seat, but the 6-9 Cardinals are coming off a 80-71 win at Miami this week.
Louisville is 1-3 in the ACC with losses at Virginia Tech, at Virginia and home vs. Pittsburgh.
NC State will play at Louisville at 12 p.m. today on CW Network.
Overview
Louisville’s weakness the last two years have been in the backcourt, with Illinois point guard transfer Skyy Clark and former Tennessee State transfer Hercy Miller starting of late. Miller is the son of Percy Miller, aka rapper Master P.
Wing Mike James and center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield return from last year, with the latter a transfer from Tennessee. Miami transfer Danilo Jovanovich redshirted a year ago with the Hurricanes and has recently moved into the starting lineup, but has been a non-factor.
Rankings
Louisville is No. 233 in the NET rankings, and NC State is No. 72.
ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has the Cardinals ranked No. 234 overall, and the Wolfpack are No. 58.
KenPom.com has Louisville at No.186, and NCSU checks in at No. 68 this season.
Shooting
Louisville is averaging 73.2 points per game, and is shooting 42.8 percent from the field, 31.0 percent on three-pointers and 74.5 percent from the free-throw line.
James has gone 23 of 56 from three-point land for 41.1 percent to lead the squad, and freshman forward Curtis Williams has come off the bench to go 18 of 51 from beyond the arc for 35.3 percent.
Rebounding
The Cardinals are averaging 36.7 rebounds per game, and are plus-1.6 rebounds for margin.
Huntley-Hatfield leads Louisville with 8.6 rebounds per game, and he has 39 offensive rebounds. James is second among the healthy players at 5.7 boards per contest.
Defense
Louisville is allowing 75.7 points per game, with opponents shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 31.8 percent on three-pointers.
Huntley-Hatfield has a team-best 14 blocks and freshman Ty-Laur Johnson has 16 steals.
Depth
The depth has taken a hit with two key cogs out with injuries. Senior wing JJ Traynor suffered a season-ending injury Dec. 3. He had been averaging 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. USC transfer Tre White, who is averaging 12.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, hasn’t played due to injury since Dec. 21. Freshman five-star center Dennis Evans also has a health issue that could threaten him from playing college basketball in the future.
Three freshmen take up the bulk of the minutes off the bench — forward Williams, point guard Johnson and wing Kaleb Glenn. Johnson, a former NC State target, is averaging 8.0 points and 3.4 assists per game, and Williams chips in 5.9 points a contest, and had 13 points and five assists in the big win over Miami.
Star Watch
Redshirt sophomore Mike James was a Rivals.com top 75 prospect and was offered a scholarship by NC State, but he missed his freshman year due to injury.
The former Orlando (Fla.) Oak Ridge High standout was ranked No. 71 in the class of 2021 by Rivals.com.
Louisville simply didn’t have guards a year ago, and James was thrown into the fire. He averaged 10.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game a year ago, and shot 45.3 percent from the field and 35.7 percent on three-pointers.
However, James has made a jump this season, especially of late. James is averaging 13.9 points and 5.7 rebounds a contest, and he’s improved to 41.1 percent on three-pointers. He pumped in 26 points and 5 of 6 from three-point range against Miami on Wednesday. He also had 23 points and went 5 of 7 from beyond the three-point arc the game prior in a 83-70 loss vs. Pittsburgh on Jan. 6. He has scored in double figures in all but three games.
James had 10 points and five rebounds in a 76-64 loss at NC State on Dec. 22, 2022.
Likely Starters
NC State
PG — 0 DJ Horne (6-1, 175, R-Sr., 13.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.4 spg)
SG — 1 Jayden Taylor (6-4, 195, Jr., 12.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.4 spg)
G — 14 Casey Morsell (6-3, 200, R-Sr., 11.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.7 apg)
PF — 11 Dennis Parker (6-6, 205, Fr., 7.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 0.5 apg)
C — 30 D.J. Burns (6-9, 275, R-Sr., 12.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.7 apg)
Lousiville
PG — 55 Skyy Clark (6-3, 205, Soph., 14.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.0 spg)
SG — 0 Mike James (6-5, 200, Soph., 13.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.5 apg)
G — 15 Hercy Miller (6-3, 175, Jr., 1.6 ppg, 0.0 rpg, 0.4 apg)
F — 13 Danilo Jovanovich (6-8, 220, Soph., 0.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.2 apg)
C — 5 Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (6-10, 240, Jr., 10.1 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.0 apg)
Numbers Of Note
3 National championships for Louisville — 1980, 1986 and 2013. The Cardinals have reached the Sweet 16 28 times, the Final Four 10 times and Elite Eight 14 times.
