LouisvilleLouisville vs. Wake ForestWake Forest Pick Center

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Jan 29, 2019With a five-game winning streak, it might be tempting for Louisville to want to soak in the recent success.Not a good idea, coach Chris Mack said."We really worry more about what's in the windshield than in the rear-view mirror," Mack said this week in advance of Wednesday night's game at Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N. C.The No. 15 Cardinals (15-5, 6-1 ACC) made a big jump in the national polls after another two-win week. A victory against Wake Forest would move them into a share of first place in the ACC.Wake Forest (8-11, 1-6) has been going in the opposite direction, losing three games in a row. This will be the Demon Deacons' fourth game against a nationally ranked opponent in a five-game span.For Mack, this is a return to a former place of employment. He was on the Wake Forest staff of the late Skip Prosser. Mack returned to Winston-Salem for games as Xavier's coach, but this will be different."With it being a league game, there's more weight that the game carries," Mack said. "I'll always have special and really fond memories of all the people." He also brings along Dino Gaudio, a Louisville assistant coach. Gaudio was also on the Wake Forest staff, becoming the head coach after Prosser's passing.Louisville avenged a Dec. 9 loss to Pittsburgh by beating the Panthers 66-51 on Saturday, despite some rough patches."I think it shows we have some character on our team," Mack said."It's easy to win a game when things are going well for you, shots are falling, everybody is scoring. But when the ball can't go in or doesn't go in, to have the stick-to-it-iveness to believe in what should come first for our team, which is the defensive end." Louisville sophomore forward Jordan Nwora is fifth in the ACC in scoring at 18.2 points per game. Yet the offense hasn't necessarily come easy."Jordan hasn't shot well the last couple games, but he found his points in other ways," Mack said. "He's more than a guy who shoots the ball from 3. When he's doing that, then it's really hard to guard." Wake Forest scoring leader Brandon Childress (16.1 points per game) managed only eight points in Saturday's home loss to Boston College. He shot 3 of 16, missing all nine of his 3-point attempts. That dropped him to 39.8 percent from behind the arc."We continue to be positive and supportive of one another and that's how we've been," coach Danny Manning said. "This team has been very resilient." Wake Forest has been a solid rebounding team, holding a plus-12 margin on the boards in the 65-61 loss to Boston College. The Demon Deacons have out-rebounded five of seven ACC foes.But despite owning one of the country's top rates of points scored on free throws, the Demon Deacons have been limited to a total of 13 attempted foul shots in the past two games.Wake Forest defeated Louisville in the Cardinals' visit two years ago, though Louisville leads the series 5-2. This is the only scheduled meeting of the season between the teams.--Field Level Media

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