Make no mistake about it, if the Orange want to have any shot of making it to the NCAA tournament, they have to beat the 11th ranked Louisville Cardinals on the road tonight. This is the Orange’s last chance to get a resume win this season before any possible ACC tournament games. This is pretty much a playoff game tonight for the Orange so yeah, everything is on the line. With that being said, let’s get to know the Cardinals.
Cardinals 2019-2020 Season So Far
Life has been pretty good (until recently) for the Cardinals this season. They are 21-5 and 12-3 overall in ACC play. They currently are ranked 10th in the latest NET Rankings which for the Orange, is the best opponent NET ranking they face since Duke on February 1st. They have some standout wins against Michigan and Duke which bolsters their resume. However, the Cardinals have been struggling lately as they are on a two game losing streak. A 64-58 loss to bottom feeder Georgia Tech and a 77-62 loss to Clemson has left a sour taste in Cardinals nation mouth. So much so head coach Chris Mack is considering making lineup changes.
Chris Mack says he’s still considering changes to the starting lineup for Syracuse but doesn’t know what they’ll be yet. He also says he’s not concerned that he’s having to toy with the lineup at this point in the season, because it’s all in the name of being a better team.
— Danielle Lerner (@danielle_lerner) February 18, 2020
This isn’t great news for Orange fans as the Cardinals won’t be caught off guard and will have something to prove on this recent losing skid.
Players To Watch Out For
The Cardinals rely on their star forward Jordan Nwora. Nwora this season is averaging 18.2 points per game (which is 2nd in the ACC only behind Elijah Hughes), 9th in the ACC in rebounding (7.3 per game) and 3rd in the ACC in 3 point field goals per game (behind Elijah Hughes and Buddy Boeheim). Safe to say the Orange are most likely facing the ACC player of the year in Nwora this evening.
Nwora however is the only Cardinal who is averaging double digit points this season. Despite that, the Cardinals play with a deep bench. They have nine players who have played in 22 or more games this season and seven who have played in all 26 games so far. Other notable contributors include senior forward Dwyane Sutton who averages 9.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. A guard that the Orange will have to key in on is senior Ryan McMahon who is shooting 42.7% from three point range. Like the Seminoles, the Cardinals have plenty of depth they can throw at the Orange if foul trouble comes up for Louisville.
Prediction
Once again the Orange are walking into an incredibly tough road environment at the KFC Yum Center. The Cardinals are 14-1 at home this season with their lone home loss to Florida State back on January 4th. The odds are pretty much stacked against the Orange in this one. I think they will give the Cardinals a good fight and it will be a close game, but just like the Seminoles, the depth of the Cardinals will be too much for the Orange to overcome.
