, who won their eighth straight game.''We know no matter where we play, the other team's going to go on a run,'' Louisville coach Chris Mack said. ''We just don't have the type of kids that are going to splinter and sort of pull apart from one another.'' The Cardinals showed it, too.Louisville got off to a horrid start by racking up 10 fouls and 10 turnovers by the midway point of the first half. But McMahon got things going by hitting his first six shots - all 3s - with four coming in a six-possession burst that helped the Cardinals negate all those early mistakes. They led 31-21 on the way to a 41-26 halftime margin.Then, after the Wolfpack cut a 17-point deficit to four midway through the second half, the Cardinals responded by scoring 21 of the game's final 26 points and holding N. C. State without a basket for the final 5:46.Now Louisville has its best start in any league since going 10-1 in the Metro Conference in the 1992-93 season. The Cardinals are also 6-0 in ACC road games.''We look at each other as road warriors,'' said Fresh Kimble, who had 10 points.C. J. Bryce scored 15 points for the Wolfpack (14-8, 5-6), but N. C. State shot 33% and made 5 of 23 3-pointers to lose for the third straight game.''I like our grit,'' Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts said. ''I like how we fought. I think there's a lot of good things we can take away from this. Obviously, if we don't score, it's going to be tough on us.'' BIG PICTURELouisville: The Cardinals haven't lost since falling at home to current No. 5 Florida State on Jan. 4. That run now includes five road wins, one at Duke's famously hostile Cameron Indoor Stadium in the only regular-season meeting between two of the league's top teams. And the Cardinals have had a different leading scorer for five straight games in a show of depth and balance.N. C. State: It had been a frustrating week for the Wolfpack, who followed the program's first win at Virginia since 2005 with a loss at Georgia Tech and Monday's home loss to injury-depleted North Carolina. This loss cost the Wolfpack - ranked No. 57 in the NCAA's NET rankings - a chance to earn a marquee win for the NCAA Tournament resume.MCMAHON'S ROLLMcMahon, a 6-foot redshirt senior, had scored 21 points and hit five 3-pointers over the previous five games combined, which followed struggles in losses to rival Kentucky and FSU.But he said he had a good feeling from the start by picking the ball that felt just right to be used in the game, a task which falls to the visiting team. McMahon didn't miss until the final seconds of the first half and finished 8 for 12 from the field along with 7 for 10 from behind the arc.''I went through and sifted through five or six balls and finally found one that was like really, really good,'' McMahon said, adding: ''Once I saw the first one drop, I was like, `All right, it's time to go.'' 'BRYCE'S PLAYBryce's play was a welcome return to form after the Wolfpack's one-time leading scorer had gone scoreless on 0-for-12 shooting during the previous two games.''''I never lost any confidence in my game,'' Bryce said. ''Coming off of a slump, it was good for me to see the ball go in the hole.'' UP NEXTLouisville hosts Wake Forest on Wednesday.N. C. State visits Miami on Wednesday.---More college basketball: http://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and http://www.twitter.com/-Top25---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap)
Jan 31, 2020Louisville has certainly made an early statement in the Atlantic Coast Conference.It's time for North Carolina State to do the same, its coach said.That's the mindset for the upset-minded Wolfpack when they go against the visiting Cardinals on Saturday afternoon in Raleigh, N. C."There's a lot of basketball to be played, and a lot of teams that can determine our fate whether we win or lose those games," said NC State coach Kevin Keatts, whose team lost consecutive games to sub-.500 opponents. "We play some really good teams at home at PNC Arena." No. 6 Louisville (18-3, 9-1 ACC) has won seven games in a row, marking its best stretch as an ACC member. The team's league record is its best mark since it recorded the same record in 2008-09 as a member of the Big East Conference.The first-place Cardinals have won all five ACC road games this season.Louisville junior forward Jordan Nwora poured in 37 points in Wednesday night's 86-69 victory at Boston College."Jordan always has a confidence level about him," Louisville coach Chris Mack said. "Jordan found his openings and I felt really took advantage of." The Cardinals bagged 12 baskets from 3-point range at Boston College, tying their season high in that category. Nwora sank seven of them for the most in his career."He has a lightning-quick release," Mack said. "Again, he's tall, and it's something that not every team is prepared for." Keatts has challenged his team to become tougher after losses at Georgia Tech and then Monday night's home meeting against rival North Carolina."We need to fix our issues like mental and physical toughness if we want to win those games," Keatts said. "That's what it will come down to." The message seems to have been delivered to the Wolfpack."We have to come out with excellent energy and lock in these next few games and at practice," said 6-11 forward/center Manny Bates.The Wolfpack will look to get senior guard C. J. Bryce untracked. He had been the team's leading scorer, but he went scoreless in each of the past two games on combined 0-for-12 shooting from the field."I'm going to stick with him," Keatts said. "But we have to figure it out because C. J. is a big part of who we are. We have become so reliant on him." Bryce scored in double figures in 10 of NC State's first 12 games this season. The Wolfpack went 2-2 when he sat out games with a concussion. When he hasn't scored in double figures, NC State holds a 2-3 record.Louisville turned to a zone defense in the second half against Boston College. That's something that had been discussed for a few weeks, Mack said, and now it could be part of the solution if there are rough stretches on the defensive end."Let's at least give ourselves a look at it and see how we do," Mack said. "... It's something that we have practiced, even though we haven't shown it a whole lot." Louisville has won four of the last five meetings with the Wolfpack, though its last visit to Raleigh resulted in a loss to end the 2017-18 regular season.--Field Level Media
Looking for More Picks?
You can browse all the individual handicapper picks below.
Louisville
North Carolina State
Pick Center
NCAAB
FINAL (2/1/2020)
ProfessorsPicks
