ACC/Big Ten Challenge pits Buckeyes against Cardinals

Dec 2, 2014 - 4:32 PM Louisville, KY (SportsNetwork.com) - A pair of Top-25 foes will collide at the KFC Yum! Center on Tuesday evening, as the fifth-ranked Louisville Cardinals play host to the 14th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes as part of the 2014 ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Rick Pitino's Cardinals opened the season with a neutral site win over Minnesota in Puerto Rico (81-68), but have since played the rest of their games at home. In the midst of that six-game homestand, Louisville has posted four more double-digit victories and moved to 5-0 on the season with last week's 45-33 defensive battle with Cleveland State.

Thad Matta's Buckeyes have also enjoyed some home-cooking, as they recently wrapped up a five-game homestand to begin the 2014-15 campaign, with a 73-56 victory over James Madison. OSU is also a perfect 5-0 on the season and like Louisville, has won all five of its games by double figures.

This series is all knotted up at 4-4, thanks to Louisville's 72-64 overtime decision in the meeting in 2003 in Columbus, OH.

Ohio State has dominated the opposition on both ends of the floor thus far. The Buckeyes are shooting a scorching .567 from the field overall, leading to a hefty 87.2 ppg. Meanwhile, foes are netting just 57.2 ppg and shooting well below 40 percent from the floor (.374). Freshman guard D'Angelo Russell has certainly made an immediate impact on the team, leading in the scoring column at 18.0 ppg. Sam Thompson and Marc Loving check in at 12.0 ppg apiece. Shannon Scott has delivered at the point, averaging 9.2 ppg, while doling out over 10 assists per contest (10.4).

It wasn't a particularly strong offensive showing for OSU last time out, as the Buckeyes shot just .413 from the floor against a pesky James Madison team. Still, Ohio State distanced itself with strong defense, limiting the Dukes to just under 40 percent shooting and forcing 21 turnovers. Russell led the way with 14 points, although he shot just 4-of-12 from the floor. Thompson was the only other Buckeye to post double digits, chipping in 13 points in the win.

Louisville's win over Cleveland State was a milestone for Pitino, who picked up his 700th career victory. It certainly didn't come easy for Louisville, which shot an ugly .315 from the floor, including a meager 3-of-20 from behind the arc. Still, the 45 points were more than enough, as the Cardinals completely shut down the Vikings, who managed just 33 points in the game. Despite the low offensive numbers, star forward Montrezl Harrell managed a double-double, finishing with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Chris Jones added 11 points to the cause, while Terry Rozier just missed a double-double of his own, tallying nine points and 11 boards.

The Cardinals have been far more consistent defensively than offensively this season, but have still found a way to boast of a +30.6 scoring margin, averaging 77.2 ppg, while holding opponents to a mere 46.6. Additionally, Louisville lives comfortably in terms of rebounding (+13.6) and turnover (+6.8) margins. Harrell has been terrific in the early going. He is shooting just over 60 percent from the floor and leads the team in both scoring (17.4 ppg) and rebounding (8.8 rpg). Scoring depth comes in the form of Rozier (13.6 ppg), Jones (12.2 ppg) and Wayne Blackshear (11.2 ppg).