5 Retired jerseys at Louisville, with the most recent being Russell Smith (No. 2), along with Charlie Tyra (No. 8), Wes Unseld (No. 31), Darrell Griffith (No. 35) and Pervis Ellison (No. 42).
96 Wins Louisville had during the three years NC State coach Kevin Keatts was an assistant coach with the Cardinals under Rick Pitino. UL went 96-21 during that stretch.
Game Within The Game: UL's Brandon Huntley-Hatfield vs. NC State's D.J. Burns
Louisville junior center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield was a major recruiting prospect coming out of high school.
The now 6-foot-10, 240-pounder attended multiple high schools, but graduated early and moved to the class of 2021, with Rivals.com ranking him No. 36 overall in the country.
Huntley-Hatfield signed with Tennessee, and he averaged 3.9 points and 3.0 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game, but elected to transfer after his freshman year. NC State pondered taking him that cycle, but he landed at Louisville with new coach Kenny Payne.
Huntley-Hatfield averaged 6.7 points and 5.4 rebounds last year, and shot 47.2 percent from the field last year. He has definitely improved this season, and he is averaging 10.1 points and 8.6 rebounds a contest, and is shooting 55.8 percent from the field.
Huntley-Hatfield has been coming on, scoring at least 16 points in four of his last six games, with a season-high 22 points and nine rebounds in the win over Miami. He also had 20 points and double-digit rebounds against both Pepperdine and Arkansas State in mid-December.
NC State senior center D.J. Burns also graduated early and went to Tennessee and left after redshirting his freshman year, leaving for Winthrop. He landed at NC State last year, and he's the main low-post option for the Wolfpack.
Burns is averaging 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and he's had at least 10 shot attempts in eight games, but has just a combined 14 shots in the last two contests against UNC and Virginia.
Scouting Louisville
Louisville has had a miserable season and coach Kenny Payne is firmly on the hot seat, but the 6-9 Cardinals are coming off a 80-71 win at Miami this week.
Louisville is 1-3 in the ACC with losses at Virginia Tech, at Virginia and home vs. Pittsburgh.
NC State will play at Louisville at 12 p.m. today on CW Network.
Overview
Louisville’s weakness the last two years have been in the backcourt, with Illinois point guard transfer Skyy Clark and former Tennessee State transfer Hercy Miller starting of late. Miller is the son of Percy Miller, aka rapper Master P.
Wing Mike James and center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield return from last year, with the latter a transfer from Tennessee. Miami transfer Danilo Jovanovich redshirted a year ago with the Hurricanes and has recently moved into the starting lineup, but has been a non-factor.
Rankings
Louisville is No. 233 in the NET rankings, and NC State is No. 72.
ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has the Cardinals ranked No. 234 overall, and the Wolfpack are No. 58.
KenPom.com has Louisville at No.186, and NCSU checks in at No. 68 this season.
Shooting
Louisville is averaging 73.2 points per game, and is shooting 42.8 percent from the field, 31.0 percent on three-pointers and 74.5 percent from the free-throw line.
James has gone 23 of 56 from three-point land for 41.1 percent to lead the squad, and freshman forward Curtis Williams has come off the bench to go 18 of 51 from beyond the arc for 35.3 percent.
Rebounding
The Cardinals are averaging 36.7 rebounds per game, and are plus-1.6 rebounds for margin.
Huntley-Hatfield leads Louisville with 8.6 rebounds per game, and he has 39 offensive rebounds. James is second among the healthy players at 5.7 boards per contest.
Defense
Louisville is allowing 75.7 points per game, with opponents shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 31.8 percent on three-pointers.
Huntley-Hatfield has a team-best 14 blocks and freshman Ty-Laur Johnson has 16 steals.
Depth
The depth has taken a hit with two key cogs out with injuries. Senior wing JJ Traynor suffered a season-ending injury Dec. 3. He had been averaging 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. USC transfer Tre White, who is averaging 12.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, hasn’t played due to injury since Dec. 21. Freshman five-star center Dennis Evans also has a health issue that could threaten him from playing college basketball in the future.
