NCAAB Game Preview - Wake Forest at Louisville

Wed Feb 5, 2020 9:00 PM EST

No. 5 Louisville cruises into matchup with Wake Forest

Louisville keeps rolling along while off to its best Atlantic Coast Conference start in program history.

The No. 5 Cardinals eye a ninth straight victory on Wednesday night when they host a Wake Forest squad that's looking to win back-to-back league games for the first time in three years.

Since losing 78-65 to Florida State (currently eighth in the Associated Press Top 25) at home on Jan. 4, Louisville (19-3, 10-1 ACC) has won eight in a row while outscoring its opponents by an average margin of 11.1 points. The streak has the Cardinals sitting atop the league, one game clear of the Seminoles.

While Jordan Nwora (19.3 points, 7.5 rebounds per game) remains the Cardinals' star, Louisville showed off some depth as senior Ryan McMahon came off the bench to hit seven 3-pointers and finish with a season-high 23 points on Saturday in a 77-57 rout at North Carolina State.

Louisville has shot 49.1 percent overall and 48.5 percent (33 of 68) from 3-point range over the past three contests. The Cardinals last won nine consecutive league games in a single season in 2007-08, when they were members of the Big East.

"I think we are a confident group and we are experienced," coach Chris Mack told Louisville's official website. "There is a really good camaraderie between our veteran group and our freshmen, both those that play and don't play. They have a good spirit, which are going to need throughout the season."

Following two games on the road, the Cardinals return home looking for a fourth consecutive victory at the KFC Yum! Center. Louisville is 4-1 against Wake Forest with both members of the ACC, and the Cardinals won both home meetings (in 2016 and '18) by a combined 27 points.

Nwora, Dwayne Sutton and Malik Williams combined for 50 points and 24 rebounds in Louisville's 82-54 win at Wake Forest last season.

Though the Demon Deacons (10-11, 3-8 in ACC) are tied for last in the conference, they should have some momentum and a little more confidence following a 56-44 home win over Clemson on Saturday.

While Wake Forest posted its second-lowest point total of the season, it allowed a season low in points while keeping the Tigers to just 30.5 percent shooting from the field.

Wake Forest allows 72.1 points per contest and had yielded 90 in a loss at Notre Dame earlier in the week.

"We felt our defense gave us a chance to build a lead in the first half," coach Danny Manning said. "I thought it was a really good overall team effort."

Charlotte transfer guard Andrien White (9.8 points per game) scored 17 for the Deacons, and he has averaged 17.3 points over the past four games. Wake Forest's leading scorer, Brandon Childress (15.4 ppg), has totaled 38 points in the past two road contests. Childress had 13 in last season's loss to Louisville.

Wake Forest, which last won consecutive ACC games in 2016-17, has dropped 11 in a row overall against top-10 teams since beating then-No. 8 Louisville on March 1, 2017.

--Field Level Media