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Still eyeing ACC co-title, Louisville visits Wake Forest (Mar 01, 2017)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Louisville navigated most of the Atlantic Coast Conference season without running into trouble spots.
However, the eighth-ranked Cardinals won only one of three February road games, and that came in overtime. So beginning March with more success is the first thing on the docket.
Louisville plays Wake Forest on Wednesday night at Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
"They're 10-3 at home, and we know it will be a very tough game," said Cardinals coach Rick Pitino, whose team has plenty at stake.
Louisville (23-6, 11-5) can gain a share of the ACC regular-season title by winning twice this week accompanied by a North Carolina loss to Duke on Saturday night.
It will be the last home game for the Demon Deacons, who might need to knock off a quality opponent to reach the NCAA Tournament.
Posting a .500 league record is still a possibility for Wake Forest (16-12, 7-9).
"That's the best we can do right now, so that's definitely the goal," coach Danny Manning said.
The Demon Deacons realize they will be one of six teams required to play on the first day of next week's ACC tournament. However, Wake Forest has been mentioned by analysts as a team close to having a portfolio that could be worthy of an NCAA Tournament bid.
"The guys know the conversation right now (involves) the bubble," Manning said.
The Demon Deacons have seven ACC victories for the first time since the 2009-10 season. Yet only one of Wake Forest's league triumphs has been against a team (Miami) that owns a winning record in conference play.
The Cardinals have won four ACC road games, so a victory in Winston-Salem would make them one of four teams in the league this season with a winning road record.
Since joining the ACC, Louisville has defeated Wake Forest in both meetings.
"Wake Forest has always played us tough," Pitino said. "They're a very good offensive basketball team. They score a lot of points. They've scored a lot of times in the 90s and high 80s. They're an explosive offensive basketball team."
One of the keys for Louisville on the defensive end has been guard Donovan Mitchell, who leads the ACC with an average of 2.10 steals per game.
"Donovan is a great anticipator," Pitino said. "He has a very, very high basketball IQ."
Mitchell also has scored in double figures in nine consecutive games, and his average of 16.1 points per game ranks 12th in the league.
Wake Forest has forward John Collins, whose 20.4 points per game is the top average in ACC games. He is at 19.1 points per outing overall.
Wake Forest has been idle for a week since matching a school-record comeback by rallying from a 19-point deficit to defeat visiting Pittsburgh.
"Our guys have had a chance to take some rest and also get their legs back under them," Manning said.
The Demon Deacons will wrap up the regular season Saturday at Virginia Tech, providing two opportunities this week to defeat a team with double-digit ACC victories.
"Louisville is playing at a high clip," Manning said. "It's Senior Night for us, (so) there will be a lot of energy and excitement."
The Cardinals conclude the regular season with a Saturday home game against No. 19 Notre Dame.