Three freshmen take up the bulk of the minutes off the bench — forward Williams, point guard Johnson and wing Kaleb Glenn. Johnson, a former NC State target, is averaging 8.0 points and 3.4 assists per game, and Williams chips in 5.9 points a contest, and had 13 points and five assists in the big win over Miami.
Star Watch
Redshirt sophomore Mike James was a Rivals.com top 75 prospect and was offered a scholarship by NC State, but he missed his freshman year due to injury.
The former Orlando (Fla.) Oak Ridge High standout was ranked No. 71 in the class of 2021 by Rivals.com.
Louisville simply didn’t have guards a year ago, and James was thrown into the fire. He averaged 10.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game a year ago, and shot 45.3 percent from the field and 35.7 percent on three-pointers.
However, James has made a jump this season, especially of late. James is averaging 13.9 points and 5.7 rebounds a contest, and he’s improved to 41.1 percent on three-pointers. He pumped in 26 points and 5 of 6 from three-point range against Miami on Wednesday. He also had 23 points and went 5 of 7 from beyond the three-point arc the game prior in a 83-70 loss vs. Pittsburgh on Jan. 6. He has scored in double figures in all but three games.
James had 10 points and five rebounds in a 76-64 loss at NC State on Dec. 22, 2022.
Likely Starters
NC State
PG — 0 DJ Horne (6-1, 175, R-Sr., 13.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.4 spg)
SG — 1 Jayden Taylor (6-4, 195, Jr., 12.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.4 spg)
G — 14 Casey Morsell (6-3, 200, R-Sr., 11.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.7 apg)
PF — 11 Dennis Parker (6-6, 205, Fr., 7.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 0.5 apg)
C — 30 D.J. Burns (6-9, 275, R-Sr., 12.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.7 apg)
Lousiville
PG — 55 Skyy Clark (6-3, 205, Soph., 14.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.0 spg)
SG — 0 Mike James (6-5, 200, Soph., 13.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.5 apg)
G — 15 Hercy Miller (6-3, 175, Jr., 1.6 ppg, 0.0 rpg, 0.4 apg)
F — 13 Danilo Jovanovich (6-8, 220, Soph., 0.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.2 apg)
C — 5 Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (6-10, 240, Jr., 10.1 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.0 apg)
Numbers Of Note
3 National championships for Louisville — 1980, 1986 and 2013. The Cardinals have reached the Sweet 16 28 times, the Final Four 10 times and Elite Eight 14 times.
5 Retired jerseys at Louisville, with the most recent being Russell Smith (No. 2), along with Charlie Tyra (No. 8), Wes Unseld (No. 31), Darrell Griffith (No. 35) and Pervis Ellison (No. 42).
96 Wins Louisville had during the three years NC State coach Kevin Keatts was an assistant coach with the Cardinals under Rick Pitino. UL went 96-21 during that stretch.
Game Within The Game: UL's Brandon Huntley-Hatfield vs. NC State's D.J. Burns
Louisville junior center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield was a major recruiting prospect coming out of high school.
The now 6-foot-10, 240-pounder attended multiple high schools, but graduated early and moved to the class of 2021, with Rivals.com ranking him No. 36 overall in the country.
Huntley-Hatfield signed with Tennessee, and he averaged 3.9 points and 3.0 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game, but elected to transfer after his freshman year. NC State pondered taking him that cycle, but he landed at Louisville with new coach Kenny Payne.
Huntley-Hatfield averaged 6.7 points and 5.4 rebounds last year, and shot 47.2 percent from the field last year. He has definitely improved this season, and he is averaging 10.1 points and 8.6 rebounds a contest, and is shooting 55.8 percent from the field.
Huntley-Hatfield has been coming on, scoring at least 16 points in four of his last six games, with a season-high 22 points and nine rebounds in the win over Miami. He also had 20 points and double-digit rebounds against both Pepperdine and Arkansas State in mid-December.
NC State senior center D.J. Burns also graduated early and went to Tennessee and left after redshirting his freshman year, leaving for Winthrop. He landed at NC State last year, and he's the main low-post option for the Wolfpack.
Burns is averaging 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and he's had at least 10 shot attempts in eight games, but has just a combined 14 shots in the last two contests against UNC and Virginia.
