Louisville is about to get a key player back as it looks to improve offensively.
Rakeem Buckles will make his season debut Wednesday night when the fifth-ranked Cardinals seek a second straight 8-0 start as they host IUPUI.
Coach Rick Pitino has said that this season's injury situation for his team is the worst he's ever seen. It will get better since Buckles will finally see action.
Buckles averaged 6.8 points and 6.1 rebounds last season as a sophomore before hurting his knee against Pittsburgh on Feb. 27 and having surgery three weeks later. The 6-foot-7 Buckles will back up center Gorgui Dieng before moving into the power forward role as his minutes increase.
"We'll probably play him anywhere from 10 to 14 minutes," Pitino said. "Try to increase it a little bit the following game and he should be ready to go the Memphis game (on Dec. 17). The main thing is I don't want to play him longer than three-minute spans."
Louisville's 67.7 points per game represent its lowest mark in Pitino's 11 seasons. The coach cited the injuries as well as star guard Peyton Siva's recovery from a concussion as reasons for the offensive woes.
"We have not played at a good enough pace right now," Pitino said. "And there are a lot of reasons for that. One of the reasons for that is that Peyton Siva is not in the shape he needs to be in."
The Cardinals have not played since Friday's 62-60 overtime win over then-No. 20 Vanderbilt. Louisville finished with its fewest points and shot a season-low 25.0 percent on 3-pointers.
The offense could come easier Wednesday. IUPUI (2-7) is allowing opponents to shoot 46.1 percent for the second-worst mark among Summit League teams.
The Jaguars will bring some familiar faces to Louisville. First-year coach Todd Howard is a native of the city and the son of Terry Howard, a member of the school's 1975 Final Four team. Assistant coach David Padgett played for the Cardinals from 2005-08 and was an assistant strength coach for Pitino last season.
"The Howard family is a Louisville-based family that we all know real well," Pitino said. "Anderson, the brother, was a manager of ours and Aaron was a manager at Kentucky and their dad played here. David Padgett, obviously, was a great player for us. They're going to know us very well."
IUPUI's roster features five Kentucky natives, including three who hail from Louisville.
The Jaguars' best player is not among that group in Alex Young, a 6-6 senior swingman who has drawn the attention of NBA scouts. Young is averaging a team-high 18.7 points while shooting a career-worst 37.9 percent.
"We're going to have to do a great job now because this team, although they are 2-7, is a very good offensive basketball team," Pitino said. "Alex Young is one of the premier guys in the business statistically."
Louisville won the lone previous meeting, 80-60 on Dec. 21, 2004.
