Louisville has rejoined the Top 25 this week but might have a tough time staying there.
Two blowout victories pushed the Cardinals back into the AP poll at No. 22, and they should expect to get another one Monday night against Morgan State before facing a big challenge which could put their ranking in jeopardy.
Making things tougher on Louisville (10-1) this week is a thin backcourt. Starter Mike Marra will not return until after the New Year due to a sprained ankle suffered in practice Tuesday. Reserve Elisha Justice will miss a third straight game Monday due to a concussion, and his status for Friday's showdown with 11th-ranked Kentucky is uncertain.
A loss in that rivalry game could drop the Cardinals from the rankings again after falling out last week due to a stunning home loss to Drexel on Dec. 14.
Louisville bounced back four days later with a 78-49 win over Gardner-Webb, then rolled to a 114-82 win over Western Kentucky on Wednesday in its first road test of the season.
"We could have beat a lot of great teams tonight playing like that," coach Rick Pitino said. "Every shot went in. We executed to perfection in all phases of the game. It's really not Western playing poorly, it's us being on fire."
That was particularly true of Peyton Siva, who set career highs with 29 points and eight assists as Louisville posted its highest point total in more than a decade. The sophomore point guard went 4 of 7 from 3-point range after going 1 for 9 in the previous three games while averaging 8.7 points.
"He's being a great floor general and running the team and he has the ability to score as well, which makes him a terrific threat," Pitino said.
Starting backcourt mate Preston Knowles added 15 points after scoring a career-high 24 against Gardner-Webb. He leads the team with 13.7 points per game and Siva is next at 12.1.
Monday's matchup should not threaten Louisville's spot in the Top 25, especially considering Morgan State (4-5) has lost all but one of its nine games against ranked opponents over the past decade by at least 18 points. However, the one that wasn't a blowout came last season against the Cardinals, who never trailed after the opening four minutes but struggled to put away the Golden Bears in a 90-81 victory.
Morgan State was routed by another Big East team in its only game versus a ranked opponent this season and it was the team's most recent outing, 97-55 at then-No. 5 Syracuse last Monday.
Kevin Thompson led the Bears with 15 points and he averages 14.1 to rank second on the team behind Dewayne Jackson (14.7 ppg).
The Bears, the two-time defending champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, have lost their only two meetings with Louisville.
